THE HEIR'S REVENGE

chapter 21

The second man was younger, nervous. His leg bounced constantly, and sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool room. He looked like someone who'd made bad choices and knew more were coming. When they asked about Victoria, his eye twitched—just for a second—but he said nothing.

I studied them both, these men who'd tried to steal Lily's innocence again. They were tools, weapons aimed by someone else's hand. But tools could sometimes be turned against their users.

Brandon stood beside me, his anger radiating like heat. "Give me five minutes alone with them," he muttered.

"No," I said, though part of me wanted the same thing. "We do this legally. Every step by the book. Victoria's the real enemy, not these hired thugs."

Back in the counselor's office, Lily had fallen asleep in the chair, exhausted by trauma and tears. Looking at her peaceful face, I made a decision. The penthouse wasn't safe enough anymore. The security was good, but Victoria had resources we hadn't discovered yet. She'd hidden a comatose person for three years—what else could she do?

"We're moving," I told Brandon. "Tonight. Somewhere Victoria can't predict or plan for."

"The estate?" he suggested, referring to my grandfather's old compound outside the city. "It's a fortress. Twenty-foot walls, advanced security systems, only one road in or out."

I nodded. It was perfect. Isolated enough to control access but close enough to manage my business. More importantly, it had a panic room that could withstand anything short of military assault.

Mrs. Rodriguez approached with a tablet. "Mr. Blackwell, the school board wants to discuss additional security measures. Other parents are concerned—"

"I'll withdraw her," I said immediately. "Today. She'll be homeschooled until this is over."

It hurt to say it. Lily loved school, loved her friends and teachers. But her safety came first. Always.

As I filled out the withdrawal papers, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "You can't protect her forever. Every wall has a weakness. Every fortress can fall."

I showed it to Morrison, who immediately started a trace. But I knew it would lead nowhere. Victoria was too smart to make such a simple mistake.

Brandon returned from coordinating with his team. "The house is being prepared now. Full security sweep, all systems checked. We can move in three hours."

Three hours felt like three years. I held Lily while she slept, feeling her heartbeat against my chest, each breath a reminder of what I was fighting for. The men who'd tried to take her sat in cells, refusing to speak. Victoria lurked somewhere in the shadows, planning her next move. And somewhere in this city, Lily's mother lay in a new location, alive but unreachable.

The school slowly returned to normal around us. Parents collected their children, teachers resumed lessons, the everyday rhythm of education continuing despite the morning's terror. But nothing would ever be normal for Lily again. She'd been marked by Victoria's evil, targeted for crimes she didn't commit and inheritance she didn't know existed.

My phone rang. Maxwell.

"We've got a problem," he said without preamble. "The Peaceful Gardens facility says someone claiming to be a federal agent took the patient from room 314 last night. They had seemingly legitimate paperwork, badges, everything."

"Victoria has her," I said, the words tasting like ash.

"Or someone working with her. Ethan, if she has Lily's mother, she has leverage we can't counter."

He was right. A comatose patient couldn't testify, couldn't be rescued easily. Victoria could hide her anywhere, use her as a bargaining chip or worse. The game had just changed, and Victoria had played a card we hadn't seen coming.

Morrison returned with news about the text. "Burner phone, purchased with cash, already destroyed. But our tech team thinks they can narrow down the area it was sent from."

"Don't bother," I said tiredly. "She's probably watching us right now, enjoying our fear."

As if in response, my phone buzzed again. This time it was a photo: A medical facility I didn't recognize, a bed with a patient I couldn't see clearly, and a message: "Fair trade? The girl for her mother?"

My blood turned to ice. Victoria was offering to exchange Lily for her comatose mother. The cruelty of it was breathtaking. She knew I'd never make that trade, but she also knew the offer itself would torment me.

Lily stirred in my arms, mumbling something about butterflies. So innocent, so unaware of the evil surrounding her. I kissed her forehead gently, making silent promises. I would end this. I would protect her. Victoria Pierce would pay for every tear, every nightmare, every moment of fear she'd caused this child.

"Sir?" Brandon touched my shoulder. "The cars are ready. We should move now, while we still have daylight."

I stood, carrying Lily carefully. She weighed almost nothing, but the responsibility felt like mountains. As we walked through the school, I noticed the two kidnappers being transferred to a prison transport. The younger one looked up as we passed, and for just a moment, our eyes met.

He mouthed two words: "Pierce. Midnight."

Then the van doors closed, and they were gone.