Chapter 3 - The Cold Scent of Treason
""It doesn't make sense,"" Detective Miller continued, pulling a clipboard from under his arm. ""Your family doctor told the media you were being starved, but the blood panels St. Alder ran upon your arrival showed zero signs of scurvy, no severe micronutrient depletion, and an abnormally high concentration of neuro-protectants. You were dehydrated because the main water riser shut off two days ago, but medically speaking... someone was keeping you alive under extraordinary conditions.""
Margot’s silver knife clicked against the china plate. Her knuckles turned white.
""Detective,"" Margot intervened, her voice dropping into a razor-thin veneer of southern grace. ""Are you implying my son's kidnapper was doing him a favor? She kept him locked in an eight-by-ten bedroom like an animal! She broke his mind!""
""I'm not implying anything, Mrs. Harrow,"" Miller said defensively. ""I'm just delivering the initial findings. Also, there's the matter of the exterior cameras. None of the perimeter sensors picked up anyone leaving the property on Wednesday night. No taxis, no ride-shares, no foot traffic caught on neighbor rings. It’s like Laurel Ames simply ceased to exist.""
""She’s Harrow now,"" Declan snarled, though the fury in his eyes was suddenly clouded by a creeping, uneasy confusion. ""She took my name, and she ruined it.""
I leaned close to his ear, letting my phantom fingers hover an inch above the dark curls at the nape of his neck. ""Look deeper, Declan,"" I whispered into the empty air. ""Look at who stood to gain if your heart stopped.""
Declan shivered, reaching up instinctively to touch his collar. He looked around the hospital suite, his gray eyes darting toward the corners as if he could feel the cold draft of my presence.
Margot stood up, smoothing her camel-hair skirt. ""Julian,"" she said smoothly, not looking at her son. ""Escort the detective out. Declan needs his sedative.""
""No,"" Declan ordered, his voice cutting through the room. ""No sedatives. Marcus, get me my laptop. Get me the secure server access logs for Northglass Neurotech for the past six months.""
""Declan, the board declared you temporarily incapacitated,"" Margot warned, a dangerous edge creeping into her tone. ""Your uncle Thomas stepped in as acting CEO yesterday morning. It was necessary to stabilize the stock. We announced the pending merger with the Genovese logistics group.""
Declan’s head snapped toward his mother. The confusion vanished, replaced by pure, predatory instinct. ""Thomas? I banished Thomas from the board two years ago when I caught him funneling fentanyl precursors through our port terminals in Boston. I would never authorize a merger with the Genovese family. They run the biggest extortion racket in the Northeast.""
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""You were missing, Declan!"" Margot countered, stepping closer to the bed, her eyes blazing with suppressed rage. ""We thought you were dead! We had to protect the empire!""
""Laurel warned me,"" Declan murmured, the words falling from his lips like lead weights. ""The last day she spoke to me, before she stopped opening the door... she told me Thomas was coming. She told me the call was coming from inside the house.""
