Chapter 55 Adrian needs to go
Elare opened the folder, inside it were bank statements showing millions of dollars moving from Silvercrest pack accounts to offshore holdings.
"This is dated twenty-five years ago," Elara said.
"Your mother had been investigating for months," Catherine said. "She was building a case to present to the regional council."
"Why didn't you come forward after she died?" Kai asked.
"Because Darius told me he'd kill my daughter if I spoke," Catherine said. "He knew I'd witnessed something and he made it clear what would happen if I talked."
"Where's your daughter now?" Elara asked.
"Safe in Europe under a different name," Catherine said. "I waited until she was grown and settled before risking this."
"This changes everything," Kai said. "If we can prove my father murdered Elara's mother, it adds another charge to his trial."
"More than that," Catherine said. "It establishes a pattern of eliminating anyone who threatens him, which supports Elara's claim that he tried to have her killed too."
"The regional council will have to acknowledge this," Elara said.
"If they believe me," Catherine said. "I've been in hiding for decades, I have no credibility."
"You have documents," Kai said. "And you have us willing to testify that these records are legitimate."
"There's something else," Catherine said hesitantly. "Your father didn't die of illness like you were told."
Elara felt cold dread settle over her. "What do you mean?"
"He was investigating your mother's death," Catherine said. "He suspected it wasn't an accident and he was asking questions, and two years later he died suddenly of what doctors called heart failure."
"You think Darius killed him too," Elara said.
"I think your father was too close to the truth," Catherine said. "And Darius doesn't leave witnesses."
"So I'm the daughter of two people he murdered," Elara said numbly.
"You're the survivor he underestimated," Catherine corrected. "And now you have the evidence to destroy him."
Kai's phone rang and he answered, his face going pale. "When? How many? We're on our way."
He ended the call. "There's been an attack on the estate, someone breached the perimeter while we were gone."
"Adrian," Elara gasped and they ran for the car.
Reese met them halfway, her vehicle screeching to a stop beside theirs.
"Get in," she ordered. "I can get you there faster."
They transferred to her car and she drove at speeds that made Elara's heart pound while Kai called for updates.
"Maya says Adrian is secure in the panic room," Kai reported. "But three guards are injured and the attackers are still on property."
"How many attackers?" Reese asked.
"Four that they've counted," Kai said. "Armed and dangerous."
They reached the estate to find it swarming with security and emergency vehicles, and Elara ran inside heading straight for the panic room.
Maya opened it when Elara pounded on the door and Adrian launched himself into her arms crying.
"Mama you came back," he sobbed.
"Always baby," Elara said, holding him tight. "Always."
"We heard gunshots," Maya said. "And then the alarm, we got Adrian to the panic room within thirty seconds."
"Who were they?" Elara asked.
"We don't know yet," Maya said. "But they knew exactly where to breach security."
Kai appeared looking grim. "We caught two of them, the other two escaped, and one of our guards is dead."
"Who?" Elara asked.
"Stevens," Kai said. "He was covering the east perimeter."
Elara remembered Stevens—young guy, maybe twenty-five, always smiled at Adrian.
"This is my fault," she said. "If I hadn't filed the bloodline claim—"
"This is Darius's fault," Kai interrupted firmly. "And whoever he's working with to coordinate these attacks."
"The two we caught are being interrogated," Reese said. "Give me an hour and I'll have names."
She left and Elara sank onto the panic room floor still holding Adrian.
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered. "I can't keep putting everyone in danger."
"You're not putting anyone in danger," Kai said. "Darius is, and we're going to stop him."
"How?" Elara asked. "He's in maximum security and still managing to coordinate attacks."
"Then we cut off his communication completely," Kai said. "I'll talk to federal authorities about full isolation."
"That won't stop the people already activated," Elara said. "Catherine said Darius has been running criminal operations for forty years, he's got resources we haven't found yet."
"Then we find them," Kai said. "And we dismantle his entire network."
An hour later Reese returned with information.
"The two attackers were hired through a darknet marketplace," she said. "Paid fifty thousand each to breach the estate and extract Adrian by any means necessary."
"Extract him where?" Kai asked.
"Coordinates point to a location in Mexico," Reese said. "Probably a handoff point for trafficking."
"So Darius was trying to take Adrian out of the country," Elara said.
"Or someone working for Darius was," Reese corrected. "The money trail goes through so many shells I can't identify the source."
"What about the two who escaped?" Kai asked.
"Still searching," Reese said. "But they're professionals, they know how to disappear."
That evening federal agents arrived to take statements and Catherine's evidence about Elara's mother's murder.
"This is significant," the lead agent said. "If we can verify these documents, it adds premeditated murder to Darius's charges."
"What about my father's death?" Elara asked. "Can you investigate that too?"
"We can exhume the body and run toxicology," the agent said. "But after twenty-three years any evidence will be degraded."
"Try anyway," Elara said. "I need to know."
The agent agreed and left with Catherine's folder, and Elara was finally alone with Kai and Adrian.
"What happens now?" she asked.
"Now we survive until the regional council meeting," Kai said. "Five more days and then your bloodline claim is decided."
"And if we don't survive five days?" Elara asked.
"Then we make sure Adrian does," Kai said quietly. "Whatever it takes."
Elara looked at her son sleeping peacefully despite everything and made a decision.
"I want Adrian sent away," she said. "Somewhere safe until this is over."
"Where?" Kai asked.
"Maya and Liam can take him to their safe house," Elara said. "The one where they're raising their son."
"That puts Maya and her family in danger," Kai pointed out.
"Maya can handle it," Elara said. "And she's better protected than we are right now."
Kai considered this. "If we send Adrian away, Darius loses his primary target."
"Exactly," Elara said. "Without Adrian here, there's no reason to attack the estate."
"Except to kill you," Kai said.
"I can defend myself," Elara said. "Adrian can't."
They called Maya who agreed immediately to take Adrian, and by midnight arrangements were made for him to leave in the morning.
Elara spent the night holding him and memorizing his face, knowing that sending him away was the right choice,even hating it anyway.
"Mama why are you crying?" Adrian asked when he woke at dawn.
"Because I love you so much," Elara said. "And because you're going on an adventure with Aunt Maya."
"Where?" Adrian asked.
"Somewhere fun and safe," Elara said. "And mama will come get you as soon as she can."
"Promise?" Adrian asked.
"I promise baby," Elara said and hoped she could keep it.