Chapter 6 - Counter-Strategy
Rowan’s heart stopped for a terrifying beat before his training and executive instinct kicked in. Claire was bluffing about knowing the exact location, or she had discovered it at the very last second.
"Chief," Rowan snapped to his security head as they climbed into the armored SUV. "Call the East Tennessee estate. Maximum lockdown protocol. Immediate perimeter defense."
The chief immediately began barking orders into his satellite radio. Rowan turned back to the phone, keeping his voice dead and cold. "If a single person steps foot on that property, Claire, it will be the last thing they ever do. And as for you? You’re finished."
"We’ll see about that, Rowan!" Claire shrieked. "My father will have the best attorneys in the country tie you up in knots! The adoption papers are legal on paper! You kidnapped that child tonight!"
"They aren't legal when the birth mother was coerced under threat of child endangerment, and they certainly aren't legal when the entire foundation is built on corporate espionage, fraud, and extortion," Rowan replied calmly. "Goodbye, Claire. Enjoy the few hours of freedom you have left."
He slammed the phone down and turned to the chief. "What’s the status of the cabin?"
"Spoke to the team leader at the East Tennessee estate, sir," the chief reported, looking relieved. "Perimeter is completely secure. No unauthorized vehicles on the mountain. They went into full lockdown five minutes ago. Miss Bellamy and the boys are safe in the panic room."
Rowan let out a long breath, hugging his daughter closer to his chest. The baby, whom Megan had named Clara before she was taken, slept peacefully through the tension.
"Drive to the airport," Rowan ordered. "We need to get to East Tennessee now."
During the flight back, Rowan didn't sleep. He sat with Clara in his lap, watching over her as the jet tore through the night sky. He utilized the plane’s secure communications array to contact the District Attorney of Davidson County—a man of absolute integrity whom the Whitmore family could not buy.
Rowan laid out the entire case: the forged financial records, the bribery of a private investigator, the extortion, and the illegal seizure of a child under duress. The evidence was ironclad, compiled by the best intelligence operatives money could buy.
By the time the plane landed in Knoxville at 3:00 AM, federal warrants were already being drawn up. Because Claire had moved the child across state lines from Tennessee to Georgia under fraudulent pretenses, it was no longer a local matter. It was a federal kidnapping charge.
Rowan jumped into the waiting SUV and sped toward the mountain estate. The sun was just beginning to peek over the Great Smoky Mountains, casting a brilliant gold and pink light across the landscape.
When the vehicle pulled up to the secure estate, the gates opened immediately. The security guards stood at attention, their expressions relaxed. The threat had never materialized; Claire’s boast had been the desperate gasp of a collapsing empire.
Rowan walked into the house, carrying Clara. The house manager guided him toward the secure residential wing. The heavy reinforced door opened, and Megan stepped out.
She looked at Rowan, then her eyes fell upon the bundle in his arms.
A gasp escaped her lips, and she threw her hands over her mouth. She walked forward, her legs shaking so violently she could barely stand. Rowan met her halfway, gently transferring the baby girl into her mother's arms.
Megan collapsed into a chair, cradling Clara against her heart, weeping tears of pure, unadulterated joy. Clara woke up, letting out a little coo, her tiny fingers reaching up to touch her mother's tear-stained cheek.
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Rowan knelt beside them, wrapping his arms around both of them. For the first time in an entire year, the heavy, suffocating weight in his chest dissolved entirely.
"She’s home, Megan," Rowan whispered. "She's home."
