CHAPTER 13 — THE LAST BETRAYAL
Adrian woke in the hospital eighteen hours later.
Milo was asleep in a chair beside the bed, his head resting against Jonah’s shoulder.
Luis stood near the window.
“The board approved the merger,” he said.
Adrian frowned.
“Marcus was arrested.”
“He had already filed your proxy documents. Three directors voted with him before the bomb threat was confirmed.”
“My signature was forged.”
“It was digitally verified.”
Adrian understood.
“Someone used the biometric scan from Harbor Storage.”
Luis nodded.
“The merger transferred Vale Dynamics’ defense division to a shell company. The shell company emptied the research accounts.”
“How much?”
“Eight hundred and forty million dollars.”
Adrian looked at Milo.
“And the vehicle codes?”
“Downloaded before we shut the system down.”
Jonah woke.
“There may still be a way to stop them.”
He took the burned notebook from Milo’s backpack.
“The stolen codes are incomplete.”
“How?”
“I built a hidden safety lock into every control package.”
Adrian sat straighter.
“You never told the company.”
“I didn’t trust Marcus.”
“What does the lock do?”
“It disables the stolen system the moment it connects to an unauthorized network.”
Luis exhaled.
“Then why hasn’t it triggered?”
“Because it needs one final authentication phrase.”
Adrian looked at Jonah.
“What phrase?”
Jonah opened the notebook’s back cover.
Letters had been pressed into the leather.
THE MACHINE SERVES THE LIFE.
Adrian repeated the sentence.
Jonah nodded.
“Once entered, every stolen module becomes useless.”
Adrian reached for the hospital tablet.
Before he could connect, the television changed to a live news broadcast.
Celeste Vale appeared on-screen.
She was sitting in a private jet hangar, wearing a bandage over her shoulder.
Somehow, she had escaped federal custody during a hospital transfer.
Beside her stood a frightened board secretary.
Celeste held a gun near the woman’s neck.
She looked into the camera.
“Adrian, I know you survived.”
Milo woke at the sound of her voice.
Celeste continued.
“You have thirty minutes to transfer the authentication phrase to me.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“And if I refuse?”
Celeste smiled.
The camera widened.
Behind her were dozens of Vale Dynamics employees, locked inside the aircraft hangar.
Including Adrian’s younger sister, Evelyn.
Celeste looked directly into the lens.
“You’ve spent your whole life choosing the company over people.”
May you like
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
“Let’s see what you choose now.”
