Chapter 12 - THE BOARD’S FINAL MOVE
Men in dark coats stepped out of the vehicles.
They were not police.
Peter immediately shut off the upstairs light.
“Get away from the windows.”
Maya held Oliver against her chest.
“Who are they?”
“The Whitmore board’s private security team.”
Ryan looked at Peter.
“My father said five board members were involved.”
“There were five when he wrote the letter.”
“There are seven now.”
Detective Reeves checked his weapon.
“How many exits?”
“Three.”
“Two are already blocked.”
Peter pointed toward an iron staircase.
“The third leads to the river tunnel.”
Denise grabbed a flashlight.
“I’ll take Maya and Oliver.”
Ryan shook his head.
“We stay together.”
Peter stepped in front of him.
“They are here for the records.”
“If they get Oliver too, they will use him against you.”
Maya touched Ryan’s arm.
“Go with Peter.”
“I’ll get Oliver out.”
Ryan hated the idea.
But he looked at his son.
Oliver was shaking.
“Daddy, come too.”
Ryan kissed his forehead.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Maya carried Oliver toward the tunnel with Denise.
Detective Reeves remained with Ryan and Peter.
The mill doors burst open.
A voice echoed through the building.
“Ryan Whitmore.”
Ryan recognized it.
The speaker was Martin Hale, chairman of Whitmore Holdings.
He had been Ryan’s mentor since his father died.
He had attended Ryan’s wedding.
He had held Oliver when he was born.
“Come downstairs.”
Martin’s voice remained calm.
“We can still protect your family.”
Ryan stepped toward the railing.
“You helped Charles poison my son.”
“I helped Charles protect the company.”
“Do you hear yourself?”
“I hear a man who understands that one life cannot outweigh thousands of employees.”
“You tried to kill a child.”
“We tried to prevent a collapse.”
Ryan laughed bitterly.
“You call murder risk management.”
Martin looked up from the factory floor.
“The board cannot survive a public investigation.”
“Neither can you.”
Ryan held up a small drive Peter had given him.
“Everything is here.”
“Financial records.”
“Medical fraud.”
“Payments to judges.”
“Payments to police.”
“Your signature is on all of it.”
Martin’s expression changed.
“Give me the drive.”
“Come get it.”
Martin raised one hand.
His men moved toward the stairs.
Detective Reeves fired at the overhead lights.
The mill went dark.
Ryan and Peter ran toward the rear corridor.
Bullets struck the metal railing behind them.
Peter opened an old machinery room.
They climbed inside.
He locked the door.
Ryan heard men surrounding the room.
“There’s no exit.”
Peter pointed toward a rusted control panel.
“This factory once moved fabric through underground conveyor channels.”
“Can it still work?”
“No.”
“But the shaft is open.”
They pulled aside a metal grate.
A narrow tunnel descended into darkness.
Ryan looked at Peter.
“You first.”
Peter shook his head.
“You have a son waiting for you.”
The door began to bend beneath repeated blows.
Ryan climbed into the shaft.
Peter followed.
They crawled through dust and rust until they reached the river tunnel.
Maya and Denise were waiting.
Oliver ran to Ryan.
The reunion lasted only seconds.
Detective Reeves was not with them.
“Where is he?”
Maya asked.
Ryan looked back.
“He was behind us.”
A gunshot echoed from the shaft.
Then silence.
Ryan started back.
Peter grabbed him.
“You cannot help him.”
“I’m not leaving him.”
“You have the evidence.”
“I’m not leaving another person to die because of my family.”
Ryan climbed into the shaft again.
When he reached the machinery room, the door was open.
Two security men lay unconscious.
Detective Reeves stood near the control panel.
Blood ran from his shoulder.
Martin Hale was behind him with a gun pressed to his head.
“Drop the drive, Ryan.”
Ryan slowly raised his hands.
Martin smiled.
“Your father made the same mistake.”
“He believed evidence mattered more than power.”
Ryan looked at Reeves.
The detective’s eyes shifted toward the floor.
A broken electrical cable lay near Martin’s foot.
Ryan dropped the drive.
Martin looked down.
Reeves slammed his heel onto the cable.
Sparks exploded.
Martin flinched.
Ryan tackled him.
The gun fired into the ceiling.
Reeves grabbed the weapon.
Martin fell against the rusted control panel.
The old machinery roared to life.
A conveyor chain snapped loose.
It whipped across the room.
Martin jumped aside.
The floor beneath him collapsed.
He fell through the open shaft and disappeared into darkness.
Ryan looked down.
No sound came from below.
Detective Reeves leaned against the wall.
“Was the drive real?”
Ryan shook his head.
“The real one is with Maya.”
They returned to the tunnel.
Maya held the drive tightly.
Peter led them to an exit near the river.
Police vehicles waited on the opposite bank.
For a moment, it appeared they had escaped.
Then Denise stopped.
Oliver was no longer beside her.
Maya turned in panic.
“Oliver?”
A small voice called from the tunnel behind them.
“Mommy?”
Charles stood in the shadows.
May you like
One hand covered Oliver’s mouth.
The other held a knife against the child’s coat.
