Chapter 17
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Emily walked out of the federal penitentiary and into the bright, crisp afternoon air, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She slid into the passenger seat of the car where Rachel was anxiously waiting.
"Well?" Rachel asked, turning the ignition on immediately. "Did he try to manipulate you? Did he demand a letter?"
"He demanded a letter, and I refused," Emily said, a genuine smile breaking across her face. "But I got the name, Rachel. Marcus Vance. He is a private wealth manager in Geneva. He is the architect behind Apex Financial."
Rachel let out a loud, triumphant cheer, hitting the steering wheel in excitement. "I knew it! The offshore connection. If we can get a federal subpoena for Vance's records, we can prove that Thorne orchestrated the entire fraud network and tied it to Sarah to keep her trapped."
As they drove back toward the city, Emily dialed Nathan's number on speakerphone. He picked up on the first ring.
"Tell me you are safe," Nathan said, his voice tight with worry.
"I am safe, and we have the target," Emily reported happily. "Nathan, we need to file an emergency federal injunction against a man named Marcus Vance in Geneva. He holds the ledgers for Apex Financial."
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line. The joyous momentum in the car suddenly hit a brick wall.
"Emily..." Nathan said, his voice dropping to a serious, reluctant tone. "I can't file an injunction right now. You need to get back to Clearview immediately."
"What's wrong?" Emily asked, her heart rate spiking. "Did Thorne try to take Sarah?"
"No, Sarah is physically safe," Nathan explained quickly. "But Thorne didn't wait for the legislative committee to shut us down. He escalated. An hour ago, a team of private security contractors and local police arrived at the gates with a court order. Thorne managed to get an emergency psychiatric hold approved by a corrupt state judge. They are claiming Sarah is a danger to herself and demanding we surrender her to a 'medical transport' vehicle."
Emily felt a surge of pure, unadulterated anger. The system was being weaponized right in front of them, twisting the law to enforce a domestic hostage situation.
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"Don't let anyone through those gates, Nathan," Emily ordered fiercely. "Robert knows the statutes for medical holds. Stall them. Demand a second psychiatric evaluation by an independent, foundation-approved doctor. I will be there in forty minutes."
"Robert is already blocking the driveway with his car," Nathan said, a hint of dark humor returning to his voice. "We are holding the line, Emily. Just hurry."
