Chapter 6: The Brass Cart
Chapter 6: The Brass Cart
Elena had hidden the flash drive inside the hollow handle of her housekeeping cart.
She carried it through the hotel every day.
No one questioned a maid pushing towels and detergent.
“No vault would have been safer,” she said.
Julian almost smiled, but the sight of her exhausted face stopped him.
“Is it the original?”
“No. I mailed the original to someone I trusted before Adrian found me.”
“Who?”
“Your father’s former investigator, Samuel Ward.”
Julian recognized the name.
Ward had retired after Lorenzo’s death and vanished from public life.
“I never knew you had spoken to him.”
“Your father’s envelope included his address.”
“Does Adrian know?”
“Not yet.”
Julian contacted the head of hotel security, a former military officer named Marcus Hill, and ordered him to secure the housekeeping cart without alerting management.
Marcus called back twenty minutes later.
“The cart is gone.”
Elena sat upright.
“What?”
“Someone removed it from the service hallway after you were taken to the clinic.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
“Who has access?”
“Housekeeping supervisors, maintenance personnel, and senior management.”
“Elena’s manager?”
“Malcolm Pierce can access every service area.”
Julian remembered Malcolm’s immediate attempt to separate Elena from the lobby confrontation.
“Find him.”
Marcus hesitated.
“He left the property eleven minutes ago.”
Julian called Adrian.
“Did you take Elena’s cart?”
Adrian sounded offended.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I promised I would get the drive.”
“And?”
“I have it.”
There was a pause.
“Bring it to the merger ceremony tomorrow.”
“You said we should deal with this quietly.”
“The ceremony gives us neutral ground.”
Julian could almost hear Adrian thinking.
Finally, Adrian agreed.
After the call, Elena looked at him.
“We don’t have the drive.”
“No. But Adrian thinks we do.”
“That may bring him closer.”
“That is the point.”
“It may also get you killed.”
Julian met her gaze.
“Were you thinking about your safety when you ran through a storm while pregnant?”
“I was thinking about our baby.”
“And now so am I.”
For the first time, Elena’s defensive expression softened.
Julian reached toward her, stopping before his fingers touched her hand.
“I don’t expect forgiveness.”
She looked at the space between their hands.
“I don’t know if I can give it.”
“I know.”
“You brought another woman to the hotel.”
“I thought you had chosen another life.”
“And you chose Camila.”
“I chose someone who asked nothing from me because I had nothing left to give.”
Elena’s eyes glistened.
Julian lowered his voice.
“But I never stopped looking for you.”
She finally allowed him to take her hand.
The moment lasted only seconds.
Then Marcus called again.
They had located Malcolm’s abandoned car near an industrial warehouse.
There was blood on the driver’s seat.
And inside the trunk, they found Elena’s housekeeping cart.
May you like
The brass handle had been torn open.
The flash drive was gone.
