Chapter 5 - The Mafia Boss Was Offered His Empire Back in Exchange for His Wife
Grant didn't sleep.
By dawn, twenty-three Hawthorne properties had been searched.
No trace.
The photograph was real.
Lauren's mother was alive.
Vivian had her.
The Circle wanted the Hawthorne Archive.
Grant wanted his wife safe.
There was no room for mistakes.
“Where is the meeting?”
Noah placed the address on the table.
“Old federal courthouse.”
Grant looked at it.
“Too obvious.”
“Yes.”
“Which means they want me to think that.”
Lauren entered.
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“You promised.”
Grant looked at her.
“You promised not to make decisions for me.”
“I did.”
“Then don't.”
He closed his eyes.
She was right.
Every instinct told him to hide her.
Every lesson she had taught him told him she would hate him for it.
“Fine.”
They went together.
The courthouse was empty.
Vivian stood in the main hall.
She was holding a gun.
Behind her was Lauren's mother.
Alive.
Older.
Thin.
But unmistakably herself.
Lauren stopped breathing.
“Mom.”
Marianne looked at her.
“I'm sorry.”
Lauren ran forward.
Vivian raised the weapon.
Grant stepped between them.
“Let her go.”
“You brought the archive?”
“Yes.”
Vivian smiled.
“Of course you did.”
Grant handed over a drive.
Vivian took it.
She checked it.
“Is this everything?”
“No.”
Her smile disappeared.
“Where is the rest?”
“In me.”
Silence.
He recited names.
Dates.
Accounts.
Routes.
He remembered.
Vivian's face changed.
His father's training had worked.
Grant held the archive in his head.
She could not steal it.
She could not delete it.
She could only kill him.
Vivian lowered the weapon.
“Then we have a problem.”
She stepped toward him.
“You see, Grant, I never wanted you dead.”
“You tried to destroy my marriage.”
“Yes.”
“You almost got Lauren killed.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she made you doubt me.”
Lauren stepped forward.
“No.”
Vivian looked at her.
“You made him doubt himself.”
Vivian laughed.
“You were always difficult.”
Marianne spoke.
“She was always honest.”
Vivian turned.
“You should be grateful I kept you alive.”
“You kept me hidden.”
“Exactly.”
Marianne looked at Grant.
“Your father trusted me.”
Grant said:
“I know.”
“He gave me the archive.”
Vivian's face went pale.
“Where is it?”
Marianne smiled.
“With the one person you never thought to question.”
Lauren.
Grant understood.
His wife's mother had passed the archive to Lauren years earlier.
Lauren's research.
Her private audit.
The money she spent.
All of it had been protecting the same secret.
Vivian pointed her weapon at Lauren.
Grant moved.
A shot rang out.
Grant fell.
“GRANT!”
Lauren rushed to him.
The bullet had struck his shoulder.
He stayed conscious.
Vivian ran.
Noah and security flooded the building.
Marianne was safe.
The archive remained hidden.
Grant was rushed to surgery.
Lauren waited four hours.
When the surgeon finally entered, he smiled.
“He'll be fine.”
Lauren cried.
Later, she entered his room.
Grant was awake.
“You got shot.”
“Yes.”
“I'm blaming you.”
He smiled.
“For what?”
“For making me worry.”
“You didn't have to come.”
She stared.
“Don't ever say that again.”
He reached for her.
She took his hand.
“I love you.”
His eyes closed.
“I know.”
“You're impossible.”
“I know.”
Then the hospital lights flickered.
A nurse entered.
“Mr. Hawthorne?”
Grant looked up.
“Yes?”
“We have a call for you.”
“Who?”
The nurse hesitated.
“Vivian.”
Grant's eyes hardened.
He accepted the phone.
Vivian's voice was calm.
“You survived.”
“Yes.”
“So did your marriage.”
“Yes.”
“That means I underestimated you.”
Grant said nothing.
“Tomorrow,” Vivian continued, “you'll learn what your father never did.”
“What?”
“The Circle wasn't created by criminals.”
Grant frowned.
“It was created by your family.”
The line went dead.
May you like
Grant looked at Lauren.
For the first time, neither knew what came next.
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