Chapter 4 - THE PRICE OF A NAME
The silver pocket watch felt heavy and cold, like a stone pulled from a frozen river.
Nora stared at the initials. R.H.
“He’s alive,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “My father is alive, and he’s downstairs.”
Adrian didn’t offer empty comforts. He checked Thomas for a pulse, found none, and gently closed the manager’s eyes.
“We have to keep moving,” Adrian said, pulling Nora to her feet. “If Thomas knew the plan, Vivienne’s men know about this stairwell.”
They hurried down the concrete steps, the red emergency lights painting the walls like an ascending fire. Nora’s mind was spinning. Her entire life—the poverty, the struggles, the eviction notices—was a lie. A manufactured cage designed to keep her hidden, while the Laurents sat in velvet chairs bought with her family's blood.
And her father had helped them build the cage.
“Why now?” Nora asked, her breath coming in ragged gasps as they reached the thirtieth floor. “If my father sold me out years ago, why is Vivienne trying to kill me tonight?”
“Because of me,” Adrian said, pushing open the heavy fire door to check the corridor. It was empty. “The Blackwood-Laurent merger required a full audit of the Laurent family trust. My forensic accountants dig deep, Nora. Deeper than Vivienne expected. I think she realized my team was about to uncover the forged Caldwell signatures. With you dead, there’s no one to claim the stolen assets. The loose end is tied.”
They slipped into the corridor of the thirtieth floor, a maze of high-end corporate offices.
“We need a phone,” Adrian said, moving swiftly toward a glass-walled conference room. “They jammed the cell signals on the forty-second floor, but hardlines on the corporate levels might still work.”
Nora followed him, gripping the silver watch so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Adrian grabbed a sleek desk phone. He dialed a sequence of numbers, waiting. His jaw clenched.
“Dead,” he muttered, slamming the receiver down. “They’ve cut the main trunk lines for the building.”
“Then we have to get to the street,” Nora said.
“We won't make it to the lobby. They’ll have the elevators and main exits covered. We need the underground garage. My private car is armored.”
He looked at her, his gray eyes softening just a fraction. “I am going to get you out of this, Nora. I promise you.”
It was the first time in ten years someone had promised to take care of her. She swallowed hard, nodding.
They moved toward the service elevators. Adrian pried open the digital panel, crossing two wires to override the lockdown. The doors slid open.
They rode in silence to the sub-basement. The tension in the small box was suffocating.
Ding.
The doors opened to the cavernous, dimly lit underground parking garage. The scent of exhaust and damp concrete filled the air.
Adrian’s car, a sleek, reinforced black sedan, was parked fifty yards away.
“Stay behind me,” he whispered.
They moved between parked cars, the silence heavy and expectant. They were twenty yards away. Ten yards.
Suddenly, the blinding high beams of a black SUV snapped on, pinning them in the harsh white light.
Tires screeched as two more SUVs boxed them in.
Doors flew open. Armed men poured out, raising their weapons.
Adrian pulled Nora behind a concrete pillar, his body shielding hers.
Then, a voice echoed through the garage. A voice Nora hadn't heard in five years, but would recognize anywhere.
“Don’t shoot!”
Nora peeked around the pillar.
A young man was being dragged out of the lead SUV, his hands tied behind his back. His face was bruised, his clothes torn.
“Leo!” Nora screamed, surging forward.
Adrian caught her around the waist, pulling her back before the men could fire.
Her younger brother. Leo. He was supposed to be at his night classes in Queens.
From the shadows behind the SUVs, a tall man stepped into the light. He wore a tailored suit that didn't quite hide his slumped, defeated posture.
He looked older, tired, and broken. But it was him.
Richard Hayes.
“Hello, Nora,” her father said, his voice trembling. He looked at Adrian. “Mr. Blackwood. If you want the boy to live, you’ll give her to me.”
Nora stopped struggling against Adrian’s grip. A profound, icy betrayal washed over her.
“You brought Leo here?” she cried out. “Your own son?”
Richard flinched. “I didn't have a choice, Nora. They promised they wouldn't hurt him if I just brought him. They just want you.”
“They want to kill her, Richard!” Adrian shouted back, his voice booming with authority. “And once they do, they’ll kill you and the boy to cover their tracks. You know how Vivienne works.”
Richard shook his head, pulling a small, folded piece of paper from his pocket.
“No,” Richard said desperately. “Vivienne didn't want this. She didn't order the hit.”
Nora stared in confusion. “What are you talking about? She signaled them!”
“Vivienne is a puppet!” Richard yelled, tears spilling down his face. “It’s her father. Arthur Laurent. He’s the one who took everything. And if you don't surrender, Nora, he won't just kill Leo. He’ll release this.”
Richard held up the paper.
“What is that?” Nora demanded.
“It’s a confession,” Leo shouted from his knees, his voice cracking with shame. “Nora, I’m so sorry! I didn't know!”
“Didn't know what?” Nora begged.
“Leo has been cooking the books for his accounting firm,” Richard said miserably. “Stealing millions for Arthur Laurent. He thought he was paying off my debts to keep you safe.”
The world tilted beneath Nora’s feet. Everything she thought she knew was a lie.
Then, Adrian did something completely unexpected.
May you like
He stepped out from behind the pillar, his hands empty, walking directly into the gunsights.
“I have a counter-offer,” Adrian said.
