Michael walked away from the other workers.
“Tell me.”
“The man with the gold chain said something before you arrived.
I couldn’t hear all of it because of the rain.
But he said, ‘Your father should have signed.'”
Michael stopped walking.
This was no random robbery and probably no simple kidnapping.
“Signed what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Has your father refused any major deal recently?”
Claire gave a short, humorless laugh.
“He’s a CEO.
He refuses deals every week.”
“Then tell the detectives exactly what you told me.”
“I will.”
Michael heard movement on her end.
Then Claire said, “There’s something else.”
“What?”
“One of the men knew my private nickname.”
Michael’s grip tightened around the phone.
“Who uses it?”
“Family.
A few close friends.
People who’ve known me for years.”
“Security staff?”
“Some.”
There it was again.
The circle shrinking.
Michael had no badge, no authority, and no desire to insert himself into an investigation.
But he knew one thing with absolute certainty: the danger had not ended when those men ran from the alley.
“Claire, don’t go anywhere alone.
Not even inside a building you think is secure.”
Her voice became quieter.
“You sound like my father’s security team.”
“Then listen to them.”
He hung up.
That afternoon, detectives arrested the two attackers.
One had gone to an urgent-care clinic for injuries from the alley.
The other was found at his apartment.
Both denied being hired by anyone and claimed they had only intended to rob Claire.
The story might have ended there if Gold Chain had not made one mistake.
His phone records showed several calls to a prepaid number in the days before the attack.
The prepaid phone had been activated near Mercer Industries headquarters.
Daniel called Michael that evening.
“You were right,” he said.
Michael sat at his kitchen table while Emily colored beside him.
“About what?”
“Someone close knew.”
Michael waited.
“One of Claire’s movements was accessed through our internal executive transportation system.”
“Who had access?”
“Too many people.”
“Then narrow it by time.”
Silence.
Daniel said, “You really aren’t just a construction worker.”
Michael looked at the cracked pen lying beside his hand.
