Chapter 5 - What Declan Marr Would Burn
The intrusion lasted four minutes.
Nobody reached Saoirse.
By the time police sirens approached, whoever had entered the warehouse was gone.
The thumb drive was gone too.
Saoirse found Declan downstairs.
“You let them take it.”
“Yes.”
“You knew they would.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“You used it as bait.”
Declan handed Remy a tablet.
A map showed a moving signal.
Remy grinned.
“We put our own tracker inside the tape.”
Saoirse blinked.
“When?”
“While you were unconscious.”
She turned toward Declan.
“You tampered with my evidence?”
“Yes.”
“That is unbelievably unethical.”
“I've been called worse.”
“I believe that.”
Remy pointed at the map.
“Signal stopped.”
Declan looked.
An abandoned Castain concrete facility near the river.
Saoirse immediately reached for her coat.
“No.”
She glared at Declan.
“You cannot keep saying that.”
“I can.”
“You need me.”
“For what?”
“The encrypted files.”
“We copied them.”
“You copied the visible files.”
Declan stared.
“There are hidden files?”
Saoirse smiled slightly.
“I'm an engineer who walked into a mafia boss's office carrying evidence against a billionaire construction family.”
She picked up her coat.
“You thought I wouldn't make backups?”
Remy smiled.
“I really like her.”
Declan ignored him.
“What hidden files?”
“The actual concrete batch records.”
“Where?”
“Encrypted cloud archive.”
“Password?”
“In my head.”
Declan’s jaw tightened.
“Fine.”
Saoirse smiled.
“I knew you'd see reason.”
“You're staying in the car.”
Her smile disappeared.
“That isn't reason.”
At the concrete facility, Declan didn't allow Saoirse beyond the security gate.
Twenty minutes later, Remy called.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“Victor isn't here.”
Declan looked at Saoirse.
“What is?”
“Daniel Mercer.”
They found Mercer sitting alone inside the administrative building.
Terrified.
He immediately began talking.
“Castain knows everything.”
Declan stood across from him.
“Where is Victor?”
“I don't know.”
Saoirse entered despite being explicitly told not to.
Declan glared.
She ignored him.
“Daniel.”
Mercer looked ashamed.
“Saoirse.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
“That's all?”
“At first.”
“And afterward?”
Mercer looked at Declan.
“Victor said he'd destroy my family.”
Saoirse's expression remained cold.
“So you gave him mine?”
Mercer looked down.
“I didn't know they'd hurt you.”
“You told them where I was.”
“I thought they'd take the drive.”
“They nearly killed me.”
“I know.”
Saoirse stepped closer.
“Then help me finish it.”
Mercer looked up.
“How?”
“Testify.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Castain will kill me.”
Declan spoke.
“No.”
Mercer looked at him.
Declan’s voice was almost conversational.
“He won't.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Declan glanced at Saoirse.
“Because she wants you alive.”
Saoirse looked at him.
“And apparently,” Declan continued, “I have developed an inconvenient habit of giving her what she wants.”
For the first time in days, Saoirse laughed.
A real laugh.
It lasted barely a second.
But Declan heard it.
And something inside him shifted permanently.
Then Saoirse’s phone rang.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Her face changed.
“Petra?”
Declan was beside her instantly.
Saoirse put the call on speaker.
A frightened voice came through.
“Saoirse?”
“Petra, where are you?”
“I’m outside your apartment.”
“Why?”
“There’s a man here.”
Declan signaled Remy.
“Petra, listen to me,” Saoirse said. “Get somewhere public.”
The line crackled.
Then another voice appeared.
Older.
Calm.
“Ms. Van.”
Declan recognized it.
Victor Castain.
Saoirse went white.
Castain continued.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
Declan took the phone.
“No, Victor.”
Silence.
Then:
“Declan.”
“You made a mistake.”
Castain laughed softly.
“Which one?”
Declan looked at Saoirse.
“Thinking the engineer was still part of our business.”
His voice became colder.
May you like
“She isn't.”
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