Chapter 4 - THE SILENT PARTNER
"Arthur," I said quietly, keeping my hands visible as I slowly stood up from the floor. "You."
Arthur smiled, adjusting his pristine tailored suit. He looked as cool and collected as if we were sitting in a corporate boardroom negotiating a software deal, completely indifferent to the freezing temperatures in the room.
"Honestly, Nathan, I have to give credit where credit is due," Arthur said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "Vanessa was supposed to keep those little bratty girls compliant until the asset transfer went through on their sixth birthday next week. But she got sloppy. She let her vanity and hatred get the better of her. Party on the main floor while starving the kids upstairs? Vulgar. Completely unrefined."
"You poisoned your own sister," I growled, every muscle in my body tense, waiting for a fraction of a second to strike.
"Claire was weak," Arthur snapped, his smile instantly disappearing, replaced by cold, calculating malice. "She found out about Apex. She wanted to go to the federal authorities! She was going to ruin a forty-billion-dollar acquisition! I gave her a choice, Nathan. She chose family over fortune. A foolish mistake."
"And Vanessa?"
"Vanessa was a tool," Arthur dismissed her with a wave of his gloved hand. "A greedy, ambitious sociopath who thought she was going to be the queen of Aspen. I promised her twenty percent of the trust fund if she kept the girls isolated and signed off on the medical incapacitation forms. Once the girls were declared legally incompetent due to 'failure to thrive,' I would assume full guardianship of the trust, acquire your remaining shares in Caldwell Systems, and liquidate Apex’s assets."
"You starved my daughters for money?" I took a small step forward.
"Stay back, Nathan," Arthur warned, raising the weapon until the red laser dot rested directly on the center of my forehead. "Don't ruin this. You were supposed to be in London for another two weeks. If you had just stayed away, you would have come home to four very sick children, signed the power of attorney over to your grieving wife, and lived out the rest of your days comfortably in luxury while Apex took over the world."
"You underestimate how much I love my daughters, Arthur."
"No, Nathan," Arthur sneered. "I underestimated how annoying your wife’s posthumous paranoia was. Hand over the USB drive."
I looked down at the thumb drive in my palm. The blue light on it was blinking softly.
"What's on this drive, Arthur?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. "What was Claire hiding?"
"The encryption keys to Apex's dark network," Arthur said, extending his hand. "Give it to me, or I will put a bullet through your head, walk downstairs, and shoot those four pathetic little girls right in front of Victor."
A blinding rage surged through my veins, hot and volatile. But I forced myself to stay completely still.
"You think you're the only one who plans ahead, Arthur?" I said softly.
Arthur frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at the blue light on the drive," I said.
Arthur glanced down at the drive in my hand for less than half a second.
That was all the time I needed.
I lunged forward, sweeping my arm upward. I grabbed Arthur's wrist, slamming it against the solid iron bed frame. A sharp gunshot echoed quietly—THWIP—as the bullet shattered a windowpane behind us, letting in a blast of sub-zero arctic air.
May you like
Arthur screamed in pain as his grip loosened. The pistol clattered across the floorboards.
I slammed my elbow into his jaw, knocking him back against the wall. He stumbled, spitting blood, but recovered quickly, pulling a tactical knife from his coat lining and lunging toward my throat.
