Chapter 10 - THE LOCKED PENTHOUSE
Julian did not intend to bring Elena.
Elena had no intention of allowing him to decide.
“She is part of the conspiracy,” Julian said.
“She also saved my life.”
“She helped destroy it first.”
“As I told you before, people can do both.”
Julian paced the safe house kitchen.
“It could be a staged photograph.”
“It could.”
“Camila may be helping them lure us out.”
“She may.”
“You still want to go.”
“Yes.”
Elena stood slowly.
“And I am the person they demanded.”
“You are not bait.”
“I stopped being passive bait eight months ago.”
Clara examined the address.
It belonged to a penthouse at the Grand Alcazar Hotel.
The same hotel where Julian had found Elena.
The property appeared to be owned by a hospitality company based in Luxembourg.
Clara traced the controlling interest.
Victor Laurent owned forty percent.
Sofia owned twenty.
Matteo controlled the remaining shares through shell companies.
“Elena’s job was not a coincidence,” Clara said.
“They placed her there.”
Elena’s face hardened.
“The shelter arranged the position.”
“Who at the shelter?” Julian asked.
“A volunteer named Miriam.”
Clara searched the records.
No person by that name had ever worked there.
Elena had never escaped their reach.
They had allowed her to believe she had.
Every shift.
Every apartment.
Every doctor’s visit.
They had monitored everything.
“Why let her work in a public hotel?” Marcus asked.
“To keep her visible to Sloane,” Clara replied.
“And invisible to Julian.”
No one expected a billionaire’s missing wife to be cleaning bathrooms in a property connected to his own family.
Julian looked at Elena’s damaged hands.
The sight renewed his anger.
“They wanted me to find her tonight.”
Elena understood.
“The merger dinner.”
“Camila insisted we stay at the Alcazar.”
The reunion had been staged.
But something had gone wrong.
Elena had spoken to Julian before Sloane could remove her.
Perhaps Camila had arranged that.
Perhaps she had wanted the truth to begin unraveling.
Reeves refused to authorize Elena’s participation in any exchange.
Julian offered a compromise.
They would make the kidnappers believe she was present.
Marcus arranged an armored vehicle with darkened windows.
Elena would remain at a secure command location two blocks away.
Julian would carry the brass key.
Clara created a copy.
The real key remained with Elena.
At eleven forty-five, Julian entered the Grand Alcazar alone.
The lobby looked exactly as it had the night before.
Chandeliers burned.
Guests drank champagne.
Staff moved quietly across the onyx floor.
No one would have guessed a hostage waited forty floors above.
The concierge recognized Julian.
Fear crossed his face.
Julian approached him.
“You knew Elena was being watched.”
The man’s lips trembled.
“I have a family.”
“So does she.”
“They threatened my children.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Sloane.”
Julian believed him.
“Lock the elevators after I reach the penthouse.”
“I cannot.”
“You can.”
The concierge nodded.
Julian entered the private elevator.
At the top floor, the doors opened into darkness.
He stepped into the penthouse.
Camila sat in a chair near the windows.
Her wrists were tied.
A bruise darkened her cheek.
Victor Laurent stood behind the bar.
Matteo leaned against the piano.
Sloane remained near Camila.
Sofia was not present.
Julian looked at Victor.
“You ordered the theft of my child.”
Victor poured himself a drink.
“I ordered justice.”
“You call stealing an infant justice?”
“I call ending the Rossi bloodline justice.”
“Your daughter carries that hatred because you fed it to her.”
Victor’s face hardened.
“Your family killed my wife.”
“Matteo caused the collapse.”
Matteo laughed.
“You keep repeating Clara’s fiction.”
Camila looked at Julian.
“The file proves it.”
Victor turned toward her.
“You have no idea what the file proves.”
“You lied to me.”
“I protected you.”
“You trained me to hate the wrong man.”
Victor set down the glass.
“Julian’s father approved the cover-up.”
“That does not make Julian responsible.”
Victor looked almost disgusted.
“Do not become weak because he finally looked at you.”
Camila flinched.
Julian saw the wound behind her years of calculated behavior.
She had spent her life being shaped into a weapon.
Victor extended one hand.
“The key.”
Julian held up the copy.
“Release Camila.”
“Bring Elena inside.”
“She is downstairs.”
Matteo crossed to the window.
“No vehicles stopped after yours.”
“She entered through the service corridor.”
Sloane touched an earpiece.
“No one has seen her.”
Julian smiled faintly.
“Then perhaps your surveillance is not as perfect as you believe.”
The penthouse lights went out.
Marcus had cut power from the hotel control room.
Emergency lighting activated.
Julian threw the false key across the floor.
Sloane moved toward it.
Julian attacked Victor.
Camila kicked backward, knocking her chair into Sloane’s legs.
Matteo drew a weapon.
The penthouse doors opened.
Federal agents entered.
Gunfire shattered the windows.
Guests screamed on lower floors.
Victor disappeared behind the bar.
Matteo ran toward the private staircase.
Julian reached Camila and untied her.
“Where is the file?”
“In the piano.”
A bullet struck the chair beside them.
Julian pulled her to the floor.
Sloane escaped through a service door.
Agents secured Victor.
Matteo remained missing.
Camila crawled toward the piano and removed a thin folder from beneath the bench.
She handed it to Julian.
Inside was the original maintenance report from the Monaco balcony collapse.
It named Matteo as the person who released the support mechanism.
It also contained a second statement.
Sofia had entered the control room minutes earlier.
She had shown Matteo how the locking system worked.
Julian read the page twice.
“My mother taught him.”
Camila’s voice broke.
“She knew a demonstration would overload the balcony.”
Julian looked at her.
“You are saying Sofia caused the collapse.”
“She used Matteo’s hand.”
Victor laughed from where agents restrained him.
“You still think this was about one accident?”
Julian looked toward him.
Victor’s smile was bitter.
“Ask your mother why she wanted Isabella Laurent dead.”
“Why?”
“Because Isabella was pregnant.”
Camila went still.
Victor looked at his daughter.
“Your mother’s unborn child belonged to Augusto Rossi.”
Julian stared at him.
Camila’s face collapsed.
Victor continued.
“She was carrying Julian’s brother.”
The penthouse became silent.
If the child had lived, Augusto’s hidden trust might have recognized another heir.
Sofia had not covered up an accident.
She had engineered a mass killing to eliminate a pregnant rival.
Before Julian could process the revelation, his phone rang.
Elena’s secure line appeared on the screen.
He answered.
“Elena?”
No one spoke.
Then Sofia’s voice came through.
“You should have brought the real key.”
Julian’s blood turned cold.
“Where is Elena?”
“With me.”
In the background, Elena cried out.
A monitor began beeping rapidly.
May you like
Sofia spoke again.
“Your wife has gone into labor.”
