Chapter 6 - Midnight at Meridian
At 11:58 p.m., Rue walked into the Meridian Theater carrying the flash drive.
Harlan hated the plan.
That was partly why Rue knew it was good.
Celeste expected him.
She didn't expect Rue.
“You stay behind me,” Harlan whispered.
Rue looked at him.
“You know that's not happening.”
Victor muttered, “I like her.”
“Don't,” Harlan said.
Even then, Rue almost laughed.
Jonah's team entered through the old loading docks.
Victor took the basement corridor.
Harlan and Rue crossed the main lobby.
The theater was dark except for emergency lights.
“Belle?” Rue called.
A voice answered from the stage.
“Rue!”
Harlan moved.
Rue grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
A spotlight snapped on.
Belle sat in a chair onstage.
Not tied.
Not injured.
Terrified.
Celeste stood beside her.
Elegant.
Silver-haired.
Calm.
Rue had expected a monster.
Celeste looked like somebody's wealthy grandmother.
Maybe that was worse.
“Harlan,” she said.
“Move away from my daughter.”
“You always were impatient.”
“Celeste.”
“Give me the drive.”
Harlan held it up.
“Belle first.”
Celeste smiled.
“You've become predictable.”
Rue stepped into the aisle.
Celeste looked at her.
“Samuel's girl.”
Rue's stomach twisted.
“You knew my father.”
“I knew many employees.”
“You killed him.”
Celeste's smile disappeared.
“Careful.”
“Why? You planning to sue me?”
Harlan glanced at Rue.
Even now.
Celeste sighed.
“Your father was offered money. He refused.”
“He had principles.”
“He had stupidity.”
Rue felt anger rise.
Harlan's hand touched hers.
Not restraining.
Grounding.
Celeste continued.
“Augustus was weak. Marianne was nosy. Samuel was self-righteous. Every one of them believed morality mattered more than survival.”
Rue looked at Belle.
The girl was watching her.
Rue slowly raised two fingers.
Their signal from the night before.
Stay awake.
Stay with me.
Belle blinked twice.
She understood.
Harlan said, “You took Belle to turn me against Victor.”
“Yes.”
“You left her in freezing weather.”
“I had someone watching.”
Rue's voice sharpened.
“She could have died.”
Celeste looked annoyed rather than ashamed.
“That wasn't intended.”
Harlan's entire body tightened.
Rue squeezed his hand.
Not yet.
Celeste looked at the drive.
“Throw it onto the stage.”
Harlan did.
Celeste picked it up.
Then Victor's voice came from the balcony.
“You really should check whether people are recording you.”
Celeste looked up.
Victor stood above them holding his phone.
Her composure finally cracked.
“You idiot.”
“Runs in the family.”
Security doors slammed shut.
Jonah's men appeared.
Celeste grabbed Belle.
Harlan moved forward.
“Don't.”
Celeste held nothing more dangerous than Belle's shoulders.
Still, everyone stopped.
Belle began crying.
Rue stepped into the aisle.
“Celeste.”
“Stay back.”
“You chose me.”
Celeste stared at her.
“You arranged for me to find Belle.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Symmetry.”
Rue almost laughed.
“You ruined my father's life, so you thought using his daughter would be poetic?”
“I thought you would be disposable.”
The words landed.
Rue kept walking.
Harlan whispered, “Rue.”
She ignored him.
“That's your mistake.”
Celeste's eyes narrowed.
“You think Harlan will protect you?”
“No.”
Rue stopped at the edge of the stage.
“I think Belle trusts me.”
Belle looked at her.
Rue held out her hand.
“Come here, sweetheart.”
Celeste tightened her grip.
Belle screamed.
Then bit Celeste's hand.
Celeste jerked away.
Belle ran.
Rue caught her.
Harlan reached them seconds later.
He lifted Belle into his arms.
Celeste turned toward a backstage exit.
Victor blocked it.
Jonah's security team surrounded her.
No gunfire.
No dramatic fight.
Just nowhere left to run.
Celeste stared at Harlan.
“You think you've won?”
Harlan held Belle.
“No.”
He looked at Rue.
“We survived you.”
Police arrived six minutes later.
Celeste's confession had been recorded.
The financial records were duplicated.
Marianne's recording existed in three secure locations.
And Samuel Callaway's files finally had context.
By sunrise, investigators had enough evidence to reopen Samuel's death.
Victor was cleared of involvement in Belle's disappearance.
Harlan's name was cleared when garage footage showed Celeste's hired driver leaving Belle and monitoring her until Rue arrived.
But one mystery remained.
Rue sat outside the theater with Belle wrapped in a blanket.
Harlan approached.
“She's asleep.”
Rue looked down.
Belle's head rested against her.
“She does that.”
Harlan sat beside them.
For several minutes, they watched dawn color Detroit.
Then he said, “Your landlord called.”
Rue stared at him.
“You answered my phone?”
“He called nine times.”
“You didn't buy my building, did you?”
Harlan remained suspiciously silent.
Rue's mouth fell open.
“Harlan.”
“I didn't buy the building.”
“Good.”
“I bought the company that owns it.”
She stared.
“Harlan!”
Belle woke up.
“Why are you yelling?”
Rue pointed at her father.
“Your dad has boundary issues.”
Belle nodded sleepily.
“I know.”
Harlan looked offended.
Rue laughed.
She couldn't help it.
Soon Belle was laughing too.
Harlan watched them.
His expression softened.
Then Rue noticed he wasn't laughing.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
He looked toward the city.
“You'll be safe now.”
Something in his voice sounded like goodbye.
Rue's smile disappeared.
“Harlan?”
“You don't have to stay.”
She understood.
He thought she would leave once the danger was gone.
For all his money and power, Harlan Voss suddenly looked like a man preparing himself to lose somebody before they had the chance to choose him.
Rue didn't answer.
Not yet.
May you like
Because for the first time since she'd met him, the next move belonged entirely to her.
---
