Chapter 5 - The Man Who Sold the Secret
Dr. Nolan was sitting alone inside an empty Cross-owned office building when we found him.
He looked terrible.
Not injured.
Terrified.
When I entered, his head snapped up.
“Elena?”
“Hi, Nolan.”
His face collapsed with relief.
Then Damian stepped through the doorway behind me.
Nolan’s relief vanished.
“Mr. Cross.”
Damian remained near the door.
“You stole her file.”
Nolan swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Damian’s voice remained level.
“Everyone has a choice.”
“They had my daughter’s schedule.”
That stopped me.
“What?”
Nolan rubbed both hands over his face.
“My daughter goes to Northeastern. They sent photographs of her leaving class.”
I looked at Damian.
He said nothing.
Nolan continued.
“They wanted Elena’s file.”
“Why mine?” I asked.
“I didn’t know at first.”
“And now?”
“Because Mercer’s people had been watching Crosswell. They saw Damian visiting.”
I looked at Damian.
“How often were you visiting?”
He didn’t answer.
Nolan did.
“More than he needed to.”
My eyes narrowed.
Damian’s expression warned Nolan to stop.
Nolan apparently had decided he had nothing left to lose.
“He came downstairs eight times in six weeks.”
I stared at Damian.
“You were watching me?”
“No.”
Nolan actually laughed.
Damian looked at him.
Nolan immediately stopped laughing.
I folded my arms.
“Eight times?”
“There were legitimate reasons.”
“Name three.”
Silence.
Luca turned away, hiding a smile.
I pointed at him. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Immensely.”
Damian’s stare silenced him.
Then I returned to Nolan.
“What does Mercer think?”
“That you’re important to him.”
I glanced at Damian.
His face revealed nothing.
“Is that true?” I asked.
Damian answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Nobody spoke.
Not Nolan.
Not Luca.
Definitely not me.
Damian stepped toward Nolan.
“What happens at the meeting?”
Nolan looked down.
“I don’t know everything.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“Mercer wants the contracts transferred. He thinks Elena guarantees you’ll cooperate.”
“How?”
“I heard Marissa talking about getting her into the service corridor during the meeting.”
I shook my head.
“But I’m not supposed to be there.”
“Exactly,” Nolan said.
Damian’s eyes hardened.
“They expect me to leave her protected somewhere.”
Nolan nodded.
“Then they create an emergency.”
My stomach turned.
“At Crosswell?”
“I think so.”
Luca swore under his breath.
Damian was already issuing orders.
“Evacuate nonessential staff. Double security. Nobody enters without verification.”
Then he looked at me.
“You’re staying with me.”
“Finally.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“Don’t enjoy this.”
“I’m enjoying it a little.”
The next evening, Damian entered the Harbor Crown ballroom alone.
At least that was what Mercer believed.
I was upstairs in the hotel security suite with Luca, watching twelve camera feeds.
Damian stood at the center of the empty ballroom.
Silas Mercer entered from the opposite doors.
He was older than I expected.
Gray hair.
Expensive tuxedo.
And when he extended his hand toward Damian, I saw it.
The scar across his right palm.
The man Voss had asked about six months earlier.
Mercer smiled.
“You came.”
Damian remained motionless.
“You threatened a nurse.”
“I identified an asset.”
“She’s not an asset.”
“Then why are you here?”
Damian’s expression changed.
“Because you’re going to explain something.”
Mercer smiled.
“The contracts?”
“No.”
Damian took out his phone.
“Why did you assume Elena would make me surrender them?”
Mercer’s smile faded slightly.
“Because everyone has a weakness.”
“And you think she’s mine?”
“I know she is.”
My breath caught.
Luca glanced at me.
I whispered, “Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
On the monitor, Damian stepped closer.
“You made one mistake, Silas.”
“Which was?”
“You assumed having a weakness makes a man weaker.”
Mercer’s phone suddenly buzzed.
Then again.
His expression changed.
Damian continued.
“Your lenders received copies of your falsified collateral records ten minutes ago.”
Mercer went pale.
“Your board received them too.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing you didn’t do to yourself.”
Mercer lunged verbally, his composure cracking.
“You think this ends because you embarrassed me?”
“No.”
Damian looked directly toward the hidden camera.
Almost as if he knew I was watching.
May you like
“It ends because you went after her.”
Then my security monitor went black.
