Chapter 9
Police moved us that night.
Not later.
Not after discussion.
Immediately.
Emma, my parents, Sarah, and I were taken to separate secure locations.
Ethan went directly to the station with Detective Brennan.
For the first time in my life, I entered a hotel through a service entrance under police protection.
Emma thought it was an adventure.
She held my hand and whispered, “Secret hotel.”
I forced a smile.
“That’s right.”
She laughed.
That sound nearly broke me.
By midnight, she was asleep in a portable crib.
I sat in a chair beside her.
My phone was on the table.
No business calls.
No reporters.
No Sarah.
Police had asked us to limit communication.
I stared at Emma and realized how completely my priorities had changed in forty-eight hours.
Two days ago, losing the city contract would have felt catastrophic.
Now I would burn my company to the ground if it guaranteed my daughter woke up safe.
At 12:40 a.m., Detective Brennan knocked.
I let him in.
“What did Ethan give you?”
“A lot.”
“Is he cooperating?”
“Yes.”
“Did he break the law?”
“Yes.”
The direct answer hurt.
“How badly?”
“That depends on what prosecutors determine he knew.”
I nodded.
“Does his information help?”
“Very much.”
“Who hired Michael?”
“We’re still working on that.”
“What do you know?”
Brennan sat down.
“Michael Mercer appears to run a corporate intelligence operation disguised through several consulting companies.”
“Corporate intelligence?”
“Sometimes legal. Sometimes not.”
“And he targeted my family.”
“Yes.”
“For a competitor?”
“That appears likely.”
“Which one?”
He paused.
“We believe Harrison Urban Development may be involved.”
I stared at him.
Harrison was our biggest competitor for the city project.
Its CEO, Charles Harrison, had shaken my hand at industry conferences.
Smiled at me.
Congratulated me when Emma was born.
“How?”
“Payments from Harrison subsidiaries moved into one of Michael’s companies.”
“How much?”
“More than a million dollars over two years.”
“That doesn’t prove they hired him to sabotage me.”
“No.”
“Do you think they did?”
Brennan gave me a tired look.
“We’re getting closer.”
“What did Ethan do?”
“He gave Michael legacy maps of your network.”
I closed my eyes.
“Which let him know where to attack.”
“Yes.”
“Could he access our systems?”
“Not directly from the maps alone. But they helped.”
“Who inside the company helped?”
Brennan hesitated.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“We found evidence someone current was cooperating.”
My chest tightened.
“Mark?”
“We don’t know.”
“Stop saying that.”
“I won’t lie to make you feel better.”
I looked away.
“Fair.”
Brennan continued.
“Ethan says Michael repeatedly mentioned a person inside the company using the nickname ‘Coach.’”
I frowned.
“Coach?”
“Mean anything?”
Immediately.
One face came to mind.
“Robert Gaines.”
“The chairman?”
“He coached college baseball before going into finance.”
“Does anyone call him Coach?”
“Mark does sometimes. Old friends do.”
Brennan wrote it down.
My stomach twisted.
Robert had led the board vote removing me.
He had told me to protect my daughter.
He had invested in my company when almost nobody else would.
“Could be someone else.”
“Yes.”
I almost laughed.
He stood.
“Try to sleep.”
“Not happening.”
He looked at Emma.
“Try anyway.”
At 2:13 a.m., my phone lit up.
Sarah.
I answered.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Emma?”
“Asleep.”
She started crying.
I closed my eyes.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“Because I’m alone.”
I nearly said something cruel.
I stopped myself.
“What do you need?”
“I don’t know.”
“That makes two of us.”
Silence.
Then she said, “I told the police everything about Jason.”
“Good.”
“And about Michael.”
“Good.”
“And about the gambling.”
“Okay.”
“They said I may face charges.”
I wasn’t surprised.
“For what?”
“Financial things. Maybe lying on loan applications.”
I rubbed my face.
“Get a lawyer.”
“I did.”
“Good.”
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“If I go to jail…”
My stomach tightened.
“Don’t do this now.”
“What happens to Emma?”
“She stays with me.”
The answer came instantly.
Sarah cried harder.
“I know.”
I looked at my sleeping daughter.
“I won’t keep her from knowing you.”
Sarah went quiet.
It was the closest thing to mercy I could offer.
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t say we’re staying married.”
“I know.”
“I don’t know what happens with us.”
“I know.”
“But you are her mother.”
A long silence.
Then she whispered, “I don’t deserve you saying that.”
“This isn’t about what you deserve.”
I had said those words before.
Now they meant something different.
“It’s about her.”
“Yes.”
We ended the call.
At 7:30 the next morning, Brennan returned.
He looked like he hadn’t slept either.
“We have movement.”
“What kind?”
“Michael is trying to leave the state.”
My pulse jumped.
“Can you arrest him?”
“Federal agents are involved now.”
“Why federal?”
“Wire fraud. Extortion. Interstate financial crimes. Corporate theft.”
“Good.”
“Do not celebrate yet.”
I waited.
“He sent instructions this morning.”
“To me?”
“To Ethan.”
“What instructions?”
“Get you to withdraw from the city bid by noon.”
“And if I don’t?”
Brennan looked toward Emma.
I understood.
“So what do we do?”
“We’re going to let him think you complied.”
I frowned.
“How?”
“You’ll issue a statement.”
“I’m already suspended.”
“Not the same thing. You personally announce that your company is withdrawing.”
My chest tightened.
“That could destroy us.”
“Temporarily.”
“You don’t understand procurement. Once we withdraw—”
“I understand your daughter was photographed through a window last night.”
That ended the argument.
“When?”
“Eleven.”
“Where?”
“At my parents’?”
“Yes.”
“How did they find us?”
“We don’t know yet.”
I hated those words more every hour.
“Fine.”
I picked up my phone.
“What do you want me to say?”
At 10:15 a.m., my company released my statement.
Due to recent events and concerns regarding the integrity of the procurement process, Carter Infrastructure would withdraw from consideration for the Chicago redevelopment contract.
Within eleven minutes, every major local business outlet carried the story.
My career appeared to be collapsing publicly.
Exactly what Michael wanted.
At 10:42, Ethan received a message.
GOOD BROTHER.
Then another.
DEBT SETTLED.
Brennan smiled for the first time.
“What?”
“He believes it.”
“What happens now?”
“We wait for him to move.”
“For what?”
“The payoff.”
I frowned.
“What payoff?”
“If Harrison hired him to eliminate you from the bid, someone owes him the rest of his fee.”
“And you think they’ll meet?”
“Maybe.”
There was that word again.
This time I accepted it.
At noon, officers moved Emma and me again.
Sarah remained elsewhere.
Ethan cooperated with federal agents.
By late afternoon, Brennan stopped answering my calls.
That terrified me.
At 5:32, Mark called.
I answered.
“Daniel.”
His voice sounded strange.
“What happened?”
“Robert resigned.”
I stood.
“What?”
“He resigned from the board.”
“When?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
“Why?”
“No explanation.”
My pulse accelerated.
“Where is he?”
“Nobody knows.”
I called Brennan.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then Mark said, “Daniel, there’s more.”
“What?”
“Outside counsel found a series of unauthorized payments.”
“To Mercer?”
“Yes.”
“From Robert?”
“Not directly.”
“Then what?”
“A company he controls.”
My eyes closed.
Coach.
“Mark, do not contact him.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t.”
I hung up.
Two minutes later, Brennan called.
“We have Robert Gaines.”
I exhaled.
“Arrested?”
“Detained.”
“Was he involved?”
“He met Michael.”
“Today?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Parking garage downtown.”
My knees weakened.
“What happened?”
“Michael showed. Gaines showed. Federal agents moved in.”
“And Michael?”
A pause.
“He ran.”
My heart sank.
“Did he get away?”
“For now.”
I looked at Emma.
“Then we’re still hiding.”
“Yes.”
“What about Gaines?”
“He’s talking.”
“What is he saying?”
“That he hired Mercer for legitimate competitive research.”
I laughed.
“Of course.”
“He denies threats. Denies directing theft. Denies knowing about Sarah.”
“Do you believe him?”
Brennan actually answered this time.
“No.”
I almost smiled.
Then he continued.
“But we need evidence.”
“What about Michael?”
“We’ll find him.”
I walked to the window but stayed back from it.
“Any idea where he went?”
“We found his car abandoned.”
“Where?”
“Near the river.”
“Could he have another vehicle?”
“Yes.”
“Could he come after us?”
“Security remains in place.”
I looked at my daughter.
“Brennan.”
“Yes?”
“Do not tell me she’s safe unless you know she’s safe.”
Silence.
Then he said, “That’s fair.”
At 7:08, Sarah called.
I answered.
She was whispering.
“Daniel.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s here.”
My blood froze.
“What do you mean?”
“At the safe house.”
“Police?”
“No.”
“Where are the officers?”
“Outside.”
“Then tell them.”
“I tried.”
“What?”
“My phone has no service except Wi-Fi. I heard something downstairs.”
“Sarah, get off the phone and lock the door.”
“I did.”
A loud sound came through the line.
She gasped.
“Sarah?”
Another sound.
A door.
Then footsteps.
“Sarah!”
She whispered, “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“He’s here.”
My heart stopped.
“Who?”
May you like
“Michael.”
The line went dead.
