Chapter 10 - THE SIGNATURE
“Get away from her.”
Gabriel’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Peter aimed at him.
Mason fired first.
Peter dropped.
Vincent grabbed Claire and pressed a pistol to her temple.
“Another step and she dies.”
Gabriel stopped.
Mason moved right.
Vincent shouted.
“Don’t!”
Claire felt the barrel dig into her skin.
Gabriel’s face remained calm.
“Let her go.”
“And lose my only leverage?”
“You already lost.”
Gabriel held up the flash drive.
“Nathan’s files are everywhere now.”
Vincent’s face tightened.
“Bluff.”
“Try me.”
Claire spoke.
“He confessed.”
Vincent froze.
“My watch.”
His eyes dropped.
Claire smiled.
“Recording the whole time.”
Vincent tore the watch from her wrist and smashed it.
Claire shrugged.
“Cloud backup.”
For the first time, Vincent looked afraid.
Then he fired toward Gabriel.
Gabriel dove.
Claire drove her elbow into Vincent’s ribs.
His gun fell.
Mason rushed forward.
Vincent escaped through a rear loading door before they could stop him.
Gabriel ran to Claire.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
His hands touched her face, shoulders, wrists.
“Claire.”
“I said I’m okay.”
Then she showed him the folder.
His expression changed.
“What is this?”
“The payment for Nathan’s SUV repair.”
Gabriel looked at the signature.
His own.
Claire watched him.
“Did you sign it?”
He sat down slowly.
“Yes.”
Claire’s stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“It was part of a stack of corporate approvals.”
“You didn’t read it?”
“I trusted Rourke.”
The name hung between them.
Daniel Rourke.
Operations chief.
Claire understood.
“Rourke inserted it.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched.
“I signed hundreds of payments every week. He knew that.”
Claire sat beside him.
“You didn’t kill Nathan.”
“My signature paid for it.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“It feels the same.”
She took his hand.
Gabriel stared at their fingers.
“You should be afraid of me.”
Claire almost laughed.
“I watched you crawl through a coal chute in a ten-thousand-dollar suit.”
“Fifteen.”
She stared.
He finally smiled.
Small.
Broken.
Real.
Then Mason entered.
“We found Rourke.”
Gabriel stood.
“Where?”
“Airport.”
“Bring him in.”
Mason hesitated.
“What?”
“He wasn’t running.”
Gabriel frowned.
Mason handed him a phone.
“There was one ticket.”
“To where?”
“Boston.”
“For who?”
Mason looked at Claire.
“Not Rourke.”
Gabriel checked the passenger name.
His face changed.
The ticket was for Eli Kane.
Claire whispered, “Why would Rourke be taking Eli to Boston?”
May you like
Mason’s answer made the room go cold.
“Because Nathan left instructions for someone there to take custody of his son if Gabriel Kane could no longer be trusted.”
