Chapter 702
Chapter 702:
“That’s exactly it,” I said, gripping the wheel. “He’s the ‘Legacy.’ The firstborn son. Maybe there’s an inheritance clause or a biometric key that only works for him p>
We pulled up to the wrought-iron gates of the estate. It was a gothic monstrosity of stone and ivy, looming against the gray sky.
“Stay in the car,” Alistair ordered his team over the radio. “We go in quiet p>
We walked to the front door. Mr. Hayes opened it before we could knock.
He was a tall, severe man with silver hair and eyes like polished flint.
“Skye,” he said smoothly. “Liam. To what do I owe the pleasure p>
“We’re looking for Parker,” I said.
“Parker?” Mr. Hayes smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “He’s resting. He was very distraught about his mother. It was a false alarm, thankfully p>
“We need to see him,” Alistair said, his hand hovering near his jacket.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Mr. Hayes said. “He’s sedated. Doctor’s orders p>
Somewhere deep in the house, a floorboard creaked.
Then a sound cut through the air.
DONG.
A deep, resonant bell tolled from the garden tower. And faintly, in the distance, the shrill cry of the Heritage steam train echoed through the valley.
My blood ran cold. It was the exact combination Lucian had described. Hearing it in person turned the theory into a terrifying fact.
Mr. Hayes’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes hardened.
“I think you should leave,” Mr. Hayes said.
“Not without Parker,” Liam stepped forward.
Mr. Hayes pulled a phone from his pocket. “I have the Police Commissioner on speed dial. And the District Attorney is my golf partner. If you take one more step, I’ll have you all arrested for trespassing and harassment. And Skye… think about what that would do to Oracle’s stock price right now p>
I froze. He wasn’t threatening violence; he was threatening leverage. He knew we were operating on the edge of the law.
𝖲𝘂𝗽𝗽о𝗋t t𝘩𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘵𝗁𝗼𝗋 𝖻𝘺 r𝘦a𝗱i𝗻𝗀 𝘰n 𝗯𝗲.𝘤о𝗆
Alistair put a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “He’s right. If we storm in now, he buries us in legal tape and moves Parker before we can blink p>
“Smart man,” Mr. Hayes said coldly. “Goodbye p>
The heavy oak door slammed in our faces.
“We can’t just leave him!” Liam hissed as we walked back to the car.
“We aren’t leaving him,” I said, my voice shaking with suppressed rage. “We’re regrouping p>
“Look up,” I whispered.
“The dormer window on the third floor,” I said. “The blinds. They just moved p>
“SOS,” Alistair confirmed. “Long, short, long p>
“He’s alive,” I said. “And he knows we’re here p>
“We can’t storm the place,” Liam said. “Not with the police in his pocket p>
“We don’t need to storm it,” I said. “We need to sneak in p>
We parked the car a mile down the road, hidden in a grove of trees.
“Here’s the plan,” I said, spreading out the blueprints Liam had pulled up on the tablet. “The Hayes Estate has a weak point. The old coal chute in the cellar p>