Chapter 3 - THE ACCOUNTANT'S LEDGER OF LIES"Rosalyn, sweetie, go back inside," I said, my voice softening instantly as I took a step toward my daughters, lowering the weapon completely.
In that fraction of a second, Hilda moved.
She didn't run toward the exit; she lunged sideways, slamming her shoulder into the heavy fuse box panel built into the hallway wainscoting. With a violent wrench, she flipped the main breaker switch for the north wing.
Click.
Total darkness swallowed the corridor.
"Calvin!" I roared into the comms link in my ear, sweeping my tactical flashlight off my belt and clicking it on. The harsh LED beam cut through the blackness, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
Hilda was gone.
"Boss! Sector four power just dropped!" Calvin’s voice crackled through the earpiece, laced with static. "I'm looking at the perimeter monitors—someone just triggered the emergency service gate on the eastern ridge. She’s running for the old vehicle depot!"
I didn't hesitate. I scooped Rosalyn up with one arm, while Camille grabbed the hem of my shirt, burying her face in my jacket.
"Stay right here in the master suite," I told them, locking them inside my bedroom with a thumb-print biometric override. "Daddy has to fix something. Don't open the door for anyone—not even Hilda. Understand?"
"Be careful, Daddy," Camille whimpered.
I sprinted down the dark corridor, following the beam of my flashlight toward the vehicle depot. The storm clouds that had been gathering over Nashville all evening finally broke, unleashing a torrential downpour that hammered against the glass skylights overhead.
When I burst through the heavy fire exit into the depot, the rain was blowing sideways through the open bay doors.
Hilda was standing by my vintage Ford pickup, the keys already in the ignition. Lightning flashed across the sky, turning her pale face bone-white. She had a metal briefcase clutched in her left hand—a locked case containing physical backup drives of every financial transaction, corporate offshore account, and personal diary I had kept in this house.
"You're not leaving with that, Hilda," I said, stepping into the bay, the rain soaking my shoulders.
She turned, resting her hand on the truck door, a bitter smile twisting her lips. "You think I'm running away with your money, Gabriel? You still don't get it. I didn't steal from your company to get rich. I stole from you because you killed Elena."
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The words hit me like a physical blow. The flashlight almost slipped from my grip.
"What... what did you say?"
