Chapter 18: The Escape Order
Chapter 18: The Escape Order
No one spoke for several seconds.
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The words seemed impossible.
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Victoria Sterling had escaped.
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Not through violence.
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Not through bribing a guard.
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Not through a daring prison break.
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Someone inside the Department of Justice had signed the paperwork.
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Alexander slowly stood.
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"Say that again."
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Director Michael Hayes looked around the conference room.
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Every face reflected the same disbelief.
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"The transport order was authentic."
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"It carried valid federal authorization codes."
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"It included biometric verification."
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"And every security checkpoint recognized it as legitimate."
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Daniel frowned.
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"So someone with high-level access approved her release."
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Hayes nodded grimly.
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"Exactly."
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Catherine immediately reached for the file.
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"Who signed it?"
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Hayes slid a digital tablet across the table.
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"The signature belongs to Deputy Attorney General Thomas Reynolds."
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Catherine's eyes widened.
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"Impossible."
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"He has the highest security clearance in the department."
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Hayes sighed.
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"Either he signed it..."
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"...or someone successfully impersonated him."
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Daniel began typing rapidly.
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"I'm pulling the surveillance footage."
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Within minutes...
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Security cameras from the federal detention center appeared on the large conference screen.
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Victoria calmly walked through three separate security checkpoints.
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Each guard saluted respectfully.
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Each electronic gate opened automatically.
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She never looked nervous.
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She never hurried.
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She acted like a woman leaving her own office.
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Emily watched silently.
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Then she pointed toward the screen.
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"Pause."
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Daniel froze the video.
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"What?"
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Emily stepped closer.
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"The woman beside Victoria."
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Everyone leaned in.
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A female federal attorney walked beside Victoria carrying several legal files.
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She wore dark sunglasses.
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Her hair was tied into a neat bun.
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Daniel zoomed in.
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Then his expression changed instantly.
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"That's Olivia Grant."
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The room fell silent.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Grant.
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The woman with the Black Circle tattoo.
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She hadn't merely infiltrated the investigation.
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She had personally escorted Victoria to freedom.
.
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Hayes clenched his jaw.
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"I trusted her."
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Catherine looked at him.
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"No."
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"You trusted her credentials."
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"They're not the same thing."
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Alexander walked toward the window.
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Rain had begun falling again.
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The city lights blurred through the glass.
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His thoughts drifted back to his father.
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Edward had spent years trying to expose the conspiracy.
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Jonathan Cole had died trying to reveal it.
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Now...
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The same organization had infiltrated the highest levels of American law enforcement.
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This was no longer just about revenge.
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It was about survival.
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Suddenly...
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An FBI cyber analyst rushed into the room.
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"Director."
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"We intercepted an encrypted message."
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Hayes turned immediately.
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"Source?"
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"It originated from Olivia Grant's government laptop."
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"Can you decrypt it?"
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The analyst nodded.
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"We already did."
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He projected the message onto the conference screen.
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It contained only one sentence.
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The Queen has been removed from the board.
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Prepare the King.
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Alexander stared at the words.
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"The Queen."
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"Victoria."
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Daniel nodded slowly.
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"Which means..."
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"...someone else is the King."
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Miles away.
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A black helicopter landed on the roof of an isolated estate deep in the mountains.
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Victoria stepped onto the landing pad.
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Several armed guards greeted her.
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None wore uniforms.
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Only identical silver lapel pins shaped like a black circle.
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A tall man waited near the entrance.
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His silver hair reflected the fading sunlight.
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His tailored suit looked flawless.
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Victoria smiled for the first time in days.
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"You came yourself."
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The man nodded.
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"I always clean up my own problems."
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Victoria walked beside him into the mansion.
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"Alexander has Jonathan's journal."
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"I know."
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"He also has Edward's will."
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"I know."
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"And Catherine reopened the murder investigation."
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The man stopped walking.
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His expression never changed.
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"I know everything."
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Victoria finally asked the question that had haunted her for years.
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"Are you going to help me?"
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The man looked at her calmly.
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"I protected you for twenty-five years."
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"I financed your lawyers."
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"I erased evidence."
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"I controlled judges."
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"I manipulated elections."
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"And now..."
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"...you've become a liability."
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Victoria's smile disappeared.
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"You can't mean that."
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The man pressed a small button on his wristwatch.
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Two guards immediately entered the room.
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Victoria slowly stepped backward.
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"What are you doing?"
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The man answered without emotion.
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"The Black Circle has one rule."
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"No member is more important than the organization."
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Victoria realized the truth.
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She had not escaped.
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She had been retrieved.
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There was a difference.
.
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Back in Boston.
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Sophia sat quietly beside Emily coloring pictures.
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She drew a large house.
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A tree.
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A dog.
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Three smiling people holding hands.
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Emily smiled.
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"Who's that?"
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Sophia pointed proudly.
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"Us."
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Emily kissed the top of her head.
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"Who's the dog?"
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Sophia giggled.
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"We don't have one yet."
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Alexander watched them from across the room.
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For one peaceful moment...
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He remembered why he refused to give up.
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Not for the company.
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Not for the fortune.
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Not even for justice.
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For them.
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Always for them.
.
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Late that night.
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Director Hayes received another encrypted intelligence report.
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His face turned pale as he finished reading.
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Catherine noticed immediately.
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"What is it?"
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Hayes slowly handed her the file.
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It contained an old classified personnel record.
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Top Secret.
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Eyes Only.
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Subject:
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Jonathan Cole.
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Status:
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Missing.
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Below that...
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A red stamp had been added only forty-eight hours earlier.
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STATUS UPDATED.
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ALIVE.
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Alexander stared at the report.
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His biological father...
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The man everyone believed had vanished more than thirty years ago...
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May you like
Might still be alive.
End of Chapter 18
