Chapter 11 - Rourke’s Second Ledger
The voice belonged to Arthur Vale.
Elias knew him as the Baron family attorney.
Seventy-one.
Quiet.
Polite.
Invisible in the way old powerful men often preferred.
Arthur stepped into the emergency light.
Rourke followed.
So did Haverin.
The truth finally had a shape.
Arthur had built the network.
Rourke and Haverin were merely its competing managers.
For twenty years, Arthur controlled the money while letting violent men believe they controlled the empire.
Sebastian discovered him.
Daniel discovered him.
Now Elias had.
Arthur smiled.
“Your father was sentimental.”
“Which one?” Elias asked.
Arthur’s smile faded.
Elias understood something then.
Rourke wanted recognition.
Haverin wanted power.
Arthur wanted invisibility.
So Elias attacked the only thing Arthur valued.
He turned on his phone.
Live transmission.
Arthur saw the red light.
His face changed.
Bruno’s team had already uploaded Daniel’s ledger.
Federal investigators, journalists and attorneys received copies simultaneously.
Arthur lunged.
Gunfire erupted.
Rourke shot Haverin.
Haverin fired back.
Bruno pulled Evan down.
Elias shielded Adeline.
Arthur ran.
Isabella followed.
Elias chased both.
On the roof, Arthur cornered Isabella.
“You should have stayed dead.”
“You first,” she said.
Elias arrived.
Arthur aimed at him.
Rourke appeared behind Arthur.
For one strange second, biological father and son looked at each other.
Rourke fired.
Arthur fell.
Then Rourke collapsed.
Haverin’s bullet had struck him minutes earlier.
Elias approached.
Rourke looked up.
“I did love your mother.”
Elias said nothing.
“I wanted you to be mine.”
“I was never yours.”
The words hurt Rourke more than the wound.
Police sirens approached.
Rourke laughed weakly.
“You think this ends with Arthur?”
Elias crouched.
“What does that mean?”
Rourke reached inside his jacket.
Bruno raised his weapon.
But Rourke removed only a small black ledger.
He handed it to Elias.
“Arthur kept two books.”
Elias opened it.
The first page contained a list of payments.
The final entry was dated tomorrow.
Beside it was an address.
Adeline looked over his shoulder.
Her face drained of color.
Because the address belonged to Evan’s hospital.
May you like
And beside his name were two words.
FINAL PATIENT.
