Chapter 12 - Fifty-One Minutes
Adrian wanted immunity.
Nathan almost laughed in his face.
“You assaulted a woman in front of three hundred witnesses, participated in a financial conspiracy, and may have information about two deaths.”
Adrian shrugged.
“Then enjoy chasing ninety-six million dollars through countries that won’t answer your calls.”
I stepped between them.
“What do you want?”
“Elena.”
My father warned me.
“Don’t.”
I ignored him.
Adrian looked at me.
“Full immunity.”
“Not happening.”
“Then the money disappears.”
“Whose money?”
He smiled.
“Some belongs to investors.”
“How much belongs to stolen public funds?”
He didn’t answer.
I leaned closer.
“How much belongs to hospitals?”
His smile faded.
“Children’s hospitals, Adrian.”
I pointed toward the gala banners.
“The same hospitals these people came here pretending to support tonight.”
His eyes hardened.
“Don’t moralize to me.”
“Why?”
“Because Hartwell money isn’t clean either.”
“My mother uncovered your network.”
“After she helped build it.”
“She tried to destroy it.”
“And your father buried Leah’s complaint.”
I looked at Charles.
That wound was still open.
Adrian saw it.
He enjoyed it.
“None of you are heroes.”
He leaned closer.
“You’re just the last family standing.”
Brooke approached.
“Give them the code.”
Adrian looked at her.
“No.”
“Give them the code.”
“Go sit with Mom.”
Vivian flinched.
Brooke didn’t.
“For once in your life, stop acting like Dad.”
Adrian’s face changed.
Brooke continued.
“You think he’ll protect you?”
Conrad shouted from across the room.
“Brooke!”
She turned.
“He was going to blame Adrian.”
Silence.
Adrian looked at his father.
“What?”
Brooke’s voice shook.
“I heard him talking to Owen last month.”
Conrad began struggling against the agents.
“She’s lying.”
Brooke looked at her brother.
“He said if the accounts were exposed, everything would point to you.”
Adrian’s arrogance vanished.
“That’s not true.”
Brooke nodded sadly.
“He built you into the authorization chain.”
Adrian looked toward Conrad.
“Dad?”
Conrad said nothing.
That silence did what prosecutors couldn’t.
Adrian believed her.
The timer reached forty-three minutes.
He looked at me.
“There are three codes.”
“Give them to us.”
“I know two.”
“And the third?”
“My father.”
Conrad laughed.
“You stupid little bastard.”
Adrian stood so fast an officer grabbed him.
“You set me up?”
Conrad’s face became cold.
“I gave you everything.”
“You used my accounts.”
“I gave you a name you weren’t strong enough to protect.”
Adrian lunged.
Officers dragged him back.
I watched a family collapse in less than thirty seconds.
Then Adrian shouted two eight-digit codes.
The technician entered them.
Two locks turned green.
The third stayed red.
Time remaining.
Forty-one minutes.
Every eye turned toward Conrad.
He smiled.
“You can all go to hell.”
That was when my father walked toward the ballroom stage.
I had no idea what he was doing.
He took the microphone.
Then he looked out at the three hundred most powerful people in the city.
“If Conrad Mercer wants to protect his secrets,” he said, “then perhaps we should stop protecting ours.”
The room went silent.
My father looked at me.
“Put the ledger on the screens.”
And suddenly I understood.
May you like
He wasn’t asking Conrad for the code anymore.
He was going to burn down the entire network in public.
