Chapter 25 - The Trial in the Dark
"You stepped into the wrong building, Vance," Jared said, rising slowly to his feet, shielding Willa and Faith behind him. His hands were loose at his sides, deadly calm.
"Did I?" Marcus Vance adjusted his cufflinks, stepping past the shattered glass. "The NYPD is currently surrounding this building, Mr. Kensington. But they aren't here for me. They’re here because I filed an emergency federal writ of habeas corpus forty-five minutes ago. As the sole legal trustee of Elena Moretti’s estate and Faith’s surviving blood relative on the Thornton side, I am claiming legal custody of my ward."
"You poisoned my dog," Willa stood up, facing the man who had destroyed her mother's life. "You sent that box."
"A tragic domestic pet accident," Vance replied smoothly. "A dangerous attack dog loses control in an unlicensed penthouse, threatening an eight-year-old blind heiress. It proves that this environment is fundamentally unfit for a vulnerable child. Once the court grants me temporary custody, the Moretti trust will be liquidated into my offshore asset management fund. Within twenty-four hours, Faith will be comfortably enrolled in a private boarding school in Switzerland. And you, Jared... will never see her again."
"Over my dead body," Jared hissed.
"That can be arranged under self-defense laws," Vance’s guard reached toward the holster beneath his jacket.
Suddenly, Faith spoke up. Her voice was sharp, ringing clearly in the silent penthouse.
"He's lying," Faith said.
Vance frowned, looking down at the little girl. "Faith, sweetheart, you don't know who these people are—"
"I know your voice," Faith stepped forward, her cane clicking twice against the floor. "Sister Beatrice had a radio in the kitchen at the academy. Every Tuesday evening, someone called the office phone on the wall. The door was always closed, but I sat by the radiator vent."
Marcus Vance’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"You told Sister Beatrice to double my sleeping drops every time the federal inspectors visited," Faith’s milky hazel eyes locked squarely on the direction of his voice. "You told her that if anyone asked about Elena Moretti's daughter, she should say the girl was braindead and couldn't speak. You weren't protecting me. You were waiting for me to turn eight so you could take my mama’s papers."
Miles held up his phone, a green LED blinking steadily. "Emergency federal frequency is open, Mr. Vance. Agent Miller and the Manhattan District Attorney just heard every word your ward uttered on the encrypted record."
Vance’s veneer of sophistication cracked. "Kill them," he snarled to his contractors. "Kill them all and take the child!"
Before the first guard could draw his weapon, Roman exploded from the floor.
Even exhausted and wounded, the Mastiff hit the first guard with bone-cracking momentum, sending him crashing through the cedar display cases. Jared drew his SIG Sauer in a fraction of a second, firing two precision rounds into the second contractor's shoulder, neutralizing the threat before a single shot was returned.
Marcus Vance turned to flee toward the open elevator, but Miles blocked the doors, driving a solid right cross into Vance’s jaw. The attorney collapsed onto the marble floor, spitting blood, his briefcase scattering worthless legal filings across the blood-stained rug.
Sirens wailed in the streets below—hundreds of flashing red and blue lights painting the penthouse ceiling in crimson.
Jared holstered his gun and knelt down beside Faith.
"Is it over?" Faith asked quietly, her fingers reaching out.
Jared caught her small hands in his, pressing them against his cheek. "It’s over, Faith. Nobody will ever hide you again."
Faith reached further, her fingers finding Willa’s hand and pulling it toward Jared’s, uniting the three of them over Roman’s resting head.
"Can we go to the clinic tomorrow?" Faith asked, a genuine, soft smile finally brightening her young face. "I want to hear Roman eat bacon."
May you like
Willa laughed through her tears, wiping the sweat and dust from her eyes. "First thing in the morning, Faith. As a family."
Outside, the storm over Manhattan finally began to break, revealing the first golden sliver of dawn above the Hudson.
