Chapter 624
Chapter 624:
“Signal lost,” Felix said, his fingers flying across a keyboard. “The tracker in her watch went dark when the van entered the tunnel system. They must have jammed the frequency or stripped her gear p>
Liam Kensington stood by the door. He was checking the magazine of a Glock 19. He looked different. The polished CEO was gone. In his place was a man who looked like he had walked through hell and decided he liked the temperature.
“It’s the old Graves estate,” Liam said. His voice was low, vibrating with suppressed rage. “I remember my grandmother talking about it. She said Arthur used to meet the Syndicate there in the nineties p>
“It’s a fortress,” Alistair said, turning to look at Liam. “If we storm it, he kills her p>
“If we wait, he kills her,” Liam countered. He slid the magazine into the gun with a sharp click. “Or worse p>
Alistair looked at the map. “We need a way in that doesn’t trigger the alarms. We need a ghost p>
“I know the drainage systems,” Liam said. “Arthur made me memorize the blueprints of every family asset when I was twelve. If that estate hasn’t been renovated since 1998, there is a storm drain on the north face p>
Alistair narrowed his eyes. “You’re sure p>
“I’m betting my life on it,” Liam said. “And hers p>
Alistair grabbed his tactical vest. “Let’s go p>
The interrogation wasn’t happening at the precinct. Liam knew better than to bring a Hayes into police custody, where lawyers and bribes could grease the wheels of justice. Instead, they were in a decommissioned industrial freezer in an abandoned meatpacking plant owned by a shell company of Alistair’s.
Parker Hayes sat in a metal chair bolted to the floor. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and his face was a map of fresh bruising. His lip was split, and one eye was swollen shut. He was shivering, partly from the cold, partly from terror.
Liam Kensington stood in front of him. He methodically unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up his sleeves with terrifying slowness.
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Liam said. His voice wasn’t loud. It was conversational, almost polite, which made the violence hanging in the air even heavier. “Where is the access code for the estate’s perimeter p>
𝖨ո𝘀𝘵𝘢𝗇𝘁 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝗌𝘴 𝗈𝗻 b𝖾.сo𝘮
Parker spat a glob of blood onto the floor. He tried to smile, but it looked like a grimace.
“You can’t do this, Liam,” Parker wheezed. “The Syndicate… they’ll peel you apart. You think taking me creates leverage? It just puts a target on your back p>
SLAM.
Liam didn’t even wind up. He just drove his fist into the metal wall right next to Parker’s ear. The sound was deafening, a thunderclap in the small room. The metal dented. Parker flinched so hard the chair rattled against the bolts.
“The Syndicate isn’t here,” Liam said, leaning in close. “And I am not asking you as the Chairman of Hayes Group. I am asking as a man whose wife is in the hands of a psychopath because of you p>
Liam grabbed Parker by the collar, hauling him forward until their noses almost touched.
“You think this is a game of corporate leverage?” Liam whispered. “Lucian Graves will peel her apart piece by piece. If that happens, Parker, I won’t kill you. I will keep you alive. I will make sure you live a very, very long time in a very small, dark box p>
Parker looked into Liam’s eyes. He saw the abyss there. He saw the same cold ruthlessness that Preston Hayes was rumored to have had.