The Hidden Empire of Harvey Kane

Chapter 005: The Arrest

Jonathan had no choice. He stepped aside, jaw tight.

Jane moved past him and climbed the last few steps until she stood right before Harvey.

"What happened in there?" she asked him in a low but slightly urgent voice.

Harvey met her eyes without flinching.

"I fixed it," he said. "But every piece of evidence I've pulled out points to him. Jonathan's been behind every cyberattack this company's taken since the beginning."

Jane's face went still, and she slowly turned toward Jonathan. "What?"

Jonathan let out a short, disbelieving laugh and spread his hands.

"That's outrightly hilarious. You're seriously gonna take his word over mine? I've been here with you for years, Jane. Years. Come on, I just fixed the damn thing–"

"One more lie out of you and this gets a lot tougher," Harvey cut in, taking a step toward him with clenched fists.

Jonathan's eyebrows shot up and he took a step closer. "What? You're gonna hit me in my company?"

"Enough!" Jane shoved herself between them, one hand on each chest.

Then she looked straight at Harvey. "You sure about what you're saying?"

"I'd never lie to you, Jane. This man's a fraud in suit."

Jonathan scoffed. "And what's your proof? Two pieces of shitty drawings you shoved in my face?"

Jane pushed them further apart again, breathing hard.

She faced Harvey first. "I'll look into it. I promise."

Then she turned to Jonathan, voice cold and clear. "I'm calling a board meeting Monday morning. And my husband's going to be sitting at that table."

Jonathan's laugh came sharp and cold. "A board meeting with Harvey present? That's preposterous–"

"Oh you wait and see," Jane cut in, facing him fully. "If those receipts check out against you, believe me–I'll make damn sure you spend a good long stretch behind bars."

Just then, footsteps echoed from the bottom of the stairwell.

All three of them looked down to see two uniformed officers walking toward the landing, badges catching the restored light.

"NYPD," one said. "Who's Harvey?"

Jonathan's finger shot out instantly, pointing at Harvey.

"What's going on?" Jane asked, confused.

The officers moved up the staircase fast, one stepping behind Harvey. The other grabbed his wrists and locked the cuffs with a hard metallic click.

"You're under arrest for battery against Mr. Kyle Ross."

"Kyle Ross?" Jane repeated, stunned. "That's my brother. Harvey never hit him!"

She stared at her husband to see his jaw had tightened.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath as the officers started leading him down the stairs.

Jane's pulse hammered in her throat.

"Well, look who's headed behind bars now," Jonathan mocked, a low chuckle rolling out of him.

Jane ignored him completely and followed the officers into the lobby.

Staff froze mid-conversation, and phones lowered as Harvey was being led out in handcuffs. Jane felt every pair of eyes burn into her back as the cuffs on her husband's wrists flashed under the bright lobby lights.

The embarrassment hit her hard.

Outside, as the police cruiser pulled away with Harvey in the back seat, Jane yanked her phone out.

Her fingers were shaking in pure fury as she dialed her brother.

The second the call connected she didn't wait for greeting. "What the hell kind of bullshit stunt did you just pull, Kyle?"

Kyle’s voice came through sharp and defensive.

“Why don’t you ask your freaking husband why he hit me on his way out this morning?”

Jane’s grip tightened on the phone. “Watch your tone, Kyle.”

She didn’t give him time to answer. “Find a way to drop that bullshit claim right now.”

There was a brief crackle of static, then Eleanor’s voice took over the line—cold, measured, and absolute. “That will never happen.”

Jane stopped walking. "Mother?"

“In fact, we’re pressing serious charges against him. And we’re filing a lawsuit. Full force.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Jane countered.

Eleanor let out a soft and venomous laugh. “Oh, I’ll do just that. And this is the perfect time for you to divorce him, Jane. He’s going to be an ex-convict in no time.”

Jane ended the call without another word.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, the metallic taste of anger sharp on her tongue, and strode toward her car.

She had already reached her car and pulled the door open when a voice called her name from behind.

She turned sharply, still gripping the handle.

Raj, one of Harvax’s most brilliant junior engineers, was jogging across the parking lot toward her. He slowed as he closed the last few steps, slightly out of breath, and concern plain on his face.

“I saw what happened,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m really sorry things got this far. Nobody in the lobby expected… that.”

Jane shook her head, the motion tight.

“It’s not your fault, Raj. And Jonathan wasn’t the one who called the cops on my husband.”

Raj’s brow furrowed. He glanced back toward the building for a second, then looked at her again.

“Then who did?”

Jane opened her mouth, the name already forming, then stopped herself halfway. She pressed her lips together and gave a short, dismissive shake of her head.

“Never mind.”

She turned back toward the open car door, ready to climb in, when Raj spoke once more.

“Was Harvey really the one who fixed the cyberattack?”

Jane paused with one hand still on the frame. Then she let out a long, tired breath and stared at the pavement for a moment before answering.

“I really don’t know yet. But I hope I find out before Monday. There’s going to be a board meeting to decide Jonathan’s fate, and I need every detail straight. But right now…”

She lifted her eyes to his and let out a dry chuckle. “Right now I need to get my husband out of police custody.”

She slid into the driver’s seat, shut the door harder than necessary, and started the engine.

As she pulled away from the curb her hands stayed locked tight on the wheel. She forced herself not to floor the accelerator even though the anger sat hot and heavy in her chest, climbing higher with every block.

The thought that kept pushing it over the edge was the one she couldn’t shake—her husband sitting in a jail cell on the night of their anniversary.