Chapter 17 - Nine Hundred Million

The bank box contained everything.

Original trust documents. Letters from Dominic’s father. Copies of payments to Kane. Notes in Judith’s handwriting showing exactly how the nine-hundred-million-dollar contingency had been created.

And one sealed envelope addressed to Dominic.

He opened it in front of me.

Son,

If you are reading this, then I failed to clean up what I built.

Do not protect the company at the cost of your family.

I made that mistake. You do not have to.

Dominic stopped reading.

His eyes were wet.

I had never seen him cry.

He folded the letter carefully.

“I spent my whole life trying to keep his company standing,” he said.

“Maybe it shouldn’t,” I answered.

He looked at me.

That was the first honest conversation we had had in months.

Rebecca and Ortiz built a plan around the documents. If the board accepted the original trust, Kane’s contingency could be challenged as fraud. But they needed him tied directly to the current crimes.

Cassandra offered to help.

“No,” Dominic said immediately.

She smiled sadly. “You don’t get to protect everyone by ordering them around.”

I almost laughed because it was exactly what I had told him.

Cassandra still had a secure channel Kane used to contact her. She sent one message.

I HAVE THE ORIGINAL TRUST. AVA DOESN’T KNOW.

His answer came three minutes later.

BRING IT TO ME.

A location followed.

An abandoned private club near the river.

Ortiz began preparing the sting.

Then I felt a sharp cramp.

I froze.

Another came thirty seconds later.

Dominic saw my face. “What?”

“I don’t know.”

Warm liquid ran down my leg.

Rebecca went pale.

“Oh my God.”

My water had broken.

Seven weeks early.

Dominic caught me as another contraction hit.

“Hospital,” he said.

I grabbed his jacket.

“Not St. Agnes.”

He nodded.

Then Cassandra’s phone buzzed again.

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Kane had sent one new message.

IF AVA GOES INTO LABOR, I WILL KNOW BEFORE YOU DO.