Chapter 7 - My Brother-in-Law Chose the Wrong Side
Vanessa stared at the photograph.
“No.”
I handed her my phone.
She zoomed in.
Claire.
Tyler.
Falcon Ridge lobby.
Timestamp less than two minutes old.
Vanessa called him.
Straight to voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
Her face changed slowly.
Not heartbreak yet.
Something harder.
Recognition.
“He knew.”
“Maybe not everything.”
“He knew enough.”
I didn’t argue.
My mother was still yelling at Dad in the background.
For once, their chaos felt distant.
I called Falcon Ridge security.
“Where did Claire go?”
“We lost her vehicle.”
“Tyler?”
“Same car.”
“Did she remove company property?”
“She claims the drives were personal.”
“They weren’t.”
“We’ve notified counsel.”
“Disable every credential she has.”
“Already done.”
I ended the call.
Vanessa grabbed her coat.
“Where are you going?”
“To find my husband.”
“No.”
“He stole from me.”
“And if Claire is desperate, you don’t know what she’ll do.”
Vanessa laughed without humor.
“Funny.”
“What?”
“You protecting me after I couldn’t even protect you from a stupid New Year’s dinner.”
I looked at her.
“This isn’t repayment.”
“I know.”
She swallowed.
“That makes it worse.”
We drove back toward Manhattan.
Halfway there, Tyler called me.
Not Vanessa.
Me.
I answered.
“Where are you?”
His voice was low.
“Don’t tell Vanessa anything.”
“She saw the picture.”
He swore.
“Listen to me.”
“Where are you?”
“Claire contacted me.”
“That part is obvious.”
“She said she could erase the debt.”
“By doing what?”
“Giving her documents.”
“What documents?”
“The side agreement.”
“You said it was stolen.”
“It was.”
“Then what did you give her?”
Silence.
My stomach tightened.
“Tyler.”
“The backup.”
“You lied to me.”
“I needed insurance.”
“What was on it?”
“Everything.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Define everything.”
“Emails. Payment records. Northbridge agreements. Messages with David.”
“That evidence could protect you.”
“I know.”
“And you handed it to Claire?”
“She threatened Vanessa.”
My anger stopped.
“What?”
“She knew about the collateral.”
“Of course she did.”
“She said if I didn’t cooperate, Northbridge would accelerate every guarantee immediately.”
“They may do that anyway.”
“I know that now.”
“Where are you?”
He breathed heavily.
“Pier 17 parking structure.”
“Stay there.”
“No.”
“Tyler.”
“She has the drive.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
His voice cracked.
“She also has something from Falcon Ridge.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. She called it the master ledger.”
My pulse jumped.
Internal capital ledger.
If she had that, she could potentially identify financing arrangements, investor commitments, pending acquisitions.
Information worth enormous amounts.
“Where is Claire?”
“Gone.”
“With the drive?”
“Yes.”
“What did she give you?”
“Nothing.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
“Tyler, go to the nearest police station.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not innocent.”
“No. You’re not.”
He went silent.
“But running makes you look worse.”
“I’m already finished.”
“Maybe.”
“Morgan—”
“Go to the police.”
“I need to fix this.”
“You’ve been trying to fix things secretly for a year. How’s that working?”
Silence.
Then he whispered:
“Tell Vanessa I’m sorry.”
The line disconnected.
Vanessa had heard everything through the car speaker.
She stared straight ahead.
“What does he think he’s going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Her voice became very small.
“He always thinks one more move will save everything.”
That was exactly Tyler’s problem.
Not stupidity.
Not even greed.
He believed every disaster could be repaired by another risk.
One more loan.
One more lie.
One more hidden agreement.
One more deal.
People like Tyler didn’t fall from cliffs.
They built staircases downward and called each step temporary.
When we reached Falcon Ridge, federal investigators were already in the lobby.
That surprised me.
Our general counsel approached.
“Morgan.”
“What happened?”
“Northbridge has been under investigation.”
“For what?”
“Potential wire fraud and commercial bribery.”
“How long?”
“Months.”
I looked at David.
He stood nearby with two attorneys.
His face was hollow.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
The lead investigator approached me.
Special Agent Maya Rodriguez.
Professional.
Direct.
“We need to speak privately.”
In my office, she laid out what they knew.
Northbridge allegedly targeted distressed contractors working on high-value developments.
Provided expensive bridge financing.
Secured assignments of contract rights.
Then accelerated defaults strategically.
Once contractors collapsed, affiliated companies stepped into profitable projects at favorable terms.
“Skyline fits the pattern,” she said.
“And Claire?”
“We’ve been watching Northbridge, not Falcon Ridge.”
“Until today.”
“Until today.”
I told her everything.
The threat.
The deleted files.
The family trust.
Claire’s emails.
Tyler.
When I finished, Rodriguez leaned back.
“Your brother-in-law may be in serious trouble.”
“I know.”
“But if he cooperates, that matters.”
“I told him to.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“Last location was Pier 17.”
She stood.
“We’ll find him.”
Then her phone buzzed.
She read something.
Her expression sharpened.
“What?”
“Your brother-in-law just used his corporate access card.”
“Where?”
“Skyline Tower.”
My stomach dropped.
The construction site was mostly empty because of the holiday.
And if Claire still had access through Kane Urban, she might be there too.
Rodriguez was already moving.
“Stay here.”
I almost laughed.
“No.”
“Morgan.”
“That project is my responsibility.”
“This is now a federal investigation.”
“And my sister’s husband is inside.”
Vanessa stood.
“I’m coming.”
Rodriguez looked at both of us.
“Absolutely not.”
Twenty minutes later, we were in a government SUV anyway.
The city blurred past.
Vanessa held my hand.
We hadn’t held hands since we were children.
When we reached Skyline, emergency lights reflected across unfinished glass.
Agents entered first.
Minutes passed.
Then Rodriguez’s radio crackled.
“One male located.”
“Condition?”
“Uninjured.”
Vanessa exhaled.
“Identity?”
“Tyler Kane.”
She covered her face.
Then the radio spoke again.
“Second subject not located.”
Claire was gone.
But Tyler had been found carrying something.
A hard drive.
Not the one he gave Claire.
Another one.
When agents brought him out, he looked exhausted.
Vanessa stared at him.
“What did you do?”
Tyler looked at me.
“I kept a second backup.”
I stepped closer.
“Of what?”
“Everything.”
He handed the drive to Rodriguez.
“Claire thinks she has the only copy.”
For the first time since this began, Tyler had made a decision that wasn’t designed solely to save himself.
But his relief lasted only seconds.
An agent approached Rodriguez.
“We found a message on the site computer.”
She looked at the screen.
Then at me.
“What?”
Rodriguez turned the laptop around.
A single line glowed.
MIDNIGHT. STERLING HEIGHTS. COME ALONE, MORGAN, OR YOUR FATHER LOSES EVERYTHING.
Claire wasn’t running.
She wanted me.
May you like
And she knew exactly which pressure point to use.
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