Chapter 7 - The Night They Took Grace Away
Police placed Grace under temporary protection.
She hated it.
“I cannot go to the grocery store without a man named Dennis following me.”
Nathaniel looked up.
“Dennis is excellent.”
“He watched me buy toothpaste.”
“Dangerous purchase.”
She threw a dish towel at him.
For three nights, Grace stayed at the Ashford estate because investigators believed Haverford might be targeted.
Eleanor welcomed her without comment.
On the second morning, Grace entered the breakfast room and found Eleanor arranging flowers.
“Your son doesn’t sleep.”
“I know.”
“He works at three in the morning.”
“I know.”
“He thinks coffee is a personality.”
Eleanor smiled.
“I know.”
Grace sat.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
Eleanor placed a rose into the vase.
“Would you prefer hostility?”
“I expected questions.”
“About whether you are using Nathaniel?”
Grace froze.
Eleanor looked amused.
“I was wealthy before my hair turned gray. I know how people think.”
“I’m not using him.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because if you wanted his money, you would not keep trying to resign.”
Grace laughed despite herself.
Eleanor sat across from her.
“My son spent most of his adult life believing being useful and being loved were the same thing.”
Grace looked down.
“He is useful.”
“Painfully.”
“And kind.”
Eleanor’s expression softened.
“He is learning.”
That afternoon, Nathaniel received the forensic results on Victor’s extortion emails.
The emails attributed to Grace were generated from an IP address linked to Keystone.
The metadata was clumsy.
Victor had become desperate.
Federal agents executed warrants at Keystone’s office and Daniel Langford’s construction company.
Victor disappeared.
His attorney claimed he was unavailable.
By evening, nobody knew where he was.
Nathaniel increased security at Haverford.
At 8:30 p.m., Grace insisted on delivering dinner.
Nathaniel went with her.
The children cheered when they entered.
“Carrot Man!”
Nathaniel stopped.
“Who started that?”
Samuel raised his hand proudly.
Grace laughed so hard she had to hold the table.
For thirty minutes, the room felt normal.
Then the fire alarm sounded.
Everyone froze.
Isaiah ran into the hallway.
“Smoke on four!”
Nathaniel shouted, “Everybody outside!”
Grace began counting children.
Residents poured down staircases.
A trash pile had been set on fire in the fourth-floor hallway.
Small fire.
Lots of smoke.
Designed to create panic.
Firefighters arrived quickly.
Nathaniel counted residents outside.
Grace looked around.
“Lucy?”
Renee screamed.
“She was with you!”
Grace’s face drained.
“Lucy!”
She ran toward the building.
Nathaniel caught her.
“You cannot go inside.”
“She’s in there!”
Firefighters pushed past.
Then Isaiah shouted from across the courtyard.
“Grace!”
He pointed toward the alley.
A yellow raincoat lay on the pavement.
Empty.
Grace stopped breathing.
Nathaniel understood instantly.
The fire was a distraction.
Someone had taken Lucy.
Renee collapsed.
Police locked down the block.
Security cameras showed a man leading Lucy toward a white van.
Lucy did not struggle.
He wore a jacket with the Ashford security logo.
Fake.
Grace stared at the footage.
“She thought he worked for Nathaniel.”
The guilt on his face made her stop.
“This is not your fault.”
“She trusted the logo.”
“Victor did this.”
Nathaniel’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Victor’s voice.
“You have something of mine.”
Nathaniel’s entire body went cold.
“Where is Lucy?”
“Safe.”
“If you touch her—”
“Do not threaten me.”
Grace grabbed the phone.
“Victor, she’s nine.”
“And your sister was twenty-two.”
Grace went pale.
“What does that mean?”
“You spent seven years trying to make Melissa into a saint.”
“She died because your contractors poisoned that building.”
“Melissa died because she never knew when to stop pushing.”
Nathaniel looked at Grace.
The words were almost an admission.
Victor continued.
“Bring the USB drive and every copy of the maintenance log to Pier 19.”
“When?”
“Midnight.”
Grace said, “I’ll come.”
“No,” Nathaniel snapped.
Victor laughed.
“Both of you.”
The call ended.
Police advised against going.
Federal agents prepared surveillance.
Nathaniel did not care about procedure.
Lucy was nine.
At 11:54, he and Grace reached Pier 19 wearing concealed tracking devices.
Rain fell heavily.
Warehouses stood dark along the river.
Victor emerged beneath an old loading canopy.
Lucy stood beside him.
Her hands were tied loosely.
She was crying.
Grace took one step forward.
“Lucy.”
“I’m okay, Miss Grace.”
Victor held up a handgun.
“Stop.”
Nathaniel froze.
Grace held the USB drive.
“Let her go.”
“Put it on the ground.”
Grace did.
Victor smiled.
“Now the copies.”
Nathaniel said, “There are too many.”
Victor’s expression changed.
“What?”
“The data has already been sent to investigators.”
Victor stared at him.
“You’re lying.”
“No.”
Grace added, “Mrs. Alvarez gave statements.”
Victor’s gun moved toward her.
Nathaniel stepped in front.
“Don’t.”
Victor laughed.
“You think this makes you noble?”
“No.”
“You built the machine, Nathaniel. I simply learned how to use it.”
Nathaniel stared at him.
“Maybe.”
Victor’s smile faded slightly.
“But I’m dismantling it.”
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Victor grabbed Lucy.
She screamed.
Grace lunged.
A gunshot cracked.
Nathaniel tackled Victor sideways.
The weapon skidded across wet concrete.
Grace pulled Lucy away.
Federal agents rushed from both ends of the pier.
Victor fought.
Then stopped.
Handcuffs closed around his wrists.
Grace held Lucy so tightly the child could barely breathe.
Nathaniel stood in the rain.
Blood ran down his sleeve.
Grace saw it.
“Nathaniel!”
“Grazed.”
The bullet had cut his upper arm.
Nothing more.
Grace rushed toward him.
“You idiot.”
“Accurate.”
“You could have been killed.”
“So could Lucy.”
Grace stared at him.
Then kissed him.
Not carefully.
Not politely.
For two seconds, Nathaniel forgot the rain.
Forgot the agents.
Forgot the gunshot.
Forgot the company.
Then Grace pulled back.
Both stared at each other.
Lucy looked between them.
“Are you guys getting married?”
Grace burst out laughing.
Nathaniel almost did.
“No,” Grace said.
Lucy frowned.
“You kissed.”
“That is not how marriage works.”
“Seems inefficient.”
Nathaniel looked at Grace.
For the first time in weeks, hope felt possible.
Then a federal agent approached.
“Mr. Ashford?”
“Yes?”
“We need to talk about Victor’s phone.”
“Why?”
The agent looked grim.
May you like
“He wasn’t working alone.”
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