Chapter 9 - The Price of My Daughter
“No.”
Grace crossed her arms.
I hated when she did that.
It meant she had already decided to disagree.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“You’re going to tell me I’m staying behind.”
“You are.”
“No.”
“Grace.”
“Dad.”
Samuel muttered, “This is going well.”
I glared at him.
He walked away.
Mercer’s demand was obvious.
Bring Grace.
Never.
We had no intention of surrendering the real ledger either.
Evelyn created an encrypted copy that looked authentic but contained a tracking beacon.
The problem was Mercer.
He knew systems.
He might detect it.
“He wants Grace because of the trust,” Sofia said.
“What trust?”
She looked uncomfortable.
“Elena established a Meridian reserve.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn did.
“Possibly forty million.”
I stared.
“You neglected to mention my wife had forty million dollars?”
“It wasn’t personal wealth.”
“What was it?”
“Emergency extraction funding.”
Grace raised a hand.
“So Mom basically left money to help people escape bad situations?”
“Yes.”
“And Mercer wants it?”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
Evelyn explained.
“Elena named you final controller when you turned eighteen.”
“But I’m twelve.”
“Unless your father dies.”
Silence.
Grace understood.
“Oh.”
My stomach turned.
“If I die, she gains early control?”
“Through her guardian.”
Vincent.
There was the structure.
Kill me.
Control Grace.
Drain Meridian’s reserve.
Everything fit.
Mercer wanted Grace at the exchange because perhaps he planned to switch loyalties and claim guardianship through another mechanism.
I didn’t care.
She wasn’t going.
“I can help identify Vincent’s voice,” Grace argued.
“No.”
“I can hear movement—”
“No.”
“I trained—”
“Grace!”
The room went silent.
I lowered my voice.
“You trained to escape danger, not walk into it.”
That stopped her.
Evelyn nodded.
“He’s right.”
Grace turned.
“Traitor.”
“Frequently.”
We left Grace with Sofia and four guards.
The exchange location was an abandoned printing facility south of the city.
Mercer chose it because it had multiple exits.
We arrived fifteen minutes early.
Thomas Keene sat tied to a chair.
Mercer stood behind him.
Alone.
Too alone.
“Where’s Grace?” he asked.
“Safe.”
“Then we have a problem.”
“You already have one.”
Mercer smiled.
He was fifty-eight, silver-haired and polished.
The kind of attorney who charged more for one hour than most people earned in a week.
He had prepared my father’s contracts.
My marriage trusts.
Grace’s inheritance.
He had stood at Elena’s funeral.
I was getting tired of discovering traitors in old photographs.
“Ledger,” Mercer said.
“Vincent.”
“Ledger first.”
I held up the drive.
Mercer’s eyes followed it.
“Tell me why Elena died.”
He sighed.
“Michael, emotional closure is rarely useful.”
“Humor me.”
“Vincent intercepted her car.”
“Ordered by my father.”
“Initially.”
My jaw tightened.
“And then?”
“Antonio wanted Elena brought back.”
“Vincent?”
“Wanted the ledger.”
“Did he order the crash?”
Mercer smiled slightly.
“No.”
I stared.
“Who did?”
Mercer looked at Thomas.
Thomas began trembling.
That was strange.
Mercer said, “Your wife caused it.”
My fingers tightened around the drive.
“Careful.”
“She realized she was being followed.”
“So?”
“She accelerated.”
“That doesn’t make her responsible.”
“She tried to lose them near the lake. Her vehicle struck the barrier.”
I remembered the police report.
Wet road.
Excessive speed.
Vehicle through guardrail.
“You’re saying nobody hit her?”
“No.”
Evelyn spoke.
“But her brakes were damaged.”
Mercer’s smile disappeared.
“How do you know?”
“We recovered the inspection file.”
That was a bluff.
But Mercer reacted.
“You did it,” I said.
“No.”
His answer came too quickly.
“Who?”
Silence.
Thomas Keene suddenly shouted.
“He did!”
Mercer turned.
Thomas struggled against the chair.
“He ordered me to switch the service report!”
I froze.
Thomas had been young thirteen years earlier.
Maybe twenty.
“You worked at the garage.”
He nodded desperately.
“I was an apprentice.”
Mercer’s face hardened.
Thomas continued.
“The brake line had been weakened before the crash.”
“By whom?”
“I don’t know.”
Mercer pulled a gun.
Evelyn moved.
Samuel fired first.
The weapon flew from Mercer’s hand.
He collapsed, clutching his shoulder.
Alive.
I grabbed Thomas.
“Who touched the car?”
“I don’t know!”
“Think.”
“There was a service request the day before. Private mechanic.”
“Name.”
“I never saw him.”
“What did he look like?”
Thomas swallowed.
“Older guy.”
“Anything else?”
“A ring.”
“What kind?”
“Gold.”
My heart began pounding.
“Symbol?”
Thomas nodded.
“A lion.”
Samuel looked at me.
He knew.
Everyone in the old Caruso leadership received a lion ring.
My father.
Vincent.
Three captains.
And me.
Mercer laughed from the floor.
“You still don’t understand.”
I turned.
He smiled through pain.
“Vincent didn’t sabotage Elena’s brakes.”
“Who did?”
Mercer’s eyes shone.
“Ask Sofia.”
I stared.
Behind us, my phone rang.
Sofia.
I answered.
No voice.
Only breathing.
Then Grace whispered:
“Dad?”
My heart stopped.
“I’m here.”
“Something’s wrong.”
“What?”
“The guard outside my room stopped walking.”
“Grace, lock the door.”
“I did.”
A sound came through the phone.
Glass breaking.
Then Grace whispered:
“Someone’s inside.”
May you like
I ran.
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