Chapter 7 - THE ABDUCTION
The plan was set. They were going to hand the evidence to a clean contact Alessandro had at the FBI, bypassing the local corruption Vane had bought. They would simultaneously leak the financial data to the press, ensuring Vane couldn't buy his way out of the public fallout.
But Harrison Vane was a cornered rat, and cornered rats bite.
Cassidy was in the kitchen pouring a cup of tea when her cell phone rang. It was an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Miss Miller." The voice was smooth, cultured, and dripping with venom. Vane. "I must say, I underestimated the little waitress. You have caused me quite a bit of trouble."
Cassidy froze. "How did you get this number?"
"I have resources. But more importantly, I have a guest. Say hello, Margaret."
A muffled, terrified sob came through the speaker. "Cassie? Cassie, help me!"
Cassidy dropped her mug. It shattered on the marble floor. "Mom!"
"Your mother is quite frail, Miss Miller," Vane said coldly. "It would be a shame if her dialysis treatments were permanently interrupted. You have the drive with my data. I want it back. And I want the passwords to Duca's offshore accounts. You have three hours. Come to the abandoned shipyard on Pier 42. Alone. If you tell Duca, she dies."
The line went dead.
Cassidy stood paralyzed, the world spinning. Vane had her mother. The woman who was already clinging to life by a thread.
She looked toward the library doors. Alessandro was in there, finalizing the FBI handover with Giovanni. If she told him, a war would break out. Bullets would fly. Her mother would be caught in the crossfire.
May you like
Tears streamed down her face as she made the hardest decision of her life. She crept into the study, grabbed a spare flash drive, copied the data, and slipped out the back service door of the estate, stealing one of the staff's cars.
She had to save her mother, even if it meant betraying the man who had saved her.
