Chapter 12 - CELESTE’S FINAL BETRAYAL
Celeste had escaped Blackthorn Manor nineteen minutes earlier.
Someone had disabled the east gate.
A waiting vehicle collected her.
The driver used forged federal credentials.
Victor had planned everything.
Or Celeste had.
The countdown reached six minutes.
Dad contacted every airport and highway unit available.
“She doesn’t need to reach Victor physically,” I said.
The analyst nodded.
“If she has memorized her key sequence, she can authorize remotely.”
“Did she?”
Nobody knew.
Then my phone rang.
Blocked number.
I answered.
Celeste.
“I need you to listen.”
“Where are you?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Celeste, Victor is activating Midnight Crown.”
“I know.”
“You’re helping him.”
“No.”
Her breathing was ragged.
“I’m running from him.”
The countdown showed four minutes, fifty seconds.
“Then stop the transfer.”
“I can.”
“Do it.”
“I need something first.”
Of course she did.
“What?”
“Protection.”
“You already had federal protection.”
“Not from Victor.”
Dad took the phone.
“This is Elias Vale.”
Celeste became silent.
“I can protect you.”
“You couldn’t protect Martin.”
Dad’s expression hardened.
“I can protect you if you stop running.”
The countdown reached four minutes.
Celeste whispered.
“I want full witness protection.”
“That is not mine to promise.”
“Then get someone who can.”
“Celeste.”
I took the phone back.
“Listen to me.”
“No.”
“You listened while Nathan hurt me.”
Silence.
“You watched because you thought power meant being the person in the chair instead of the person on the floor.”
Her breathing changed.
“You were wrong.”
Three minutes.
“Victor will never let you sit in his chair.”
Celeste began crying.
I had never heard her cry before.
“He said he loved me.”
I almost closed my eyes.
Nathan.
Victor.
Different men.
Same weapon.
“He doesn’t.”
“I know.”
“Then choose.”
Two minutes, forty seconds.
“Choose who you become after tonight.”
She whispered a sequence of numbers.
The analyst began typing.
“Keep going.”
More numbers.
More characters.
A twelve-part encryption phrase.
The countdown continued.
One minute.
The analyst shouted.
“Authentication accepted.”
Dad leaned toward the screen.
“Can you stop it?”
“Trying.”
Forty seconds.
Thirty.
Twenty.
The transfer network began splitting.
Victor was overriding Celeste’s cancellation.
“Come on.”
Ten seconds.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
The analyst hit the final command.
The screens went black.
For one terrible second, nobody moved.
Then numbers returned.
TRANSFER HALTED.
Frozen amount.
$4,587,221,904.
The command vehicle erupted.
Agents shouted.
Technicians confirmed accounts.
My father exhaled for the first time in minutes.
Then a tactical officer’s voice came through the radio.
“We found Ashford.”
My stomach tightened.
“Condition?”
“Alive.”
“And Sloane?”
A pause.
“Gone.”
I closed my eyes.
Victor had escaped again.
Then the officer continued.
“But he left something behind.”
Dad looked toward the radio.
“What?”
“A file.”
“Whose name?”
May you like
Another pause.
“Your daughter’s.”
