Part 5
A tall man stepped out of the room,
his suit impeccable,
but his expression filled with frustration.
It was one of Victor’s personal lawyers,
holding a stack of legal documents,
stamped with the Avalon Holdings logo.
"She won't sign,"
the lawyer muttered into his phone,
his voice echoing in the quiet hallway.
"She’s stubborn,
just like her father used to be."
He walked past my hiding place,
so close I could smell his cheap cologne,
and the sharp scent of his anxiety.
"Victor is losing his patience,"
the lawyer continued,
as he headed toward the stairs,
"If she doesn't sign by midnight,
we’ll have to use more drastic measures."
The words chilled my blood,
not with fear,
but with a cold,
calculating fury.
They were hurting her,
pressuring her,
but Lily was holding the line,
waiting for me to find her.
I waited until the lawyer disappeared down the staircase,
his complaints fading into the lower level of the house.
I stepped out from behind the armoire,
my eyes fixed on the door he had just left,
which remained slightly ajar.
I pushed it open,
slipping inside with the silence of a ghost,
and closed it gently behind me.
The room was a lavish suite,
complete with a velvet sofa,
a massive fireplace,
and a canopy bed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed,
her face pale but her eyes fierce,
was Lily.
She looked up sharply,
her body tensing as if preparing for another fight,
but then she saw my face.
"Dad?"
she whispered,
her voice trembling,
tears instantly welling in her eyes.
I held up a finger to my lips,
signaling for absolute silence,
and hurried across the room to her side.
I pulled her into a tight embrace,
feeling her small frames shake against my chest,
as she let out a silent sob.
"I knew you'd come,"
she murmured into my shoulder,
"They told me you thought I was dead,
but I knew you'd see through it."
"I'm here,
Lily,"
I whispered back,
my voice steady,
reassuring,
"The nightmare ends tonight."
I looked at her wrists,
noticing the faint red marks left by plastic restraints,
and my anger flared anew.
"Did they hurt you?"
I asked,
examining her face for any signs of physical harm.
"No,"
she said,
wiping her tears with the back of her hand,
"They just kept me locked in here,
trying to force me to sign the trust transfer.
They need the money,
Dad,
Victor’s company is collapsing,
and Julian is deep in debt to some very bad people."
The pieces of the puzzle were completely joined now,
the motive clear,
the desperation obvious.
"We need to go,"
I said,
helping her to her feet,
"The security is heavy,
but I’ve created a blind spot on the east wing."
"They have guards at every exit,"
Lily warned,
her hand gripping mine tightly,
"And Victor is downstairs right now."
"Let him be there,"
I replied,
May you like
checking the hallway through the crack of the door,
"He’s about to find out what happens when you take away an investigator's family."
