Chapter 7 - The Traitor at the TableThe vault doors unlocked.
Marcus walked out first.
Victoria followed.
Rosa kept Lily close.
Daniel stayed behind them, weapon drawn.
The mansion looked exactly as it had before.
That made it worse.
Elegant.
Quiet.
Perfect.
As if the house itself had learned how to lie.
Marcus entered the ballroom.
Elliot Crane stood beside the fireplace.
He wore the same tuxedo he had worn at dinner.
He held a glass of wine.
He looked completely calm.
Marcus stared.
“You.”
Elliot smiled.
“Yes.”
“You've been working against me.”
“For years.”
Marcus's hands curled into fists.
“How much?”
Elliot shrugged.
“Enough.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“You promised me he would survive.”
Elliot looked at her.
“I promised you nothing.”
Victoria's face hardened.
“You said the board only wanted control.”
“The board wants control.”
“You lied.”
“No.”
Elliot glanced toward Marcus.
“The board wants the truth.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Then let's hear it.”
Elliot raised his glass.
“Your family didn't build Whitmore Logistics.”
“I know.”
“They inherited it.”
Marcus stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Elliot smiled.
“Your grandfather was a middleman.”
“For whom?”
“The government.”
Victoria stared at him.
Elliot continued.
“During the early expansion years, Whitmore Logistics transported medical equipment into regions where private contractors were not allowed to operate.”
Marcus frowned.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“It does if the cargo wasn't always medical.”
The room went quiet.
Marcus looked at Daniel.
“You knew.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I knew something was wrong. I never knew how deep.”
Elliot sighed.
“Your grandfather discovered a profitable arrangement. Unregistered cargo could move through Whitmore's network.”
“What cargo?”
Elliot looked at Lily.
“Ask the child.”
Marcus stared at him.
“What does Lily have to do with any of this?”
Elliot's smile vanished.
“Everything.”
Rosa stepped backward.
“No.”
Elliot nodded toward Lily.
“She saw something.”
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“She is three years old.”
“And yet she remembers.”
Victoria looked frightened.
“Elliot, what did she see?”
Elliot said nothing.
Lily suddenly spoke.
“The black boxes.”
Marcus crouched.
“What black boxes?”
“The ones behind the red room.”
Everyone stared at her.
Elliot's expression changed.
“That's impossible.”
Lily pointed at him.
“You're scared.”
For the first time that night, Elliot looked genuinely afraid.
Marcus saw it.
He grabbed Elliot by the collar.
“What boxes?”
Elliot struggled.
“You don't understand what you're holding.”
Marcus shoved him against the fireplace.
“Tell me.”
Elliot whispered:
“Your grandfather kept records of every shipment.”
“And?”
“He didn't destroy them.”
“Where are they?”
Elliot looked toward Victoria.
“She knows.”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
Elliot smiled.
“Yes.”
Marcus turned to Victoria.
“Tell me.”
“I don't know.”
Elliot laughed.
“You do.”
Victoria stepped back.
Marcus's voice hardened.
“Victoria.”
She looked at him.
“I knew where the boxes were supposed to be.”
“Supposed to be?”
She nodded.
“But when I searched the vault, they were gone.”
Marcus frowned.
“Who took them?”
Victoria looked at Lily.
“I thought it was her.”
Rosa pulled Lily closer.
“What are you saying?”
Victoria's voice trembled.
“The first time I saw your daughter inside the east hallway, she was carrying something.”
“What?”
“A black box.”
Marcus stared at Lily.
The toddler reached into her pajama pocket.
Everyone froze.
She pulled out a small black object.
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
It wasn't a toy.
It was a memory device.
Elliot's face collapsed.
“No.”
Lily held it toward Marcus.
“Mr. Mark said this belongs to you.”
Marcus frowned.
“I never said that.”
Lily shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed behind him.
“He did.”
Marcus turned.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
But Daniel's face had gone white.
Because someone was standing behind him.
May you like
A man Marcus had believed was dead.
His father.
