Chapter 7 - The Unseen Ledger
The sound of steel striking bulletproof glass echoed through the room like a cannon shot. A spiderweb of hairline fractures exploded across the upper section of the window pane, but the heavy laminated glass held firm.
"Leo! Take out the anchor line!" Liam barked, pointing toward the upper left corner of the window frame.
Leo didn't hesitate. He raised his heavy pistol, aimed precisely at the masonry above the curtain rod where the exterior grappling line was hooked, and fired two rapid shots. The heavy masonry shattered, sending the steel grappling hook spinning off into the dark night air. Outside, a sharp scream faded quickly as the intruder fell twenty feet down into the courtyard below.
Silence descended over the bedroom once again, heavy and thick.
Downstairs, the sound of gunfire began to taper off as the estate's secondary security team pushed the remaining attackers back toward the perimeter gates.
Inside the sickroom, Dr. Shaw was trembling uncontrollably, leaning against the wall with her hands over her face. Leo walked over to the window, carefully peering through the gap in the drapes before turning back to Liam.
"The terrace is clear, Boss," Leo reported, his voice raspy. "They were trying to breach the frame, not the glass itself. They knew about the seal."
Liam sat on the edge of the bed, his head hanging low, his chest heaving as he fought back the waves of nausea caused by his reopened wounds. Fresh red blood was beginning to seep through the clean white bandages across his abdomen.
Grace didn't wait for an invitation. She dropped to her knees in front of him, pulling open a fresh package of pressure dressings.
"Hold still," she ordered, her voice sharp and focused. She pressed the pad against his bleeding side, applying firm, steady pressure.
Liam looked down at her messy blonde-brown bun, watching her slender hands work with methodical, unwavering precision. "You should have run when the glass broke, Grace."
"I told you," Grace said, looking up into his icy blue eyes, her fair skin flushed with adrenaline. "I need the money. My brother doesn't have time for me to find another ten-thousand-dollar-a-week job."
"Your brother Jamie," Liam said softly, his deep voice taking on a strange, quiet resonance. "He has stage four acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He's been on the registry for eight months."
Grace stopped wrapping the gauze, her eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion. "How do you know his exact diagnosis?"
Liam looked at Dr. Shaw, who immediately averted her eyes and looked down at the floor.
"Dr. Shaw didn't just recommend you because of your father's blueprints, Grace," Liam said quietly. "She recommended you because the private medical research facility funding Jamie's experimental trial in Chicago... is owned by Mercer Healthcare Logistics."
Grace felt her world tilt on its axis. "You... you own the hospital?"
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"I own the foundation that pays for his bed," Liam corrected gently. "Your ten-thousand-dollar weekly salary isn't coming from my personal account. It's coming from his treatment fund. If I die... the foundation's assets are frozen by the syndicate board within two hours."
Grace stared at him, the horrifying truth settling deep into her bones. She wasn't just guarding a ruthless mafia boss. She was holding the physical key to her little brother's life support.
