Chapter 9 - The Text from the Unknown Number
The glowing words on Sarah’s smartphone screen seemed to burn themselves into her retina. “Too late, sister. We just checked her into our own facility.”
"Sarah? What is it?" Detective Miller asked, instantly noticing the sudden shift in her demeanor as he lowered his radio.
"They have her," Sarah breathed, her voice hollow and paralyzed with shock. She turned the phone around so the detective could read the screen. "They already reached Maya."
David stepped forward, clutching his chest. "Dear God... we have to get to Chicago. Now."
"You aren't going anywhere near Chicago, Mr. Hayes," Detective Miller said firmly, speaking into his shoulder mic to request an urgent priority alert for the Illinois state police. "If this syndicate is operating on both ends, moving civilians into an active threat zone is suicide. I'm dispatching a tactical unit to the campus library right now."
"A tactical unit won't be enough," a cold, smooth voice echoed from the shadows near the garden gate.
Everyone spun around. Marcus was gone, but leaning casually against the outer brick wall of the house was a woman dressed in an immaculate charcoal-gray suit. Her silver-blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her expression was terrifyingly serene.
"Who the hell are you?" Detective Miller demanded, instantly resting his hand on his holster as he stepped in front of Sarah and David.
The woman smiled, stepping into the circle of amber string lights. "My name is Elena Vance."
The backyard went deathly quiet. Sarah stared at the impeccably dressed woman, her mind struggling to process the impossible visual.
"That's impossible," Sarah whispered, her voice shaking violently. "Elena Vance died twenty-five years ago. The death certificate was in my father's records."
Elena chuckled softly, a polished, chilling sound. "Death certificates are remarkably easy to draft when you need to disappear from a powerful corporate empire, my dear. Arthur and I staged my departure to protect Maya from his ruthless business partners. But apparently, old enemies have long memories—and sticky fingers."
Clara stared at Elena from her spot on the grass, her eyes wide with unadulterated horror. "You... you're the one who set up the offshore accounts. You aren't a victim; you're the mastermind behind the entire syndicate."
Elena’s smile didn't reach her cold, calculating eyes. She slowly pulled a sleek silver master key from her jacket pocket and held it up between her fingers, letting it catch the amber light.
May you like
"I built this empire, Clara. Arthur just thought he was running it," Elena said smoothly. She turned her gaze directly to Sarah. "If you want to see your sister alive, Sarah, you're going to hand over the decrypted flash drive Detective Miller confiscated from Marcus... or Maya pays the ultimate price for her father’s sins."
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