Chapter 5 - The Deeper Betrayal
Before Trevor could react, the door to the guest room swung open.
Dr. Marcus Vance stepped inside, holding a silver medical tray. But he wasn't holding a syringe or a blood pressure cuff. In his right hand, fitted with a heavy suppressor, was a compact black pistol pointed directly at Trevor’s chest.
"I really hoped you wouldn't wake up so quickly, Agent Reyes," Dr. Vance said, his voice entirely devoid of the gentle warmth he had displayed minutes earlier. He kicked the door shut behind him and locked it with his thumb.
Trevor instantly stepped between the gun and Keisha’s bed, shielding her with his body. "Marcus. What are you doing?"
"Cleaning up my brother's mess," Marcus sighed, his eyes cold. "Harrison panicked when he realized you came home early tonight. Those men were supposed to secure the children quietly, plant evidence framing a foreign ransom cartel, and leave. You were supposed to spend the next forty-eight hours frantically transferring three billion dollars in liquid capital to pay the ransom."
"And Brianna?" Trevor spat, his knuckles white. "You helped him murder my wife?!"
"Brianna was a nosey amateur who didn't understand how the real world works," Marcus said dismissively. "Callahan Enterprises was sitting on billions of stagnant capital. My brother and I built an empire with Aegis Global, and Brianna threatened to tear it all down over a few laundered offshore accounts."
"You won't get away with this, Vance," Keisha said calmly from the bed, her hand subtly slipping beneath her pillow. "The estate is surrounded by private tactical teams."
"Your tactical teams report directly to Harrison’s chief of security, Agent Reyes," Marcus smirked. "In five minutes, a fire will break out in this wing due to a faulty oxygen tank in my medical kit. You, Trevor, and the maid will perish in the blaze. Harrison will assume full temporary emergency control of Callahan Enterprises as surviving COO, pay the offshore contractors, and handle the tragedy with great public dignity."
"You forgot one thing, Marcus," Trevor said softly.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what’s that?"
"I don't rely on Harrison’s security teams when my children are involved," Trevor said.
At that exact moment, Trevor reached behind his back, grabbed the heavy porcelain lamp off the bedside table, and hurled it with full force at Marcus's head.
Marcus instinctively raised his arm to block the heavy lamp. The porcelain shattered against his forearm, knocking his shot wide. The suppressed bullet hissed through the air, embedding itself harmlessly in the headboard.
Keisha didn't wait. Despite her injuries, she threw back the bedsheets, lunged across the bed, and kicked Marcus directly in the knee with her good leg.
Marcus stumbled backward, dropping his gun onto the rug.
Trevor tackled Marcus to the floor, pinning the doctor beneath his weight and driving a heavy punch straight into his jaw. Marcus went limp, his eyes rolling back as unconsciousness took him.
Trevor scrambled up, grabbing the dropped pistol and racking the slide. He turned to Keisha, who was leaning against the bedframe, panting heavily.
"Are you okay?" Trevor asked urgently.
"I'm fine," she wheezed. "Harrison is still at your corporate headquarters down town. He’s going to trigger the financial transfers the moment Marcus gives him the signal!"
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Trevor looked at the woman who had fought through hell to protect his family. He held out his hand to her.
"Then let's go finish what my wife started," Trevor said.
