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Chapter 0133 - The Announcement
Declan's phone started going off at seven in the morning. He was already awake, sitting at the desk in his hotel suite with The Physician's manual open in front of him, working through the early morning cultivation practice he had built into his routine since returning from the Northern Border. He looked at the screen. Victoria. He answered. "It's out," she said. Her voice was controlled but he could hear something underneath it. "The oversight committee released the official statement twenty minutes ago. Full investigation into Vanguard Corporation's bidding practices on the urban development project. They named names." "How is it being covered?" Declan asked. "Every major outlet has it as their lead story," Victoria said. "Television, online, print. It's everywhere simultaneously." A brief pause. "Vanguard's stock opened down thirty percent and it's still falling. Last I checked it was past forty." Declan closed the manual. "And Barry Pierce's response?" "He issued a statement
Chapter 0132 - Falling
Nathan made the call from his private study with the door locked. The phone rang twice before the man on the other end picked up. He didn't say hello. He just waited. "I have a job," Nathan said. "Tell me," the man said. His voice was flat and unhurried, the voice of someone who had heard many versions of this kind of call and treated them all the same way. This was Enforcer Quinn. He had been handling the Pierce family's difficult situations for years, the things that couldn't be assigned to lawyers or security teams or PR consultants. The things that required a different kind of solution entirely. Nathan had used him twice before and both times the problem had been resolved without anything tracing back to the family. "There's a girl," Nathan said. "Georgina Harper. I need her picked up at the Boston Business Gala in three days and taken somewhere secure." "Picked up meaning taken without consent," Quinn said. Not a question. "Yes." A brief pause. "Security around her?" "Si
Chapter 0131 - Desperation
Declan called the bodyguard detail the moment Charlotte's footsteps faded down the hallway. The head of the team picked up immediately. "Sir." "Georgina Harper," Declan said. "Maximum coverage starting right now. I want your best people on her, not the standard rotation. Around the clock with no gaps at all." He kept his voice level. "If she leaves the house for any reason, even just to the end of the street, I want to know the moment she moves and I want full coverage on her the entire time." "Understood. I'll redeploy immediately." "Good." He ended the call and dialed Sophie. She picked up on the second ring. "Hey. Everything okay?" "I need you to stay close to Georgina for the next few days," he said. "As close as you can manage. I can't explain everything right now but there's a potential threat and I'd feel better knowing you're with her." A short pause. "How serious?" "Serious enough that I'm not taking chances," Declan said. "Can you do it?" "Already thinking about wha
Chapter 0130 - The Warning
Declan was putting on his jacket when his office door knocked.He checked his watch. Just past seven. He had told the front desk he was leaving for the night and hadn't expected anyone to come up."Come in," he said.The door opened and Charlotte Harrison stepped inside.She was dressed simply, a dark coat over her clothes, no visible effort to look like she had planned this visit. Which told him she hadn't. She stopped just inside the doorway and looked at him with an expression that was half apology and half urgency."I'm sorry for showing up without calling first," she said."It's fine," Declan said, setting his jacket down. "What's happened?"She came further into the office and he gestured to the chairs across from his desk. They both sat."My family's intelligence network picked up something today," Charlotte said. "About Nathan Pierce."Declan said nothing. He waited."He knows about the investigation," she said. "Or at least he suspects it's coming. Our sources say he's been m
Chapter 129 - Momentum
Declan tucked the thought about Laura away as they walked.It wasn't concern for her. It was more practical than that. She had spent weeks inside Nathan's world, his home, his conversations, probably things she wasn't supposed to hear. Now Nathan had thrown her away. People who got thrown away by someone like Nathan tended to be angry about it, and angry people talked.He would have someone look into where she was and how she was doing. Quietly.Georgina's parents were both at the door when they arrived. Mr. Harper stepped forward immediately with his hand out."Declan," he said. "We're glad you're back safely.""Thank you," Declan said, shaking it."We really mean it," Mrs. Harper added. "Georgina told us you were dealing with something serious. We've been thinking about you.""Everything worked out," Declan said.Mr. Harper cleared his throat. "I'd like to have you for dinner later this week," he said. "There are things I want to say to you properly, face to face. And some things I'
Chapter 0128 - Café
The auditorium had mostly cleared by the time Victoria touched Declan's arm. "The man who asked the hostile question," she said, keeping her voice low. "His name is Brennan. Mid-level analyst, been here four years. We've had him on the watchlist for the past week but we haven't been able to confirm anything concrete yet." "He's one of them," Declan said. "I think so too. The way he phrased it, the timing, the people around him nodding on cue." She shook her head slightly. "It was too rehearsed." "Don't touch him yet," Declan said. "Keep watching him closely. Everything he accesses, everyone he contacts, every system he touches. He knows he's been exposed now even if he doesn't know we've identified him specifically. That kind of pressure makes people rush." He looked at her. "He'll make a mistake. When he does, we'll have everything we need." "Understood," Victoria said. She glanced out at the last few employees filing out of the auditorium, some of them still talking quietly amo
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