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Chapter 436
Chapter 436:
He hung up. He picked up the medical report, his movements precise and careful, and crossed to the hidden wall safe behind a painting. He punched in the code and placed the paper inside, locking it away as though it were something sacred.
He turned back to Julian.
“This conversation never happened,” Crawford said, his voice a lethal whisper. “No one else finds out about this. Especially not June p>
He would not let her know he had seen her deepest scar. He wasn’t going to offer her cheap pity. He was going to offer her absolute protection.
The office door opened.
Marcus walked in — a massive man with a face carved from granite, the Love Group’s head of security, a former Delta Force commander who handled Crawford’s most difficult problems. He said nothing. He simply waited.
Crawford looked at him.
“I want a full investigation into the night of June Erickson’s surgery at New York-Presbyterian six months ago,” Crawford said. “I want to know exactly where Cole Compton was, who he was with, and what he was doing every single second of that night p>
𝘗𝘋𝘍𝗌 о𝗇
Marcus gave one sharp nod and asked nothing.
Crawford picked up his phone again and dialed a heavily encrypted number that connected directly to his informant inside the FBI’s Organized Crime division.
“Give me an update on the Boston ring,” he said.
The voice on the other end was tense. “Boss, we just got chatter. A few remnants of the mercenary crew from the docks have slipped into Manhattan. We don’t have a confirmed target yet, but they are armed and extremely dangerous p>
Crawford’s jaw tightened. He ended the call and looked back at Marcus.
“Initiate Protocol Omega,” Crawford ordered — his highest security designation. “You have twenty-four hours to assemble a three-man Ghost Team. Ex-SEALs or Mossad only. Pay them triple their asking rate p>
Marcus pulled a small notebook from his pocket.
“Their only objective is June Erickson,” Crawford continued, his eyes burning with quiet authority. “They shadow her around the clock. They secure her commute, her office, and every blind spot around her building p>
He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping an octave.
“She cannot know they exist. They do not intervene unless there is an immediate, lethal threat. Am I clear p>
“Crystal, sir,” Marcus replied. He turned and walked out to prepare.
Julian swallowed hard. He was watching a billionaire mobilize a private army to guard one woman.
“You can leave now, Julian,” Crawford said, his eyes flicking briefly to his friend. “Remember what I said p>
Julian nodded slowly and backed out of the room. He knew that Cole Compton was now a dead man walking.
Thirty minutes later, Marcus returned and handed Crawford a thin manila folder.
Crawford opened it and read through the timeline.
June had been bleeding out in the emergency room. The hospital had called Cole’s phone five times.
At that precise moment, Cole was at the Sotheby’s gala, standing beside Alycia Beasley, smiling for the cameras.
Crawford stared at the words. Every letter was a nail driven directly into his chest.
He finally understood the source of June’s absolute, unbreakable hatred for Cole.