Chapter 7 - The Final Defection
Two weeks later, the dust had begun to settle over the financial district. Apex Vanguard’s transition team had successfully absorbed every profitable division of Harrington Holdings, rebranding the shipping fleet under a new, clean corporate banner. The Harrington name was officially toxic.
I was arriving at a private clinic for my regular third-trimester checkup when a figure stepped out from behind a concrete pillar in the parking garage.
It was Vanessa.
She looked a mess. The manicured nails were chipped, the designer clothes were missing, and her face was pale, devoid of the expensive makeup she used to wear like armor. She held her hands up in surrender as my security guards instantly stepped in front of me, their hands moving toward their holsters.
"Brooke, wait! Please, I just want to talk!" Vanessa yelled, her voice frantic. "I’m not here to fight! I have information you need!"
I signaled for the guards to hold position but remain close. "What do you want, Vanessa? I thought you ran away the moment Connor’s credit cards were declined."
"I did, but Connor won't leave me alone," she said, stepping forward, her eyes darting around nervously. "He’s desperate, Brooke. He and his father are meeting with a group of shady offshore lenders tonight at a private warehouse near the industrial canal. They’re trying to sign over the title deeds of the remaining unrecorded international cargo containers to get five million dollars in cash. They want to flee to a country without an extradition treaty before the federal grand jury indicts them next week."
I narrowed my eyes, evaluating her expression. "And why are you telling me this? You were perfectly happy to enjoy the diamonds bought with that stolen money."
"Because Connor threatened me!" Vanessa cried, tears spilling over her cheeks. "He said if I didn't help him smuggle the bearer bonds out of the city, he would tell the feds I was the one who orchestrated the pension fund transfers. He’s going to frame me to save himself, Brooke! I want to cooperate with you. I’ll give you the exact coordinates of the warehouse if you promise to tell the District Attorney I helped you catch them."
I looked at her for a long moment. She was a predator who had realized she was trapped in a cage with bigger beasts, and she was doing the only thing she knew how to do: betray her partner to save her own skin.
"Give the information to Marcus," I said, gesturing to my attorney who had just stepped out of the car behind me. "If the police find them there tonight, I’ll ensure the DA notes your cooperation. But the jewelry you kept, Vanessa... every single piece must be returned to the Apex recovery fund by tomorrow morning."
May you like
"I’ll bring it myself," she whispered, stepping back into the shadows, looking completely hollowed out.
The web Connor had spun to protect his pride was finally tangling around his own neck.
