Chapter 4 - THE CONFRONTATION ON THE 40TH FLOORLogan stepped directly between Mike and Vanessa, his frame blocking the larger man's line of sight.
"You're in my private office, Vance," Logan said, his voice dropping an octave, filled with dangerous authority. "And you brought a crooked caseworker into my house."
Richard Vance chuckled softly, walking over to the window and looking out at the snowy cityscape. "Crooked is such a dramatic word, Logan. We run a infrastructure company. We move people. We organize data. What Mike does for the state is simply an extension of public management."
"Public management?" Vanessa screamed, stepping out from behind Logan, her face white with rage. "You killed my sister! You burned her house down to hide your kickback schemes!"
Mike didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.
"Sarah Calder died in an unfortunate house fire caused by faulty wiring," Mike said smoothly, taking another step forward. "And right now, Miss Calder, you are facing federal kidnapping charges for taking five minors across state lines without authorization. If you come quietly, I might convince the prosecutor not to charge you as a felon. The children will be placed in a comfortable, structured environment immediately."
"Over my dead body," Vanessa spat.
"That can be arranged," Mike said quietly, his voice so low only Vanessa and Logan could hear it.
"That's enough!" Logan yelled, slamming his hand onto his desk. "Richard, look at me!"
Richard Vance turned around slowly.
"You used my algorithms," Logan said, pointing at the screens. "You took the safety system I designed to protect people on dark street corners and turned it into a hunting dog for your private orphanages."
"I monetized an underutilized asset, Logan!" Vance snapped back, his smooth persona cracking for a split second. "Do you have any idea how much money the state pays for automated ward tracking? Modern Transit was broke three years ago until I brought in the state security contracts! You sit up here playing the high-and-mighty tech visionary, while I pay the bills!"
"The board meeting is in thirty minutes," Logan said coldly. "I’m bringing Vanessa. I’m bringing the ledger. And I’m presenting every line of code Marcus just pulled from the Cherry Way server."
Richard Vance smiled. It was a cold, pitying smile.
"You think you’re going to a board meeting, Logan?" Vance asked softly.
Vance raised his hand and motioned to the third man standing by the elevator. The man reached inside his jacket and pulled out a heavy black radio, pressing the side button.
"Clear the floor," the man said into the radio.
Down the hallway, the emergency lights began to flash amber. The heavy steel fire doors at the ends of the corridor slammed shut with a deafening bang, locking automatically from the outside.
"What did you do?" Marcus shouted, hitting keys on his computer. "He just locked out the network override! The entire 40th floor is isolated from the main building systems!"
"This building's security protocol was designed by you, Logan," Vance said, adjusting his cuffs. "In the event of a high-level cyber threat, the executive suite automatically locks down to preserve data integrity. No elevators. No phone signals. No emergency exits until the security team arrives."
Mike stepped toward Vanessa, pulling a set of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt.
"The kids are in the kitchen, right?" Mike said, his voice chillingly relaxed. "Let's make this easy, Vanessa. You don't want them to see you get hurt."
May you like
Logan didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the heavy brass lamp from his desk and swung it with all his strength.
