Chapter 3 - The Ghost of Block Island
Standing in the vault doorway, flanked by four heavily armed men in black tactical gear, was Julian Thorne.
He looked older, his hair silvered at the temples, wearing a tailored charcoal overcoat that looked absurdly pristine against the filth of the abandoned basement. In his right hand, he held a sleek, silenced pistol aimed directly at my chest.
“Julian,” I said, stepping slowly in front of Marcus, holding the scorched ledger firmly against my side. “I see you’re still breaking into abandoned buildings to do your dirty work.”
Julian chuckled softly, a dry, humorless sound. “Always so melodramatic, Nathan. I must admit, I didn't expect you to figure out the St. Jude connection quite so quickly. But I suppose the appearance of your newborn heir on your doorstep had a way of accelerating your investigative instincts.”
“Where is Clara?” I demanded, my voice shaking with a rage so intense it threatened to drown out all reason. “Where have you been keeping her?!”
Julian sighed, adjusting his grip on the weapon. “Clara was... stubborn. Extremely stubborn. For eight years, she refused to cooperate with the restructuring of her family’s estate. It was only when I realized the value of your preserved genetic samples that she became truly useful.”
“You forced her into a surrogate program,” Marcus growled from behind me, his hand hovering near his shoulder holster.
“Don't move, Mr. Vance,” one of the armed guards warned, raising his assault rifle.
“It wasn't just surrogacy, Marcus,” Julian corrected smoothly. “It was the creation of a legitimate legal heir to the entire Carter-Montgomery trust—a trust worth nearly four billion dollars, which automatically reverts to any surviving biological offspring in the event of Nathan’s death or incapacitation.”
The terrifying grand scheme clicked into place. Julian didn't just want to ruin me; he wanted to use my own biological son, created against Clara’s will, to legally seize my life’s work.
“So why is the baby in my house?” I asked, keeping Julian’s attention locked on me while Marcus quietly shifted his weight. “Why was he abandoned in a trash bag behind my wall?”
Julian’s eyes narrowed into dark, bitter slits. “Because Clara escaped three days ago. With the help of an insider, she stole the infant from our private clinic in Westchester. She knew she couldn't outrun my security team, so she smuggled the child to your perimeter wall before my men intercepted her.”
My heart stopped. “Where is she now, Julian?”
“She’s right where she belongs,” Julian sneered. “In a secure holding facility, waiting to be processed. And as for you, Nathan... a tragic accident in a condemned building will suit my timeline perfectly. My lawyers will present the newborn as your rightful heir, and as his legally appointed corporate guardian under the Montgomery trust, I will finally take control of Carter Global.”
“You forgot one thing, Julian,” I said softly.
Julian raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s that?”
“You forgot about the seven-year-old girl who found him first.”
Before Julian could react, Marcus threw a high-intensity flashbang grenade he had quietly unclipped from his vest onto the wet concrete floor between us.
BANG!
A blinding white light and a deafening roar shattered the darkness of the vault.
Julian’s guards screamed, firing wildly into the ceiling as they were instantly disoriented. Marcus tackled the guard nearest to us, slamming him against the concrete wall and stripping him of his weapon, while I lunged forward, slamming my shoulder into Julian’s chest.
Julian hit the floor hard, his gun skittering across the wet concrete into the darkness. I pinned him down, my forearm pressed firmly against his throat.
“Where is she, Julian?!” I roared, pressing down until his eyes bulged. “TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!”
“Westchester...” Julian choked out, struggling for air. “The old... Saint Jude Sanatorium... lower level...”
Marcus fired three quick, precise non-lethal shots into the legs of the remaining guards, neutralizing the threat in seconds. He grabbed my coat collar, hauling me back.
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“We have to go, Nathan! The flashbang will have alerted his perimeter team outside!”
I grabbed the scorched ledger from the floor, gave Julian one final, furious look, and sprinted toward the elevator shaft.
