Chapter 17 - Midnight at the River Plant
The old river plant smelled of oil, rust, and cold concrete.
Mark walked alone.
At least that was what Grant was supposed to believe.
Federal tactical officers surrounded the property beyond the tree line.
Detective Walsh listened through Mark’s transmitter.
Mark reached the central turbine hall.
“Grant?”
A light clicked on.
Victoria stood on the steel catwalk above him.
She looked exhausted.
Her hair was unwashed.
A bandage covered her left palm.
But her eyes were clear.
Dangerously clear.
“Mark.”
He stared at her.
“Where’s Grant?”
“Late.”
“You staged the motel.”
“I needed him to think I was desperate.”
“You are desperate.”
She smiled faintly.
“You always did confuse desperation with weakness.”
“You dropped Lily.”
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
“Don’t.”
“You want to talk about everything except that.”
“You don’t understand what was at stake.”
“Our daughter.”
“My entire life.”
Mark stared.
There it was.
No denial.
No tears.
“I gave you everything.”
Victoria laughed.
“You gave me access.”
“You married me.”
“Yes.”
“Was any of it real?”
She looked down at him.
“For a while.”
That answer hurt more than he expected.
“When?”
“When you stopped being useful and started being human.”
Mark almost smiled.
“You hated that?”
“I hated that you believed being loved made you safe.”
A door slammed somewhere behind them.
Grant’s voice echoed.
“Touching.”
He emerged from the shadows.
Gray coat.
Unshaven.
A pistol in his hand.
Mark’s body tightened.
Walsh’s voice whispered through his hidden earpiece.
Hold position.
Grant looked at Victoria.
“Document.”
She raised a folder.
“Money first.”
“You’re in no position to negotiate.”
“I’m the only reason you aren’t already in federal custody.”
Grant laughed.
“You’re the reason we’re here.”
Victoria’s face sharpened.
“You told me the camera was disabled.”
“I told you not to use the staircase.”
“You told me Lily had to be gone before September.”
“I told you we needed the transfer stopped.”
Mark listened.
Every word was being recorded.
Grant continued.
“You turned a financial plan into attempted murder because you couldn’t control yourself.”
Victoria descended the stairs slowly.
“And you were going to blame me anyway.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Grant said it casually.
Victoria stopped.
“What?”
“You were always the exit strategy.”
For the first time, she looked genuinely shocked.
Grant smiled.
“If the audit happened, you held the forged documents. You signed the Halcyon loan. You had access to Mark’s house.”
Victoria whispered, “Helen said—”
“Helen never trusted you.”
Mark almost pitied her.
Almost.
Grant looked at Mark.
“You see? This is why emotion ruins business.”
“You tried to destroy my family.”
“No. Your family was already vulnerable.”
“You made it vulnerable.”
Grant shrugged.
“I used what existed.”
Mark’s hands curled.
“You killed Sofia Ruiz.”
Grant’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
“I didn’t touch her.”
“You blocked the shutdown.”
“It was an operational decision.”
“Two people died.”
“Companies make decisions.”
Mark stepped forward.
Grant raised the gun.
“Careful.”
Walsh’s voice whispered.
Do not advance.
Mark stopped.
Victoria watched Grant.
“You promised me half of Halcyon’s Ellison position.”
“You believed that?”
Her face twisted.
“You son of a bitch.”
Grant laughed.
“You married another man for money. Don’t suddenly become sentimental about betrayal.”
Victoria pulled something from behind her back.
A second gun.
Grant’s smile vanished.
Mark’s heart pounded.
Walsh’s voice came urgently.
Mark, get down.
Victoria aimed at Grant.
“You destroyed my life.”
Grant aimed at her.
“You destroyed it yourself.”
Mark shouted, “Victoria!”
She looked at him.
That instant saved Grant.
He fired.
The bullet struck the railing beside Victoria.
Metal screamed.
Victoria fired back.
Grant ducked.
Mark dropped behind machinery.
Tactical officers stormed the hall.
“FEDERAL AGENTS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!”
Grant ran.
Victoria froze.
For one terrible second Mark thought she would fire at the officers.
Then she looked at him.
Her eyes filled with something he had never seen before.
Defeat.
The gun slipped from her fingers.
She raised her hands.
Grant disappeared through a service door.
Agents pursued.
Victoria was forced to her knees and handcuffed.
Walsh rushed toward Mark.
“You hit?”
“No.”
Victoria looked up.
“Mark.”
He turned.
She was crying now.
Real tears.
“Was Lily worth it?”
The question came out before he could stop it.
Victoria stared.
“Was anything you wanted worth letting her fall?”
She closed her eyes.
“No.”
Mark waited.
May you like
Then Victoria whispered the ugliest truth of all.
“But at the time, I thought yes.”
