Chapter 17 - The Trap at Grand Meridian
Victor Shaw called me himself.
His voice was warm.
Almost grandfatherly.
“Claire Holloway.”
I looked at Mercer.
He was recording.
“What do you want?”
“To correct several misunderstandings.”
“Did you help my mother steal from my grandmother?”
“Your grandmother and I had disagreements.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
He chuckled.
“You sound like Evelyn.”
Hearing him say Grandma’s name made my skin crawl.
“Where is my mother?”
“With me.”
Mom’s voice suddenly came through.
“Claire.”
I said nothing.
Victor continued.
“Bring the original ledger to the Grand Meridian.”
Mercer shook his head.
I already knew I was going.
“If I don’t?”
“Your mother may finally experience the consequences she spent years arranging for others.”
I should not have cared.
Part of me did not.
Another part remembered she was still my mother.
That contradiction felt like poison.
“What proof do I have she’s with you?”
There was a muffled sound.
Then Mom screamed.
It was genuine.
Victor returned.
“Thirty minutes.”
The call ended.
Mercer immediately started issuing orders.
The Grand Meridian became our trap.
I entered through the same marble lobby I had walked through after being slapped less than forty-eight hours earlier.
Everything looked normal.
Guests checked in.
Bellmen moved luggage.
A pianist played near the bar.
But federal teams were positioned on three floors.
The ledger I carried was a copy.
The originals were already inside a secure evidence vault.
Victor instructed me by text to take the private elevator to the forty-second floor.
I stepped inside alone.
Mercer’s voice came through the tiny earpiece hidden beneath my hair.
“We have you.”
The doors opened.
Victor Shaw stood inside a penthouse suite.
Seventy-three.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
The kind of man newspapers called a visionary.
Mom sat in a chair beside the window.
Her wrists were not tied.
I noticed immediately.
Victor smiled.
“Welcome.”
I looked at Mom.
“You’re not a hostage.”
She stared at the floor.
Victor applauded softly.
“Evelyn’s granddaughter.”
My stomach turned.
Mom stood.
“Claire, give him the ledger.”
“You called him.”
She said nothing.
“You staged your own kidnapping?”
“It was the only way to get you here.”
Victor extended his hand.
“The ledger.”
I held the bag closer.
“Why are you afraid of records from twelve years ago?”
His smile disappeared.
“Because your grandmother recorded a conversation she should not have heard.”
“What conversation?”
Victor glanced at Mom.
That was when Mom moved.
Fast.
She grabbed the bag from me.
Mercer shouted through my earpiece.
“Claire, move.”
Mom handed Victor the bag.
He opened it.
He saw the copies.
His face changed.
“You lied.”
I smiled.
“You taught my family well.”
Victor lunged toward me.
The suite doors burst open.
Federal agents flooded the room.
Victor froze.
Mom screamed.
For one second, I thought it was over.
Then Victor laughed.
He slowly raised both hands.
“You really think I came without insurance?”
My phone buzzed.
A live video appeared.
Lily was standing inside my penthouse.
Behind her stood Nathan Cole.
May you like
And in his hand was a gun.
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