Chapter 114 #32: It's Time We Talk
Sel paces the length of the living room while Marcus stands by the window watching the street below like he expects trouble to drive right up to the curb. David sits beside me on the sofa, close enough that our thighs touch, with his hand resting on my knee.
I haven’t moved in twenty minutes. The ledger lies open on the coffee table in front of us with its pages spread. Malcolm’s handwriting stares back listing debts and names and amounts that once bought silence and power. Now it sits here, useless, because the man who stole my daughter already has what he needs from it.
“We use you,” Sel says, stopping mid-stride to look at me. “Last night you said the second he heard you were with David again was when he snapped and took her right? That kind of jealousy cannot be faked. He’s in love with you.”
“So what are you suggesting exactly?” David asks.
“We need him to think he still has a chance with Nora. She asks like she regrets what she did and actually wants to give the marriage another try. Once he shows up, we take him down and get Lucy back.”
David’s fingers tighten on my knee. “That's t dangerous.”
“Everything is dangerous right now,” Marcus says from the window without turning. “He has the child. He controls the tempo. We need to force his hand.”
I look at the ledger again. “He married me for this book. He stayed married to me for five years, raised my daughter, slept beside me every night, all so he could get his hands on Malcolm’s secrets. If he loves me at all, it’s only because I was the key to everything he wanted.”
Sel crouches in front of me, gently putting her elbows on her knees. “Then we remind him what he’s losing. You reach out and tell him you’re done fighting. We just make sure it’s somewhere public. Somewhere we can control the exits.”
I think about Vincent’s face last night when I admitted I slept with David. The way the colour drained, then flooded back darker. The way he walked past me without touching me. He didn’t yell. He didn’t hit. He just left.
Sel might have a point. The man is obsessed.
“I’ll do it,” I say. “But we need a location he can’t turn into an ambush. And we need backup you trust.”
Marcus is already picking up his phone “I’ve got two guys already in the city. Ex-military. They’ll sweep whatever spot we pick before we go in.”
David’s thumb moves in slow circles on my knee. “And if he brings Lucy?”
“Then we take her the second we see her,” Sel answers. “No hesitation.”
Before anyone can say more, my phone buzzes on the table. Mount Sinai Paediatric Clinic. My stomach drops.
I answer immediately. “This is Nora.”
“Mrs. Calder, this is Dr. Fischer. We have Lucy’s final results from the bone marrow biopsy and the additional panels. I need you to come in as soon as possible. Preferably today.”
My mouth goes dry. “Is it bad?”
A pause. “It’s serious. I’d rather discuss it in person.”
I look at the others. They’re already moving, gathering coats and keys. “We’re on our way.”
The drive to the hospital is silent except for the low hum of traffic and the occasional direction from the GPS. David drives. I sit in the passenger seat with my hands clenched in my lap. Sel and Marcus follow in their rental.
We’re shown into Dr. Fischer’s office within minutes. She stands when we enter wearing a gentle expression. She waits until we’re seated before she speaks.
“Let’s cut straight to the chase” she begins. “Lucy’s bone marrow isn’t producing enough blood cells. Red cells, white cells, platelets are all critically low. The tests confirm severe aplastic anemia. We caught it early, which is good, but we need to act quickly.”
I swallow down the bile in my throat. “What does that mean for treatment?”
“Surgery. A bone marrow transplant is the best option for long-term survival. We need to start testing for possible bone marrow matches as soon as today and schedule a surgery within the next week to maximize her chances.”
David leans forward. “What are the odds if we wait?”
Dr. Fischer meets his gaze. “Right now, with treatment starting immediately, survival is around seventy percent. If we delay even two weeks, that drops significantly. Twenty to thirty percent at best. Possibly lower.”
The room tilts. I grip the arms of the chair. Seventy percent sounds like a good number until you realize it means thirty percent chance she doesn’t make it. Thirty percent chance I lose her the way I lost Lucian.
I force my voice to stay even. “Can we push the date? Just a little? There are… personal issues. Family matters. I need a few more days.”
The doctor’s expression softens, but her tone stays firm. “Every day we wait lowers those odds. I understand life gets complicated, but this is urgent. The sooner we move, the better her prognosis.”
David’s hand finds mine under the table. He squeezes once. Hard.
I can't speak, so he speaks for me.
“We’ll make it work doctor,” he says. “Thank you.”
We leave the office in silence and head over to the lab for the tests. Mine is taken and before I can even say a word, David reaches out his arm to get tested too. In the hallway I stop, press my back to the wall, and close my eyes. David steps in front of me, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“She’s going to be okay,” he says quietly. “We’ll find her. We’ll get her back in time for the surgery.”
I open my eyes. “You don’t know that.”
“I know Vincent wants something from that ledger. He didn’t take her just to hurt you. He took her because he needs leverage. That means he’ll reach out. And when he does, we’ll be ready.”
I nod because I have to believe it. Because the alternative is too big to hold.
Back at the apartment David steps into the hallway to call Maya. I hear his low voice through the door.
“Maya, it’s me. We found the ledger. It was in Vincent’s safe right along with Malcolm's will. He had it the whole time.”
A pause while she speaks.
“Yes. We think he’s Shadow. Everything fits. The gun. The tails. The timing of every move we made. He was always one step ahead because he was the one directing them.”
Another pause.
“We need to know what he wants from it. If we can figure out which names or debts he’s after, we can narrow down where he’d take Lucy. Somewhere tied to those old accounts. Somewhere he feels safe.”
He listens for a long minute.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I can’t hear her reply, but his next words are softer. “Okay. I’ll bring it to you. Where?”
He ends the call and steps back inside.
“Maya thinks she can decode it,” he tells us. “Figure out Vincent’s priorities and what he's chasing. She says if we understand what he wants most from Malcolm’s records, we’ll know where he’s hiding. Where he’d feel secure enough to keep Lucy.”
Sel nods. “Makes sense. Obsessive people anchor to what matters most to them. If the ledger has a location or a name he’s fixated on, that’s where he’ll be.”
Marcus looks at me. “You good with handing it over?”
I pick up the book. It feels heavier than it did an hour ago. “If it gets her back, yes.”
David reaches for his coat. “I’ll meet her at the usual spot. Midtown. Thirty minutes.”
I stand. “I’m coming with you.”
He shakes his head. “Too exposed. If Vincent’s watching–”
“Then let him watch. I’m done hiding.”
Sel steps between us. “She’s right. He wants her. If he sees her moving, he might make contact. We’ll tail you both. Two cars. Full perimeter.”
David looks at me for a long moment. Then he nods. “Fine. But you stay in the car until I say otherwise.”
We’re halfway to the door when his phone rings. It's an unknown number.
He freezes. Looks at the screen. Then at me. I nod and he answers on speaker.
“David,” Vincent’s voice comes through the phone. “I think it’s about time we talk.”