Chapter Thirty-Four: Checkmate Begins

For several long seconds, I could only stare at the letter.

If Evelyn Mercer says she came to save Genesis... she's lying. She came back to finish it.

No signature.

None was needed.

I recognized Elias Mercer's handwriting from the documents recovered at Helix.

He had written this knowing he might never deliver it himself.

Marcus exhaled slowly.

"So Dr. Mercer isn't an ally."

"No," Ronan said quietly.

"That's not what the letter says."

I looked at him.

"You disagree?"

"I think Elias chose his words carefully."

He pointed to the page.

"He didn't say she's our enemy."

"He said she's lying."

"About why she returned."

There was a difference.

A dangerous one.

Inspector Mara Voss folded the letter and handed it back to me.

"Until we know more, this stays between us."

Daniel nodded in agreement.

"If Hale learns you have that letter, everyone connected to Elias becomes another target."

I slipped the paper inside my jacket.

The tunnel suddenly felt colder.

"We're leaving," I said.

"No more delays."

---

The maintenance exit opened into an abandoned parking structure two blocks from Silverfang Tower.

Rain hammered the concrete ceiling.

Emergency vehicles surrounded the front entrance of the tower.

Police lights painted the glass exterior in waves of blue and red.

Television crews had already arrived.

Marcus cursed under his breath.

"The media."

I followed his gaze.

Every major financial network had parked satellite vans outside.

Reporters crowded behind security barriers, each trying to broadcast the biggest corporate story of the year.

None of them knew the real story was buried beneath the building.

One headline flashed across a giant outdoor screen.

SILVERFANG BOARD HOLDS EMERGENCY LEADERSHIP VOTE

Another appeared beneath it.

CHAIRMAN ADRIAN VALE MISSING DURING MURDER INVESTIGATION

My jaw tightened.

"They're already trying me in public."

"They're shaping the narrative," Ronan replied.

"If they control the first story..."

"They control the questions everyone asks afterward."

Exactly.

Marcus checked his phone.

"The vote hasn't happened yet."

I looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"They're still arguing over whether you're absent voluntarily."

He looked relieved.

"We're not too late."

Ronan's expression remained thoughtful.

"That's odd."

"What is?"

"Hale."

Marcus frowned.

"What about him?"

"If he controlled the board..."

Ronan looked toward the illuminated tower.

"...he would've finished the vote already."

The realization hit me immediately.

"He's waiting."

"For what?" Marcus asked.

I slowly looked toward the rooftop.

"For someone."

---

We entered through the underground executive garage.

The police had sealed the main lobby, but Marcus still possessed emergency credentials.

The service elevator accepted his access card.

The doors closed.

No one spoke during the ascent.

Floor Twelve.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

The executive level.

The doors slid open.

Silence greeted us.

Too much silence.

Normally, assistants hurried through the corridors carrying files and coffee.

Phones rang.

Printers hummed.

Tonight...

Nothing.

The entire floor was empty.

Marcus stepped out first.

"This isn't right."

Every office door stood open.

Lights remained on.

Computer screens glowed.

Coffee cups still sat on desks, half-finished.

It looked as though everyone had left at the exact same moment.

Inspector Voss motioned for her officers to spread out.

"Check every room."

They disappeared down opposite corridors.

I walked toward my office.

The shattered glass had been cleaned.

The overturned furniture restored.

Someone had erased every trace of the attack.

Almost.

One thing remained.

The faint scent of the aerosol that had destroyed my blocker.

It lingered beneath the fresh smell of industrial cleaner.

Ronan noticed it too.

"They missed a spot."

He knelt beside the air vent.

"There."

A tiny black device had been taped inside the duct.

Marcus leaned closer.

"A microphone?"

"No."

Ronan carefully removed it.

"A transmitter."

He turned it over.

A single green light blinked steadily.

"It's still active."

My pulse slowed.

"They've been listening."

"No."

He looked around the office.

"They're listening now."

Without another word, Ronan walked to the window overlooking the city.

Then, loudly enough for the hidden transmitter to capture every word, he said,

"Adrian."

I immediately understood.

We were performing.

"We're too late."

I answered just as loudly.

"The Genesis files are gone."

Ronan nodded.

"We'll leave the city tonight."

Marcus stared at us in confusion.

Inspector Voss caught on a second later and remained silent.

Ronan continued.

"We'll meet at Ashcroft Harbor."

"Midnight."

"No police."

"No board."

"No one else."

He glanced toward the air vent.

"Agreed?"

"Agreed."

The moment the words left my mouth, he crushed the transmitter beneath his heel.

The green light died.

Marcus blinked.

"You were baiting them."

Ronan smiled for the first time that evening.

"If someone was listening..."

He slipped the broken transmitter into an evidence bag.

"...they're already heading for the harbor."

Inspector Voss's phone rang.

She answered immediately.

"Voss."

Her expression hardened.

"When?"

She listened another few seconds before ending the call.

"What happened?" I asked.

She looked directly at me.

"The board vote has been suspended."

Marcus let out a relieved breath.

"But..."

She paused.

"Chairman Hale has disappeared."

The room fell silent.

Before anyone could react, the intercom on my desk crackled to life by itself.

No one had touched it.

A calm female voice filled the office.

"Chairman Adrian Vale."

I froze.

I recognized the voice immediately.

Dr. Evelyn Mercer.

"You've made excellent progress."

A brief pause.

"But you've just made your first mistake."

The office door slowly clicked shut behind us.

Then locked.