Please look under my coat before she sees you!
I barely slept. The image of Sarah’s bright, eager face, overlaid with the cold corporate logo of Apex Titan, spun in my mind. Before the sun was fully up, I was already drafting a detailed report for the state police, intending to walk it into the precinct myself.
The doorbell rang. A sharp, insistent chime that cut through the morning silence.
I paused, hand hovering over the ‘save’ button. Nobody ever came to my door unannounced anymore.
Through the peephole, I saw a pristine black suit, perfectly tailored, standing next to a severe woman in a blazer. Both held slim, official-looking folders.
Victor Delaney. Evelyn’s campaign manager and legal counsel. I’d seen him on TV, always poised, always radiating quiet menace.
My hand instinctively dropped from the mouse. I should have expected this.
I opened the door, but only a crack. The man’s eyes, the color of slate, met mine without a hint of warmth.
“Mr. Hollister,” Delaney said, his voice smooth, even. “Victor Delaney, for Lieutenant Governor Albright-Hollister. We have some urgent documents for you.”
He offered a thick stack of papers bound with a red ribbon. The woman next to him held up a camera, snapping a quick, bright flash that made me flinch.
“I’m not accepting anything,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Delaney merely stepped forward, pushing the documents through the narrow opening. They landed on my floor with a soft thud.
“Consider yourself served,” he stated, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching his lips. “An emergency ex-parte injunction. Also, a civil suit for two million dollars in damages for corporate espionage and breach of security protocols.”
My gut clenched. Two million dollars.
He continued, unwavering. “And, regrettably, a temporary restraining order. You are not to approach Maya Hollister within five hundred feet. Any violation will result in immediate arrest for child endangerment.”
The words hit me like physical blows. Child endangerment? They were twisting everything.
“My bank accounts,” I said, the question raw in my throat. “What about them?”
Delaney pulled a single sheet from his folder, glancing at it. “Yes. Pursuant to the injunction, all your liquid assets are frozen. That would be approximately forty-eight thousand dollars, I believe? Effective immediately.”
My savings. My entire life’s buffer, gone. Money I’d set aside for Sarah’s memorial, for Maya’s future, for my own uncertain path after Sarah’s death.
“This is insane,” I managed, my voice rough. “You can’t just—”
“Mr. Hollister,” Delaney interrupted, his tone hardening just slightly. “We advise you to seek legal counsel. Further attempts to interfere with the Lieutenant Governor’s family or campaign operations will be met with the full force of the law.”
He gave a curt nod. The woman with him already had her phone out, calling someone.
They turned and walked crisply back to a waiting black sedan, its windows tinted opaque. The engine purred to life.
I stood there, the stack of legal papers at my feet, the door still ajar. My savings, my ability to move, my access to Maya—all stripped away in a matter of minutes.
The police report I’d drafted, detailing Sarah’s murder, suddenly felt fragile, useless. It wouldn’t reach anyone before I was already in handcuffs.
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