Chapter 6
I told Alexander about the message.
He didn’t like it.
“It could be a trap,” he said. “Robert might be waiting for you.”
“I know,” I said. “But if Javier is telling the truth, this is our only chance.”
We made a plan.
I would go in first. Alexander and his team would watch from nearby, ready to move if anything went wrong.
At midnight, I drove to the old warehouse district on the edge of the city.
The buildings were dark and silent. Rain started falling, drumming on the roof.
I parked and walked inside.
Javier stood in the center of the big empty room. He looked nervous.
“Did anyone follow you?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Just me.”
He handed me a USB drive.
“Everything is on here,” he said. “The buyers, the prices, the hidden accounts. He’s selling the core division to a company with ties to money laundering.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
He looked down at his feet.
“I grew up thinking Robert was a hero,” he said. “I thought he was protecting our family name. But he’s just using us. He’s going to let my mother go to prison while he walks away rich.”
He looked up at me.
“And you were always fair to me. Even when I was rude. Even when I chose my mother’s side.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Before I could put the drive in my pocket, lights flooded the room.
Robert stepped out from behind a stack of crates.
“Nice try, Javier,” he said.
Behind him stood four large men.
Javier stepped back, terrified.
“Give me the drive, Elena,” Robert said. “And I’ll let you walk out of here.”
I gripped the drive tight.
“Why do you hate us so much?” I asked. “We’re family.”
“Family doesn’t betray ambition,” he said. “Your father wanted to modernize. He wanted to pay workers fairly. He wanted to open up to new ideas. I told him it would ruin us.”
He stepped closer.
“He died because he wouldn’t listen to me,” Robert said.
My blood ran cold.
“What do you mean?”
“His car brake line was cut,” he said calmly. “Carmen helped me cover it up.”
I stared at him.
All those years I thought it was an accident.
Robert nodded at the men.
“Take her,” he said.
They moved toward me.
But before they could reach me, the back doors burst open.
Alexander walked in, followed by six uniformed police officers.
“Robert Langford,” Alexander said. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Thomas Bennett, fraud, and conspiracy.”
Robert froze.
“You can’t arrest me,” he snarled. “I have connections.”
“Your connections are already being investigated,” one officer said. “We have the full confession from your former security chief. And we recorded every word you just said.”
Robert looked around. He realized he was trapped.
He lunged at me.
Alexander stepped between us and caught his arm.
The officers pulled Robert away and cuffed his hands behind his back.
He screamed curses as they led him out.
Javier stood shaking in the middle of the room.
“I helped kill my own grandfather,” he whispered. “I didn’t know.”
I put a hand on his shoulder.
“You didn’t know,” I said. “And you just helped catch the man responsible. That counts for something.”
We walked out into the rain.
Alexander looked at me.
May you like
“We have the drive,” he said. “And we have his confession. But tomorrow’s board meeting is still going ahead.”
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