Chapter 12 - The Boathouse

The old Hale boathouse stood half a mile from the main property.

Fog covered the water.

Victor walked toward it carrying the evidence case.

A hidden transmitter was taped beneath his shirt.

Lily and Monroe waited beyond the tree line.

No police vehicle came closer than a mile.

Victor entered.

Ethan sat in a chair near the rear wall.

His hands were free.

Serena stood beside him.

Jonathan held a gun.

Victor’s eyes stayed on his son.

“Ethan.”

“Daddy.”

“I’m coming.”

Jonathan raised the weapon.

“Case first.”

Victor placed it on the floor.

Serena opened it.

Three drives.

The ledger.

Photographs.

“All of it?”

“Yes.”

She looked at Victor.

“You always were easy when someone you loved was involved.”

Victor’s jaw tightened.

“Release him.”

Jonathan picked up the drives.

Serena nodded toward Ethan.

The boy stood.

Victor held out his arms.

“Come here.”

Ethan ran.

Halfway across the room, Jonathan grabbed him.

Victor lunged.

The gun fired into the ceiling.

Outside, Lily flinched.

Monroe whispered.

“Hold.”

Inside, Jonathan dragged Ethan backward.

Serena shouted.

“What are you doing?”

Jonathan’s face had changed.

“We don’t need the kid anymore.”

Serena stared at him.

“That wasn’t the deal.”

Victor realized something.

Serena and Jonathan were not fully aligned.

He used it.

“She kept you alive because she needs you.”

Jonathan looked at Serena.

Victor continued.

“You think she plans to share Hale Biomedical?”

“Shut up.”

Serena snapped.

Victor smiled coldly.

“She used your father.”

“Then your father died.”

“Now she’s using you.”

Jonathan’s gun shifted slightly.

Exactly what Victor wanted.

Serena saw it too.

“Don’t listen to him.”

Victor took one step closer.

“Ask her who becomes trustee if both Ethan and Jonathan Hale are unavailable.”

Jonathan froze.

Serena did too.

Victor had guessed.

But their reaction gave him the answer.

Jonathan looked at Serena.

“What does he mean?”

She said nothing.

Victor continued.

“The secondary trust probably passes to the designated legal administrator.”

“Who is that?”

Jonathan’s face turned toward Serena.

“She never told you?”

Serena’s composure cracked.

Jonathan lowered the gun a fraction.

That was enough.

Ethan bit his wrist.

Jonathan shouted.

Victor lunged.

The gun slid across the floor.

Lily and Monroe rushed inside.

Serena ran through the rear door.

Jonathan struck Victor.

Victor hit back.

Monroe tackled Jonathan.

Lily chased Serena toward the dock.

Serena jumped into a waiting motorboat.

The engine roared.

Lily stopped at the water’s edge.

Serena escaped into the fog.

But this time she left something behind.

Her purse.

Inside was a second phone.

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And on that phone was a countdown.

72:00:00.