Chapter 12 - THE BARGAIN
Adrian hesitated. “Mia, this is not your fight.”
“He came for me. He wants me. That makes it my fight.” I stepped closer to the door. “Let me speak to him.”
“Absolutely not.”
“He will not hurt me right away. He needs me alive. That gives us time.” I looked up at him. “Please, Daddy. Trust me.”
Adrian stared at me for a long moment. Reluctance warring with pride. Finally, he nodded slowly. He positioned himself beside the door, out of sight, and typed the code into the keypad.
The lock clicked.
I pushed the door open just wide enough to slip through.
The room was large and windowless. Shelves lined the walls, filled with box after box of neatly labeled files. In the center sat a heavy oak desk. And behind it, in a high-backed leather chair, sat Julian Mercer.
He stood up slowly.
He was older than in the portraits, his hair silver at the temples, but his eyes were the same—sharp, intelligent, and utterly without warmth. He looked at me, from my head to my shoes, and smiled.
“At last,” he said. “The prodigal child.”
I stood my ground. “Where is Elizabeth?”
“Safe. For now.” He gestured to the chair opposite his. “Sit, Mia. We have much to discuss.”
“I prefer to stand.”
Julian chuckled. “Spirited. Just like Victoria.” His expression hardened. “Unfortunately, spirit will not save you. Nor will that man hiding behind the doorframe.”
Adrian stepped fully into view, the ledger held tight against his chest. “Let her go, Julian.”
Julian’s smile faded. He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers.
“You have something of mine. I have something of yours. A simple trade.” He nodded toward the ledger. “Hand it over. And Elizabeth walks out with you.”
Adrian did not move. “And what happens after? You will hunt us down. You will rewrite history. And you will try again.”
Julian shrugged. “What choice do you have? Leave the ledger… or Elizabeth dies.”
From the far corner of the room, behind a metal grille, Elizabeth’s voice rose. “Adrian! Do not do it! He will kill us all the moment he has it!”
Julian ignored her. He watched Adrian’s face carefully.
“Your choice, Adrian. The truth… or the woman you once loved.”
Adrian stood frozen. He looked at the ledger in his hands. Then toward the grille where Elizabeth was imprisoned. Then down at me.
I reached out and touched his arm. “Daddy… give it to him.”
Adrian stared at me. “Mia—”
“Give it to him. Just like this.” I whispered so only he could hear. “Keep the last page.”
Adrian’s eyes widened slightly. Then he nodded almost imperceptibly. He stepped forward and placed the ledger on the desk.
Julian reached for it eagerly. He opened it, flipping through the pages with a satisfied smirk.
“Excellent. Very well. A deal is a deal.” He pressed a button beneath his desk. The grille slid open. Elizabeth stumbled out, pale and weak but unharmed. She looked at Julian with pure hatred.
“Go,” Julian said, not looking up from the ledger. “Before I change my mind.”
Adrian put an arm around Elizabeth and guided her toward the door. I walked beside them. My heart hammered against my ribs. Julian had not noticed yet. He was too busy reading, too satisfied, too confident.
We reached the hallway.
“Adrian,” Julian called out suddenly.
We froze.
Julian looked up from the book. His eyes narrowed.
“Where is the final page?”
Adrian did not answer. He pulled me behind him and stepped in front of Elizabeth.
Julian stood up slowly. “Where is it?”
“Safe,” Adrian said. “And copies exist. In several places.” He lied smoothly. “If anything happens to us… the page goes public. Everything goes public.”
Julian’s face darkened. He gripped the edge of the desk. “You dare?”
“The page lists every judge, politician, and officer on your payroll,” Adrian said. “Names. Dates. Payments. Proof that reaches the highest levels of government. Destroy the ledger… and you destroy your own protection.” He paused. “The page is the only thing keeping us alive. And it is the only thing keeping you out of prison.”
Julian stared at him, his expression shifting from fury to calculation. Slowly, he sat back down.
“Clever,” he said. “Victoria always knew how to pick them.” He waved a hand toward the door. “Go. But remember this, Adrian Hale—we are not finished. As long as you hold that page… I will come for it. And when I do… I will not bargain.”
“We will be ready,” Adrian said.
He guided us out. We walked down the hallway, through the library, back into the garden. No one stopped us. No alarms sounded. We reached the tunnel and crawled through in silence. Only when we were safely on the other side, hidden deep within the trees, did Elizabeth finally speak.
She turned to Adrian. “You lied about the copies.”
Adrian pulled the folded page from his coat—carefully torn from the ledger before he handed it over. He held it up. “There are no copies. Only this.”
Elizabeth looked at the page. Then at me. “And you thought of this, Mia?”
I nodded.
Elizabeth knelt down and looked me in the eye. The scar above her eyebrow seemed to glow in the soft light.
“Victoria was right,” she said quietly. “You are braver than anyone imagined.” She stood up and looked at Adrian. “Julian will not rest. He will hunt us until he has that page. And until he has Mia.”
“Then we make sure he never finds us,” Adrian said.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Running will not work. He has too many resources. Too many eyes.” She looked toward the valley where the Sanctuary stood. “There is only one way to end this. We must force him to surrender.”
“With one page?” Adrian asked.
“With the truth.” Elizabeth folded her arms. “That page names his accomplices. If we threaten to expose them publicly… they will turn on him. They will force him to step back. Or turn him in themselves.”
“And then?”
May you like
“Then we rebuild. We rewrite the wills properly. We secure Mia’s inheritance. And we begin to heal.” She looked at me, her expression softening. “But first… we must survive one more night.”
Far below, sirens began to wail. Red and blue lights flashed against the sky. Julian had discovered the lie. And he was coming.
