Chapter 6 - THE PRICE OF BEING KIND
The blood was Henry’s.
Police confirmed that within an hour.
Not enough to suggest fatal injury.
Enough to confirm he had been hurt.
Claire sat in the hallway outside the apartment while detectives worked inside.
She stared at nothing.
Adrien sat beside her.
For once, he had no useful words.
“My dad hates hospitals,” she whispered.
Adrien looked at her.
“What?”
“If he’s hurt.”
Her voice broke.
“He hates hospitals.”
Adrien reached for her hand.
Stopped.
Then Claire grabbed his first.
He closed his fingers around hers.
“I’m going to find him.”
She turned sharply.
“No.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“You don’t promise things you can’t control.”
Fair.
“What should I say?”
“The truth.”
Adrien looked toward the apartment.
“We’re going to do everything we can.”
Claire nodded.
“That.”
Police found security footage.
Two men entered the building behind Henry.
One wore a maintenance jacket.
The other was familiar.
Derek Sloan.
Claire stared at the image.
“Derek?”
Adrien’s face became cold.
Victor had pulled his son into it.
Or Derek had already been involved.
The second possibility was worse.
A traffic camera caught Derek’s car heading toward New Jersey.
The vehicle was found abandoned near Secaucus.
Inside, police found blood.
Henry’s glasses.
And a hotel keycard.
Blackwood Harbor Hotel.
One of Adrien’s properties near the Hudson.
Claire looked at him.
“Your hotel.”
“Yes.”
“Could be bait.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going?”
Adrien didn’t answer.
“Adrien.”
“Yes.”
She stood.
“Then so am I.”
“No.”
“Don’t.”
“You are not walking into a hostage situation.”
“Neither are you.”
“I have security.”
“Police have better guns.”
He almost laughed despite himself.
“Not the point.”
Claire stepped closer.
“My father is missing because of your family’s crime.”
The sentence hurt.
She saw it.
“I know you didn’t cause it.”
“Then don’t—”
“But I’m not staying behind while you handle my life for me.”
Adrien recognized the line.
She had been teaching him the same lesson repeatedly.
“Fine.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“Fine?”
“You stay with police.”
“Reasonable.”
“And if they tell you to leave?”
“I consider their reasoning.”
He sighed.
“Why do I feel like that means no?”
“Because you’re learning.”
The Blackwood Harbor Hotel had been closed for renovation.
No guests.
Minimal staff.
Perfect location.
Police entered through service corridors.
Adrien and Claire remained in a command vehicle outside.
For nine minutes, nothing happened.
Then Adrien’s phone rang.
Victor.
He answered on speaker.
“Where’s Henry?”
“Alive.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Let me hear him.”
Victor laughed.
“You sound like your father.”
Adrien’s expression changed.
“Do not compare me to him.”
“Why? You inherited everything he built.”
“Not everything.”
“No.”
Victor’s voice hardened.
“Some of it I built.”
There it was.
“You stole thirty-eight million dollars.”
“I earned it.”
“By framing employees?”
“By protecting Conrad from idiots who didn’t understand how business works.”
Claire leaned toward the phone.
“My father understood exactly how it worked.”
Silence.
Victor said, “Claire Bennett.”
“Yes.”
“Your father ruined himself over principles.”
“No.”
Her voice steadied.
“You ruined him because principles were expensive.”
Adrien looked at her.
Victor laughed.
“You think kindness protects people?”
Claire’s face changed.
“No.”
“What?”
“Kindness isn’t protection.”
She looked at Adrien.
“It’s a choice.”
Victor went quiet.
Claire continued.
“My father made his choice.”
Adrien understood.
“So did you.”
Victor’s voice turned cold.
“Bring the ledger.”
“We don’t have it.”
Claire lied beautifully.
“I know your father put it in your name.”
“You know a lot.”
“Ten minutes.”
“For what?”
“Bring me access to the safe-deposit box.”
“And my father?”
“You get him back.”
The call ended.
Police traced the signal.
Inside the hotel.
Top floor.
Adrien looked at the tactical commander.
“Can you get there?”
“We’re moving.”
Claire turned toward Adrien.
“We should give them the ledger.”
“No.”
“Adrien.”
“If we hand over evidence, Victor destroys it.”
“I don’t care about the ledger more than my father.”
“Neither do I.”
She stopped.
Adrien continued.
“We give him something else.”
“What?”
He looked toward Blackwood Tower across the river.
“The account.”
Claire frowned.
“Thirty-eight million?”
“Yes.”
“You’d give him thirty-eight million?”
“To get Henry out?”
Adrien didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Claire stared at him.
“That’s insane.”
“Probably.”
“Your board would kill you.”
“They’ve tried before.”
“That was metaphorical.”
“Mostly.”
She almost smiled.
Then looked away.
“No.”
“What?”
“My father would hate that.”
“I’m not asking him.”
“I am.”
Claire turned toward him.
“You keep trying to solve everything with money.”
Adrien’s jaw tightened.
“Money is useful.”
“Yes.”
“It gets hostages released.”
“Sometimes.”
“What is your plan?”
Claire looked toward the hotel.
“Make Victor believe the money is his.”
Adrien stared.
“Without giving it?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds like fraud.”
She almost smiled.
“You own banks.”
“I own pieces of banks.”
“Close enough.”
The plan took fourteen minutes.
Adrien authorized preparation of a transfer screen showing the Zurich account moving into another offshore entity controlled by Victor.
Fake.
Convincing.
The bank’s fraud team cooperated with police.
Victor called again.
Adrien sent the image.
Silence.
Then Victor said, “You actually did it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrien looked at Claire.
“Because Henry Bennett is worth more than money my father stole.”
Claire stopped breathing.
Victor laughed.
“You think that makes you different?”
“No.”
Adrien’s voice hardened.
“What I do next does.”
A crash sounded through the phone.
Shouting.
Police.
Victor cursed.
The line went dead.
Claire stood.
“What happened?”
The tactical commander’s radio erupted.
“Suspect in custody.”
Claire grabbed the seat.
“And Henry?”
Silence.
Then:
“Male hostage located. Conscious.”
Claire broke.
Not dramatically.
Her knees simply weakened.
Adrien caught her.
She buried her face against his chest.
“My dad.”
“He’s alive.”
“He’s alive.”
“Yes.”
Henry had a cut above his eyebrow, two cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder.
He also had opinions.
“You offered him thirty-eight million dollars?”
Adrien stood beside his hospital bed.
“It was fake.”
“That is not the point.”
Claire sat nearby laughing through tears.
Henry glared at her.
“Why are you encouraging him?”
“I’m not.”
“You are smiling.”
“Because you’re yelling, which means you’re fine.”
“I am not fine.”
Adrien almost smiled.
Henry looked at him.
“Don’t you start.”
The relief in the room was almost unbearable.
Then Detective Flores entered.
“We found something in Victor’s hotel room.”
Everyone looked over.
“A letter.”
“From who?” Adrien asked.
The detective handed him a plastic evidence sleeve.
Conrad Blackwood’s handwriting.
Adrien recognized it immediately.
The note was addressed to Victor Sloan.
BENNETT WILL EVENTUALLY COME BACK FOR WHAT HE THINKS IS JUSTICE. IF I’M GONE, PAY HIM. IF HE WON’T TAKE MONEY, DESTROY THE LEDGER AND THE MAN.
Adrien read it twice.
His father had anticipated Henry for decades.
Even after death, Conrad had left instructions.
Claire looked at Adrien.
He looked broken.
Henry saw it.
And despite everything Conrad Blackwood had done to him, Henry said quietly:
“You are not your father.”
Adrien looked up.
Henry continued.
“But don’t prove that to me.”
May you like
He nodded toward Claire.
“Prove it to yourself.”
