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Chapter 29 The Escape
Last Updated:
2025-01-13 18:42:08
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Billionaire, I'm No Longer Yours Chapter 30 Four Against One
(Nick)Robert’s men advanced while James sobbed in the tunnel. I kept myself between them and Lila, scanning for anything I could use as a weapon. There were some rusty pipes there, but most were bolted down tight. The old chains on the floor were too far to reach.“Get him,” Robert commanded, adjusting his cufflinks.The first man rushed me and tried to punch me. I sidestepped, grabbing his outstretched arm and using his attempt to slam him into the concrete wall. My martial arts training kicked in instantly—block, counterstrike, dodge the follow-up. The second man came to my left, pulling a wicked-looking knife from his jacket. Behind me, James cried harder. “Help! I’m stuck!”“James, honey?” Lila pressed herself closer to the tunnel entrance. “Can you hear me?”“I can’t move! The walls are closing in!”“Yes you can,” Lila said calmly despite everything happening around us. “Remember what we practiced? In for four counts, out for four. Do it with me now.”The knife-wielding thug s
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(Ethan)“They found him!” Detective Dale burst into the station’s waiting room. “James is safe.”My heart nearly stopped. “Where? How?”“Romy Leroy brought him in.” Dale checked his notes. “Former model, apparently—”“Romy?” Alexander’s head snapped up from where he’d been coordinating with his security team. He went completely pale. Ashen. “How did she—”I barely registered his reaction, already grabbing my coat. “Is James hurt?”“Asleep in the break room. Seems physically unharmed, but—”I was running before he finished speaking. Behind me, I heard Alexander’s frenzy.“Tell me everything about Romy,” he demanded from Dale. “Where has she been? Is she okay? What—”His voice faded as I ran through the station. Officers jumped out of my way as I rounded the corners, following signs to the break room.And there he was.James curled up on a worn couch, his small body covered with someone’s police jacket. Beside him sat Romy Leroy, exactly as I remembered her from magazine covers years ag
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(Lila)Nick’s fist connected with the last thug’s jaw with a sickening crack. The man fell on the basement floor, joining his unconscious partners. Blood was dripping from Nick’s face as he leaned against the wall, breathing hard.“We need to go,” I touched his arm gently. “Your wrist looks bad.”“I’ve had worse.” Nick tried to straighten but winced. “Robert’s still out there somewhere. He ran upstairs when he heard cars approaching.”The basement felt different now with the thugs unconscious and Robert gone—less threatening somehow, but the symbols on the walls still made my skin crawl. My own desperate carvings from fifteen years ago, and the ones copied and twisted into something cruel.The silence broke with a yell—high-pitched, terrified.“James!” I grabbed Nick’s sleeve. “That came from outside. It was James!”We ran up the narrow basement stairs together, his arm shooting out to hold me when my foot caught on a broken step.“Wait.” Nick pulled me to a stop near the top. “Listen
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(Lila)Romy stood over Robert’s fallen body, having pulled back from Alexander. Her hands shook slightly, but she kept her eyes on her fallen husband and watched for any sign of movement. His blood spilled on the floor.“Secure the scene!” A detective said as police checked every room and arrested all the thugs who hadn’t managed to escape. “Check all exits! Medics, stand by!”Nick’s fingers found mine. I couldn’t take my eyes off James and Ethan. Grace had quietened for now, but the boy still clung to his father like a lifeline.“Sir, we need to examine your son,” a paramedic approached them cautiously. “Standard procedure after a hostage situation.”“No.” James pressed closer to Ethan’s legs. “Please don’t make me move.”“It’s okay, buddy.” Ethan stroked his head. “They just want to make sure you’re not hurt.”“But what if she comes while they’re checking me?” James whispered. “What if Mom tries to take me?”Grace glared at him, but said nothing. A female paramedic knelt beside them
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(Lila)I sat hunched in the hospital waiting room’s plastic chair, watching Nick pace. His suit was still covered in dirt and blood from the basement, but he wouldn’t leave to change. None of us would leave, not with James being examined behind those doors.“Sit down before you get even more tired,” I said, but Nick kept walking.“Can’t. How long does a basic examination take?”“They’re being thorough.” My hand touched my still-flat stomach as if on its own accord. “After what James said about Grace…”Ethan hadn’t moved from his position against James’s door since we arrived. His clothes were as ruined as Nick’s. Dried blood crusted the collar where Robert had split his lip.“Mr. Baldwin?” A nurse approached Ethan. “We need to document your injuries too.”“I’m fine.” Ethan didn’t look away from the door. “Focus on my son.”“At least let us clean that cut—”“I said I’m fine.”The nurse retreated, shaking her head. I understood her frustration, but I also understood Ethan. None of us co
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(Lila)The hospital room fell silent after my confession. James still clung to me, his small fingers tangled in my hair, while Ethan stared like he couldn’t process what I’d just said.“How…” Ethan stepped back until he hit the wall. “When…”“Eight weeks,” I whispered, running my fingers through James’s hair as he dozed against my shoulder. “That morning, before…”“Before the break-up.” Ethan pressed his hands to his face. “After Grace came back.”Nick moved closer to me, the action immediately calming me down. I leaned into him without thinking.“Does anyone else know?” Ethan asked.“No one knows except us and Alexander. And…Grace.” I glanced at the nurse who still stood frozen with my chart as Ethan gripped his head at the mention of Grace. “And now…”“I’ll mark this information confidential,” she said quickly. “Doctor-patient privilege.”“Thank you.” Nick touched her arm. “Could we have a moment?”She nodded and backed out, closing the door behind her. James shifted in my arms, mum
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(Lila)I lay propped up in Nick’s bed, doctor’s orders keeping me confined while my body struggled with the pregnancy. I stared at the ceiling as James spread his homework across my blankets.“What’s seven times eight?” I asked, helping him with multiplication.He scrunched his face. “Fifty-six?”“Perfect!” I high-fived him. “You’re getting so good at this.”Ethan sat in the armchair by the window, pretending to work on his laptop but watching us instead. Nick moved around in the kitchen, the sounds of cooking and the smell of garlic filling the penthouse.“Will the baby be good at math too?” James asked suddenly, touching my still-flat stomach.The pencil in Ethan’s hand snapped. Nick stopped chopping vegetables.“Maybe,” I said carefully. “We’ll have to wait and see.”James nodded seriously. “I’ll help teach them. Since I’ll be their big brother.”My throat tightened. Ethan stood abruptly, disappearing into the kitchen where Nick had gone completely silent.“Will they call Dad ‘Dad’
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(Nick)The security team swept the penthouse again before James arrived. Their black suits and earpieces had become part of our daily routine since Grace’s stunt at the school.“All clear, sir,” Thompson reported. “Perimeter secure.”I nodded, watching Lila arrange James’s favorite snacks on the coffee table. She’d insisted on getting up despite the doctor’s orders, determined to make everything perfect for his visit.“You should be resting,” I said, touching her back.“I’m fine.” She straightened the juice boxes. “James needs everything to feel normal right now.”The elevator dinged. James burst out, backpack bouncing.“Nick! Lila!” He ran straight to her, careful of her stomach as he hugged her. “Dad said I can sleep over tonight!”Ethan followed more slowly, his overnight bag looking shiny and barely used. “Flight’s at midnight. I should be back from London by Thursday.”“We’ll take good care of him,” I promised.Ethan’s eyes lingered on Lila as she led James to the kitchen, showin
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(Lila)The next several hours involved intense preparation. The FBI’s cyber team created an elaborate digital trap—a seemingly vulnerable server containing therapeutic records, family communications, and security protocols.Each document had been chosen to appear genuine while containing subtle markers that would help trace anyone who accessed them.“The honeypot is live,” the lead technician announced finally. “Already detecting preliminary probes of the security perimeter.”“That was fast,” Nick remarked.“They’ve been waiting for an opening,” Grace said, watching the technical displays. “This fits their established pattern—continuous surveillance for exploitable weaknesses.”Carter joined us, tablet in hand. “Now we wait for them to commit to the intrusion. Once they begin extracting data in earnest, we’ll have multiple tracing options.”“How long?” Alexander asked.“Depends on their caution level,” the technician replied. “Could be hours. Could be days.”But it wasn’t hours or day
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(Lila)Fleur’s laughter rang through the room as we all stared, bewildered, at the crib. I rushed over, scooping her into my arms, frantically checking for any sign of distress. She only giggled harder, reaching for my face.“What did he do?” I demanded, turning to the others.Nick was already beside us, his hands gently examining Fleur. “Nothing, as far as I can tell. She seems perfectly fine.”On the screen, Krane smiled. “Fascinating, isn’t it? The expectation of pain creates more fear than pain itself. You’ve just experienced the fundamental principle of fear architecture—the anticipation is the weapon, not the event.”“Shut it off,” I hissed at the technicians.“No, wait,” Carter countered, signaling them to continue tracing. “We need to keep him talking.”Krane continued as if he could hear our debate. “You believe you’ve reclaimed your narrative, Lila. That by confronting your trauma, you’ve disarmed it. But fear isn’t rational. It lives in the space between threat and action—t
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(Lila)“James is fine,” Ethan’s voice came through the phone, tight with fear. “We’ve tripled his security detail. Nobody’s getting near him.”“You’re sure?” I pressed, pacing the hotel suite.“I’m with him right now,” Ethan assured me. “Playing video games with two armed agents in the room.”After Krane’s message, we’d immediately verified everyone’s safety. Ethan and Cara had James at a separate secure location. Romy remained under Alexander’s protective detail at yet another facility. Nick and Ethan’s parents were overseas, surrounded by private security. My parents were downstairs.“They’re trying to destabilize us,” Carter explained as I ended the call. “Classic psychological warfare—implying vulnerability without actually demonstrating it.”“Like the basement,” I murmured, the memory rising unbidden.Nick looked up sharply. “What?”“In the basement, twenty years ago.” I sank into a chair, Fleur sleeping in my arms. “They never actually hurt us physically. They just made us belie
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(Lila)I pressed my back against the headboard of the hotel bed, watching Fleur sleep in the portable crib the FBI had arranged. After three days in this new, supposedly secure hotel, I still jumped at every sound, checked every corner.The suite door opened as Nick and Alexander returned from their latest security briefing. Nick crossed immediately to Fleur’s crib, his shoulders finally relaxing when he saw her sleeping peacefully.“Any news?” I asked quietly.“We’ve identified three more Sterling operatives,” Nick replied, sinking onto the edge of the bed. “Two hotel employees at our previous location and a driver from my company.”“Grace confirmed all three,” Alexander added, loosening his tie. “Her intel has been solid.”The past seventy-two hours had transformed our situation. After Grace’s revelation, the FBI had moved us to a military-grade secure facility disguised as a boutique hotel. Grace had been debriefed continuously, identifying Sterling’s people and methodologies in de
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(Lila)Fleur’s screams tore through me as I clutched her against my chest. Her tiny body shook violently, her eyes wild with a terror no baby should ever know.“Make it stop!” I pleaded, rocking her desperately. “What’s happening to her?”The FBI agents swarmed around us, checking equipment, scanning for signals, searching for whatever had triggered my daughter’s sudden panic.“Sonic frequency,” Grace said suddenly from her corner of the hotel suite. She’d been so quiet I’d almost forgotten she was there. Now she stood, walking toward us. “Robert used it on his targets. Infrasound—you can’t hear it, but it creates terror, panic.”“Shut down all devices,” Agent Carter ordered the room sharply. “Now!”Nick yanked cords from walls while agents deactivated equipment. Fleur’s screams gradually subsided, replaced by hiccupping sobs against my shoulder.“How did you know?” I asked Grace shakily.“Robert loved psychological weapons,” she replied, watching Fleur with genuine concern. “Said inf
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(Nick)Jonathan Montgomery froze at the accusation as its poison spread through the room. He sat on the hotel suite sofa, looking suddenly older and more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him.“Dad?” Lila prompted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Is it true? Did you know Victor Krane before the kidnapping?”Jonathan stared at his hands. “Not as Krane. He used a different name then—Vincent Kemp. Security consultant specializing in executive protection.”I swore violently, turning away to control my rage. Ethan remained perfectly still, his face blank with disbelief.“You brought him into our lives?” Ethan asked finally, gritted his teeth between words.“He came highly recommended,” Jonathan replied weakly. “Multiple endorsements from colleagues in the industry. Impressive credentials.”“And he suggested Blackwood’s services,” Alexander stated flatly. “Connected you.”Jonathan nodded miserably. “Said Blackwood was the best in the business. Discrete, thorough. I had no idea they were work
Billionaire, I'm No Longer Yours Chapter 114 Victor Krane
(Nick)The elevator descended to the hotel lobby in silence. I stood with Ethan, Carter and two armed agents, leaving Alexander to protect Lila and Fleur in the secure suite. The phone connection with Blackwood had ended abruptly after Malcolm Chambers’ arrival was announced.“This is obviously a trap,” Ethan muttered, adjusting his jacket nervously.“Of course it is,” I agreed tightly. “But if Chambers is here in person, it’s our best opportunity to end this.”Carter checked her sidearm discreetly. “Remember, we need him alive and talking. He’s our direct link to Blackwood and Krane.”The elevator doors opened to reveal a transformed hotel lobby. Most civilians had been evacuated, replaced by FBI agents positioned strategically throughout the space.In the center, sitting calmly in a leather armchair as if waiting for a business meeting, was a man in his late forties with salt-and-pepper hair and expensive glasses.“Malcolm Chambers, I presume,” I said coldly as we approached.The ma
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(Nick)The voice on Lila’s phone continued smoothly. “Your father commissioned quite an elaborate project. ‘Generational intervention’ was the term he preferred.”“Who is this?” I demanded, moving to Lila’s side.“Ah, Nicholas Baldwin,” the voice acknowledged. “The man who built an empire on another man’s grave. How fitting that we should all converge now.”“Kenneth Blackwood,” Carter said into the phone, taking control of the situation. “This is Special Agent Carter, FBI. We’ve located your Connecticut property. Your archives are now in federal custody.”A pause, then a soft laugh. “Merely one of many repositories, Agent Carter. Though I’m impressed you found it. Your reputation is well-deserved.”Jonathan lunged for the phone. “Blackwood! Tell them the truth, damn you! I never hired you to take my daughter!”“Semantics, Jonathan,” Blackwood replied dismissively. “You paid for a comprehensive fear architecture program. The specific methodologies were left to our discretion.”“You’re
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(Nick)“They can’t possibly be watching us here,” Lila insisted, as FBI agents swept the hotel room for surveillance devices. “We’re under federal protection.”I paced the perimeter, checking every corner, every vent, every light fixture. “We thought our homes were secure too.”Grace huddled in an armchair, watching the activity. Since the coordinated attacks had begun, she’d remained mostly silent, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.“Grace,” Agent Carter approached her directly. “We need everything you know about Kenneth Blackwood.”Grace looked up, startled. “I told you what Robert said—”“Not enough,” I interrupted sharply. “They’re targeting our children. If you know anything else, anything at all…”“I-I might,” Grace admitted reluctantly. “I didn’t think it was important before.”Ethan moved closer, sitting across from his ex-wife. “What do you remember?”Grace twisted her fingers nervously. “Robert kept a box of mementos. Things that gave him power, he said. There was a photogr
