Chapter 4 - The Confession in the Dark
Midnight draped the Baltimore harbor in thick, heavy fog. Inside the underground subterranean parking garage of Shaw & Mercer Associates, the fluorescent lights flickered with an irritating buzz.
Grant Mercer slammed the trunk of his BMW shut, tossing a heavy duffel bag inside. His flight to the Cayman Islands left in four hours, and his hands were shaking so badly he dropped his passport onto the concrete.
As he bent down to pick it up, a massive shadow fell over him.
Grant froze.
Standing behind him were Marcus and two other formidable security operatives. And stepping out from the darkness of a concrete pillar was Adrian Vale.
"Going somewhere, Grant?" Adrian asked smoothly, his voice echoing off the concrete walls.
Grant stumbled backward until his back hit the cold metal of his car door. "Adrian! You... you can't do this! This is kidnapping! This is illegal detention!"
"Kidnapping is an interesting word choice," Adrian replied, walking forward until he was standing inches away. "Considering that's exactly what you and Natalie planned to do with my son."
"It was Natalie's idea!" Grant screamed, his composure shattering entirely. "She wanted full control of the trust fund! She was drowning in gambling debts from Atlantic City! She came to Victor and me because she knew we handled her offshore accounts. We... we just set up the custody trap so she could look like the grieving, overwhelmed mother who lost her child to a tragic accident, forcing you to settle out of court and hand over the multi-million-dollar subsidiary control!"
"And leaving my son to bake to death in a locked car was just collateral damage?" Adrian’s voice dropped to a terrifying whisper.
"We didn't think the kid would be out there that long!" Grant sobbed, sliding down the side of the car onto his knees. "Natalie was supposed to pull him out through the front seat before anyone noticed! But your maid's kid... that little girl came running out of nowhere like a ghost! She ruined everything!"
A red recording light flashed silently on the lapel of Marcus’s jacket.
Adrian looked down at the cowering lawyer with supreme disgust. "Everything you just said has been transmitted directly to the homicide division of the Baltimore Police Department, as well as the federal prosecutor handling financial fraud in my shipping ports."
May you like
He turned on his heel, walking back toward his waiting Maybach.
"Take him away," Adrian ordered over his shoulder. "Make sure he stays in a very, very secure room until the police arrive."
