Chapter 4 - Hunted in Boston
By midnight, the news had broken across every major television network in New England.
A breaking news banner flashed across the screen in Sarah’s living quarters: ALERT: NATIONWIDE MANHUNT FOR TECH TYCOON MARCUS MONTGOMERY. SUSPECT ABSCONDED WITH CRITICALLY ILL SIX-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AFTER ATTACKING HOSPITAL STAFF.
A picture of my face from a recent corporate magazine cover appeared on the screen, followed by a photo of Dr. Julian Sterling standing outside the hospital with a bandage on his forehead, looking solemnly into the cameras.
"Marcus Montgomery is severely unstable," Sterling said in the televised press conference. "He pulled his daughter from life support in a delusional episode. Chloe has less than forty-eight hours to live without her specialized medication. We urge anyone with information to contact law enforcement immediately."
"Lying bastard," Sarah muttered, turning off the television. "He's setting the stage. If the police find you, they'll shoot first and ask questions later, claiming you were an armed threat to the child."
"We can't stay in Boston," Eleanor said nervously, looking out the blacked-out windows. "Victor’s men know every safehouse, every hotel, every estate I own."
"We aren't leaving the city," I replied calmly, adjusting my watch. "Victor expects us to run to my estate in Cape Cod or try to cross the state line. That’s where his men will be watching."
"Then where are we going?" Sarah asked.
"To the one place Victor Vance thinks he completely controls," I said, a cold smile touching my lips. "The Vance Global Headquarters in the Seaport District."
Eleanor gasped. "Marcus, that tower is a fortress! It has biometric security, armed guards on every floor, and Victor’s private office is on the top deck!"
"And inside that private office," I said, looking down at Chloe, "is the central server holding the original clinical trial data for Vance Pharma's synthetic compounds. If we can access those files, we don't just prove Chloe was poisoned—we prove Victor has been using synthetic toxins on dozens of patients to fake clinical trial results and pump up his stock value."
"How do you plan on getting inside?" Sarah asked, crossing her arms.
"I still have Isabella's master security keycard," I said, pulling a sleek titanium card from my wallet. "When Isabella died two years ago, Victor thought he revoked all her access credentials. But Isabella was smarter than Victor ever gave her credit for. Before she died, she built a back-door protocol into the building's automated mainframe. She knew her uncle was dangerous."
Chloe tugged on my sleeve, holding up her brown teddy bear. "Papa... Barnaby wants to tell you a secret."
I knelt down beside my daughter, smiling gently. "What secret does Barnaby have, princess?"
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Chloe unzipped a small, hidden pocket on the back of the teddy bear—a pocket I had never noticed before. From inside the stuffing, she pulled out a tiny, silver micro-USB flash drive sealed in a clear plastic sleeve.
"Mommy put this in Barnaby's belly before she went on her long trip," Chloe said innocently. "She told me to give it to you only when Grandma dragged me out of bed."
