Chapter 9: The Price of Loyalty
I was halfway to the elevator when Lauren's call disconnected.
I called back.
Voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
By the third attempt, my hands were shaking.
Elaine found me near the executive elevators.
“Marcus, what's happened?””
“Richard used Lauren to steal the ownership agreement. Now her father is missing.””
Her face went pale.
“Have you contacted the police?””
“Not yet. I don't know whether he's actually been taken or whether Lauren is panicking.””
“Then we need to establish the facts before anyone makes another move.””
She was right.
I forced myself to return to my office and called our attorneys. They advised me to preserve the messages, avoid contacting Richard directly, and report the potential kidnapping to law enforcement.
Within an hour, two investigators were taking statements in a private conference room.
I gave them Lauren's messages, the photograph, and the information our security team had collected.
One investigator, Detective Harris, listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he closed his notebook.
“Mr. Reed, we need to be careful about assuming these events are connected. Do you have evidence that Richard Cole threatened Lauren's father directly?””
“Only her statement so far.””
“Then we'll need to speak with her.””
“I can't reach her.””
“We'll try through the number she used to call you. In the meantime, don't attempt to confront anyone yourself.””
I nodded.
But as the detective left, my phone vibrated with a message from Lauren.
*I can meet you tonight. The parking garage beneath the old Fulton Market. Nine o'clock. Come alone.*
I showed the message to Detective Harris before responding.
He immediately shook his head.
“You're not going alone.””
“I wasn't planning to.””
“Good. We'll coordinate a safe approach. If she appears, we need to know whether she's in immediate danger.””
At nine, I arrived near the old market with two investigators positioned nearby. The building had been closed for renovation, and the underground garage smelled of damp concrete and old oil.
A single fluorescent light flickered above the stairwell.
At 9:07, Lauren emerged from behind a concrete pillar.
She looked exhausted. Her hair was tangled, her coat was buttoned incorrectly, and she kept glancing toward the entrance.
“Mr. Reed.””
“Lauren. Are you hurt?””
She shook her head, then began crying.
“I'm so sorry.””
“Tell me where your father is.””
“I don't know.””
“Lauren.””
“They called me this afternoon. They said he was safe, but they wouldn't tell me where he was. They said I had to cooperate.””
“With whom?””
“Richard's people. I never met Richard directly. His assistant arranged everything.””
She reached into her coat and produced a small envelope.
“I brought copies of the messages.””
I didn't take it immediately.
“Why did you steal the agreement?””
“Because my father needed a treatment the insurance wouldn't cover. Richard's company offered to pay the bills. At first, I thought it was a legitimate charitable arrangement. Then he told me I had to help him obtain certain documents.””
“Why didn't you come to me?””
Her eyes filled.
“Because he showed me photographs of my father leaving the hospital. He said he knew where he lived, where he went, and which doctors he saw. He said if I told you, my father would suffer.””
I felt anger rise in my chest, but I kept my voice steady.
“You should have told someone.””
“I know.””
“You could have come to me, Elaine, the police—anyone.””
“I was terrified.””
She lowered her head.
“I thought I could give him the document and keep my father safe. I didn't understand that he was using me to take control of your company.””
I accepted the envelope.
Inside were printed messages between Lauren and an account registered to a company called Cole Strategic Services. The messages included instructions to remove the ownership agreement, photograph specific pages, and leave the original document in a locked mailbox at a downtown office building.
One message stood out.
*Once the transfer is complete, the Reed family will no longer be a problem.*
I looked at Lauren.
“Did Richard write this?””
“The account manager sent it. But the messages were approved by someone named R.C.””
Richard Cole.
“Do you know where the original agreement is now?””
“No. I delivered it exactly where they told me.””
“Did you see anyone?””
“A man in a gray coat. He didn't give me his name.””
“Can you identify him?””
She nodded reluctantly.
“Maybe.””
A sound echoed from the upper level.
Footsteps.
Lauren spun around.
“They found me.””
I moved toward her.
“Who?””
“I don't know. Please, Mr. Reed, you have to help me.””
The footsteps grew louder.
Detective Harris appeared from behind a parked vehicle, identifying himself. Another investigator moved toward the stairwell.
A man in a gray coat suddenly ran from the far end of the garage.
“Stop! Police!””
The man sprinted toward the exit, knocking over a plastic barrier. One investigator chased him while Harris stayed with us.
Lauren clutched my sleeve.
“That's him. That's the man who took the document.””
The investigator returned several minutes later, breathing hard.
“He got away. But he dropped this.””
He held up a black leather wallet.
Inside was an identification card belonging to a security contractor hired by Cole Strategic Services.
Detective Harris examined it.
“That's something we can work with.””
Lauren sagged against the concrete pillar.
“Is my father going to be okay?””
Harris gave her a careful look.
“We'll do everything we can to locate him. But I need you to tell us everything you know, including any contact you had with Mr. Cole.””
Lauren nodded, wiping her face.
“I will.””
As the investigators escorted her toward their vehicle, I stood beside Elaine under the flickering light.
“Richard is using employees' families as leverage,” I said.
Elaine's jaw tightened.
“And he has access to people inside the company. We need to assume he knows what we're doing.””
I looked at the envelope in my hand.
“Then we stop giving him time to prepare.””
My phone rang.
The caller was my attorney, Daniel Foster.
“Marcus, we've received an emergency notice from the Delaware court. Atlantic Crest Partners has filed a petition to enforce the transfer of Reed Meridian Infrastructure.””
“How?””
“They've submitted your supposed written consent, along with a sworn declaration from someone claiming you personally approved the transaction.””
“Who signed the declaration?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then he said, “Richard Cole.””
I felt the night air turn cold against my face.
“What else?””
“The court has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow morning. If the judge accepts their filing before we establish that your signature was forged, Atlantic Crest could obtain temporary control over the subsidiary.””
I looked across the garage at the exit where the man in the gray coat had disappeared.
“Then we'll be in court tomorrow.””
Daniel's voice lowered.
“Marcus, there's a complication. Richard's declaration says you authorized the transfer during a private meeting six weeks ago.””
“I never met with him six weeks ago.””
“I know. But he has a witness.””
“Who?””
The answer came after a long pause.
“Your ex-girlfriend, Tiana Brooks.””
I stared at the phone.
Tiana had already admitted to taking money from Devon and leaking confidential information. Now she was apparently willing to testify that I had personally approved the transaction that could destroy my company.
I ended the call and looked at Elaine.
“Find Tiana.””
“Do you think she'll cooperate?””
I remembered the fear in her eyes when she'd handed me the flash drive. I remembered her admission that she had made terrible choices, and her promise to testify.
“I don't know,” I said.
“But tomorrow, she's going to have to choose between protecting herself and telling the truth.””
Then my phone vibrated one more time.
A message from Tiana appeared on the screen.
*Marcus, don't let them put me on the stand. I have proof Richard is lying, but if I reveal it, someone in your family will go to prison.*
I read it twice.
Someone in my family.
Not someone at Northbridge.
Not Richard.
May you like
Someone in my family.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure whether Ethan was the only Reed who had betrayed me.
