Chapter 6 - Forty Minutes to Save Her
Ethan moved before Lena could scream.
“Lock the house.”
Marcus pulled his phone.
“All entrances. Now.”
Lena ran upstairs.
Sophie was still asleep.
She lifted her daughter from the bed.
Sophie woke, confused.
“Mom?”
“It’s okay.”
“What happened?”
“We’re moving rooms.”
Ethan entered.
He checked the window.
Locked.
Closet.
Empty.
Bathroom.
Empty.
“How did they take that picture?” Lena whispered.
He looked toward the ceiling.
A vent.
Ethan pulled a chair beneath it.
Inside the vent was a small camera.
Marcus arrived.
“Wireless.”
“Victor?”
“Almost certainly.”
Ethan ripped it down.
Lena held Sophie tighter.
“No more hiding.”
Ethan looked at her.
“What?”
“We stop reacting.”
His expression changed.
Lena continued.
“Victor has controlled us because everyone keeps running from him.”
“Lena—”
“My father disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“Your mother tried to work around him.”
“Yes.”
“I ran for eight years.”
Ethan understood.
“You want to go to the board meeting.”
“I want Victor in a room where he believes he controls everyone.”
“That is dangerous.”
“So is sleeping.”
Sophie raised her head from Lena’s shoulder.
“Are bad people coming?”
Lena looked at her daughter.
She had spent eight years hiding the truth in softer words.
Maybe that had to end too.
“One bad person is trying to scare us.”
“Why?”
“Because he thinks scared people do what he wants.”
Sophie frowned.
“Do we?”
Ethan almost smiled.
“No.”
They moved quickly.
Daniel joined them.
Marcus contacted an attorney.
The flash drive contained enough evidence to destroy Victor financially and potentially send him to prison for decades.
But they needed him to expose himself.
Caldwell Holdings occupied the top floors of a tower overlooking the Chicago River.
The boardroom was already full when Ethan entered.
Conversation stopped.
Victor sat at the head of the table.
His smile disappeared when Lena walked in beside Ethan.
Then Daniel entered.
Victor stood.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face.
“Daniel.”
Daniel smiled.
“Hello, Victor.”
Board members exchanged confused looks.
Victor recovered quickly.
“This meeting is private.”
Ethan sat opposite him.
“I own thirty-seven percent of the company.”
“Not for long.”
Victor looked at Lena.
“You’ve caused quite a mess.”
Lena remained standing.
“You threatened my child.”
“That is a dramatic accusation.”
“You photographed her.”
“No.”
Daniel placed a folder on the table.
“You photographed me too.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
“Dead men shouldn’t attend corporate meetings.”
“Neither should criminals.”
A murmur moved through the room.
Victor laughed.
“Is this theater?”
Ethan leaned back.
“You always liked audiences.”
Victor looked at the board.
“Ethan is medically unstable. Dr. Hart has concealed a child for eight years while repeatedly relocating under false pretenses. These are not people capable of controlling significant family assets.”
Lena placed both hands on the table.
“I don’t want your assets.”
Victor smiled.
“Everyone wants money.”
“No. You do.”
His smile faded.
She continued.
“You thought Sophie gave you leverage because of Margaret’s trust.”
Several board members looked confused.
Victor’s expression tightened.
“That trust is private.”
“Not anymore.”
Ethan placed copies of Margaret’s documents around the table.
Victor stood.
“You have no authority.”
“My mother gave me plenty.”
“She was sick.”
“She was murdered.”
Silence.
Victor’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But Lena saw it.
So did Ethan.
Daniel spoke.
“I kept the toxicology report.”
Victor looked at him.
“You kept many things.”
“I kept everything.”
“You were always sentimental.”
“And you were always careless.”
Victor smiled again.
“You think an old report proves murder?”
“No.”
Daniel slid a small recorder onto the table.
“This does.”
Victor’s eyes dropped.
Daniel pressed play.
A younger Victor’s voice filled the room.
Margaret won’t stop digging.
Another voice asked what to do.
Victor answered.
Increase the dosage.
Nobody moved.
Victor’s face went white.
Daniel stopped the recording.
“That’s fabricated.”
“It’s already with federal investigators.”
Victor looked toward the doors.
For the first time, panic appeared.
Ethan said, “Sit down.”
Victor laughed.
“You think you’ve won?”
“No.”
Ethan looked at Lena.
“She did.”
Victor’s gaze sharpened.
“She hid your child from you.”
“She hid my daughter from you.”
That sentence ended something.
Eight years of resentment.
Eight years of wondering.
Ethan had chosen where to place the blame.
Victor stepped backward.
“You have no idea what she cost you.”
“I know exactly what you cost me.”
Victor turned toward Lena.
“You think he forgives you?”
Lena’s voice stayed calm.
“That’s between Ethan and me.”
“You stole eight years.”
“Yes.”
Victor seemed surprised by the admission.
Lena continued.
“And I’ll spend the rest of my life being honest about that. But you threatened a pregnant woman. You manipulated a mother. You watched a child.”
She stepped closer.
“You don’t get to use my mistakes to hide yours anymore.”
Sirens sounded below.
Victor looked toward the windows.
Ethan smiled faintly.
“Those aren’t your police officers.”
Victor headed toward the exit.
The doors opened.
Two federal agents entered.
“Victor Caldwell?”
He stopped.
One displayed a badge.
“We need you to come with us.”
Victor looked at Ethan.
“This family survives because men like me do what men like you are too weak to do.”
Ethan stood.
“No.”
He glanced at Lena.
“It survives because people finally stop being afraid of men like you.”
Victor was taken away.
The room remained silent long after the doors closed.
Lena exhaled.
It was over.
Or so she thought.
Then Daniel’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face drained.
“Who is this?”
Lena turned.
“Dad?”
Daniel listened.
Then he looked at Ethan.
“Where’s Sophie?”
Lena’s stomach dropped.
“With Julia and Marcus’s wife.”
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
“No.”
“What?”
He turned on speaker.
A child’s voice came through.
“Mom?”
Lena stopped breathing.
“Sophie?”
“Mom, Uncle Victor’s friend is here.”
May you like
A man spoke behind her.
Then the call ended.
