Chapter 7 - The Real TargetMadison agreed to meet us in a church parking lot in SouthPark.
She arrived 20 minutes late and checked behind her 3 times before leaving her car.
I had expected someone cold.
She looked terrified.
“Grant knows I contacted Olivia.”
“How?” I asked.
“I don't know.”
Olivia's face remained hard.
“Start talking.”
Madison admitted Grant approached her 18 months earlier.
He knew she was struggling financially.
He offered money for information about Olivia.
Her schedule.
Charles.
Internal company conversations.
At first, Madison convinced herself it was harmless.
Then the money increased.
So did the requests.
“Why Olivia?” I asked.
Madison looked at her.
“Because Charles was planning to name her to the board.”
Olivia blinked.
“What?”
Her father had apparently been considering a succession plan.
Not immediately.
Eventually.
Grant wanted access.
Marriage to Olivia would give him proximity to the Holloway family and potentially influence over the company.
The fraud funded more than personal enrichment.
Halcyon executives were quietly acquiring interests in firms whose pension and investment portfolios Holloway and Pierce advised.
If they gained influence inside Holloway and Pierce, they could steer billions toward entities they controlled.
Olivia wasn't merely Grant's fiancée.
She had been an acquisition strategy.
She stood abruptly.
I followed her.
Outside, she made it 10 feet before stopping.
“Don't.”
“I haven't said anything.”
“You're going to say something kind.”
“I can insult him instead.”
A broken laugh escaped her.
Then she cried.
I held her.
Not because I knew how to fix it.
Because I finally understood I didn't need to.
The next break came from Madison.
Grant kept backup records.
Insurance against his partners.
A private storage facility outside Charlotte.
Rebecca contacted federal investigators.
This was no longer merely corporate fraud.
But before authorities could secure the unit, Grant disappeared.
Then Olivia disappeared too.
At 6:12 Tuesday evening, she texted me.
Going to Dad's. Call later.
She never arrived.
At 7:03, her phone went offline.
At 7:20, Charles called me.
I heard fear in his voice for the first time.
By 8:00, police were involved.
At 8:41, I received a message.
Unknown number.
COME ALONE.
Attached was a photograph of Olivia sitting in a chair.
Alive.
Terrified.
Behind her was a distinctive blue industrial door.
I recognized it.
Halcyon owned a redevelopment property near the old freight yards.
I had visited it during an audit.
I sent everything to Rebecca and police.
Then I did something stupid.
I went there.
Not alone.
I wasn't completely stupid.
Police were following at a distance.
The warehouse appeared abandoned.
Inside, I found Grant.
And Martin.
That answered one question.
Martin wasn't running from Grant.
He was running with him.
Olivia sat nearby, wrists tied.
Grant smiled.
“Mercer.”
“You wanted me.”
“We wanted the files.”
“I don't have them.”
Martin swore.
Grant remained calm.
“You always were the problem.”
“Funny. I thought it was the stealing.”
His expression hardened.
“You think Holloway is clean? You think any firm managing that much money stays clean?”
I didn't answer.
He wanted access credentials to the encrypted evidence repository Rebecca had created.
I couldn't provide them even if I wanted to.
Grant didn't believe me.
Then Olivia said, “He's telling the truth.”
Grant turned.
“Stay quiet.”
“No.”
He crossed toward her.
I moved instinctively.
Martin pulled a gun.
Everything stopped.
That was when Grant made his mistake.
He started talking.
Ego did what investigators couldn't.
He described the shell companies.
The payments.
Martin's role.
The plan to marry Olivia.
The credentials planted on my account.
All while my phone, hidden in my jacket, transmitted the conversation to police outside.
Then Grant noticed the faint light on my screen.
His face changed.
“Give me the phone.”
Sirens erupted outside.
Martin panicked.
The gun swung toward Olivia.
I moved.
The shot exploded through the warehouse.
Pain tore across my shoulder.
I hit the floor.
Olivia screamed my name.
Doors crashed open.
Police flooded the building.
Grant ran.
May you like
Martin dropped the weapon.
And the last thing I saw before everything went black was Olivia breaking free and crawling toward me.
