Chapter 8 - The Legal Ambush
The reunion was cut short by the sudden, heavy vibration of my phone. It was Marcus.
"Leo, get out of there now," Marcus said, his voice tense. "Arthur Montgomery’s security team just tracked Maria’s phone. They know she’s at the library. They’re five minutes away."
I pulled back from the girls, kissing each of their foreheads. "I have to go, sweethearts. But I’m coming back for you. I promise."
"Don't leave us, Daddy," Valerie whimpered, clutching my sleeve.
"I'm not leaving you," I said, looking into her eyes. "I’m going to build our cabin. Just wait for me."
I ran out the back exit of the library just as two black sedans pulled up to the front.
But the Montgomerys weren't finished. When I arrived back at my apartment, three men in dark suits were waiting in the hallway. Standing in the center was a tall, silver-haired man with eyes like polished obsidian.
Arthur Montgomery.
He looked at me with a disdain so pure it felt like a physical chill in the corridor.
"Mr. Vance," Arthur said, his voice smooth, cultured, and entirely devoid of humanity. "You've been making a nuisance of yourself."
"Where is Chloe?" I demanded, my hand sliding toward the pocket knife I kept in my pocket.
"Your daughter is safe with her babysitter," Arthur said coolly. "For now. But if you do not sign these papers by tomorrow morning, she will be placed in the custody of the state, and you will be arrested for the kidnapping of my granddaughters."
He held out a document. It was a formal termination of parental rights, along with a check for five million dollars.
"This is what your life is worth, Mr. Vance," Arthur said. "Take the money, take your daughter, and leave this state. If you refuse, I will use every resource at my disposal to ensure you spend the rest of your life in a maximum-security prison, and your daughter will grow up in a state facility."
I looked at the check, then at the termination papers.
"You think everyone has a price, don't you?" I said, stepping closer to him, my eyes locking onto his.
"Everyone does," Arthur smiled. "Some people are just more expensive than others."
I took the check, tore it into four pieces, and let the scraps fall onto his polished leather shoes.
May you like
"My daughters aren't for sale, Montgomery," I said. "And neither am I. Get out of my building before I show you what a grease monkey does to trash."
Arthur’s smile vanished, his eyes turning into slits of pure, venomous rage. "You’ve made your choice, Mr. Vance. Pray your daughter likes the foster system."
