The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress

lan POV

I was restless and on guard. As we drew nearer to the building, I could see Knox's fingers dancing across his tablet, bringing up surveillance cameras that were so pixelated they were almost useless. The team was efficient, separating to form a barrier around the perimeter and swiftly ensuring it was safe before they would allow us to continue. But something was off about this whole thing. Where was Dexter? Where was Dawn? One of the team motioned to us and we moved closer, to look at what he was holding in his hand. "Infrared indicates there is one heat signature inside, there's no way of telling if it's a male or female but they do appear to be unmoving," he said tightly.

Dawn. I felt fear sweep through me. She could be hurt or injured, if she was just lying there. I began to move and Knox deftly grabbed my chair, preventing me from going further.

"What are you doing?" I growled, turning my head and staring at him in disbelief "That could be Dawn in there. You heard the man, they aren't moving!" I shouted.

Knox's eyes were filled with pity. "I heard lan, but that might not be Dawn. We can't go in guns blazing and assume that it's not a trap. We brought this team with us for a reason. Let them do their job. I know how badly you want to go in there and see she's alright but you'll just put yourself and everyone else in danger being reckless."

I growled even as the team began to move and divide the building into different areas, checking for booby traps, hidden wires, and bombs while on the lookout for any more heat signatures. It was torture. Slow and laborious, my heart was racing the entire time we waited, feeling like we were on tenterhooks, Knox's own expression one of frustration as he continuously glanced at me and exhaled. He knew the likelihood it was my fiancee and it was all I could do to maintain what little composure I had left. He was staying by my side, for my sake. He kept his hand on my shoulder as I bowed my head and waited. Finally, we heard the commander's voice on the radio. "The area has been secured. All threats have been neutralized. It is safe to proceed." Knox pushed my chair as I stared forward blindly. There had been a lot left unsaid. They would have told me if they found Dawn. They would have told me if she was dead. So whose body was that on the ground not moving? I could feel sweat beading on my brow as Knox pushed us into the middle of it, my eyes slowly lowering as I took in the sight of Dexter lying there, blood pooling around a wound on his head.

"One gunshot wound to the back of his head," the commander said grimly, nodding at us "The body is still warm and there is no sign of rigor mortis."

"So it hasn't been here long enough to grow cold" I murmured, feeling sick.

As bad as Dexter was, he hadn't deserved this. The man's eyes were wide open, staring blankly at nothing. "Dawn wouldn't have shot him," I told Knox quietly who nodded.

"Which means that somebody else was waiting here for Dawn with Dexter" Knox supplied, trying to bring up his cameras and shaking his head in exasperation.

"The cameras are no good" he swore and exhaled "Old footage, continually lost signal, it's urgh."

He looked on the verge of throwing his tablet on the floor in frustration.

"It doesn't matter," I said dully "We know who was here. There's no reason to keep looking. We know this was Karen's doing."

Who else would have engineered something like this? She was still trying to hurt us from behind the scenes. Now she had taken Dawn. I knew what her end game was, but how was I supposed to do anything, or walk into her trap if I didn't know where she had gone to or where she had taken my fiancee? It didn't make sense that she wouldn't leave some sort of clue, unless. I went cold. Unless she was planning on killing Dawn without gloating about it first. The ultimate revenge. I closed my eyes, fighting back the overwhelming desire to lose control of myself. Knox was frowning.

"Check his pockets," he said quietly,, motioning towards Dexter's body.

The commander looked at us askance but nodded at one of the men who quickly put gloves on and approached the body. He patted Dexter down and then began to feel in his pockets.

He pulled out a wallet and handed it to me. I began to open it. There were the usual bank cards, credit cards, library cards, and forms of ID. Nothing unusual or out of place. I was about to let out a long growl of frustration and throw the wallet away when I noticed a blank business card, right in the back. Why would Dexter need a blank business card? I could only see one side of it, and out of curiosity, I began to slowly slide it out, using the tips of my fingers to withdraw it without creasing it.

Congratulations. If you've found my card, you've discovered I have your fiancee.

She dies unless you give me what I want. It's time to end this.

Tomorrow night, meet me where it all ended and where Charlotte now calls home.

Midnight, alone, lan with Knox or I shoot her. I'll have men waiting.

Karen.

"She's pretty cocky to write such a disgusting note" Knox snorted, glancing over my shoulder as I waved the card at him.

"She has the advantage and she knows it. What fight could I possibly put up, in a wheelchair? She knows I won't leave Dawn to die, and I won't involve any more innocent people."

"We'll get the authorities involved, set up a team, and..." Knox's voice trailed off as he saw the expression on my face. "And what Knox?" I said lowly, my hand clenching around the business card and crumpling it "Risk Dawn's life? Faith's already lost her father" I nodded to Dexter's prone body on the floor "I'm not about to risk her losing her mother as well. I'm not a coward that relies on somebody else to do my dirty work."

"lan if you go after her alone, you're a dead man" Knox growled clenching his hands into fists.

"Do you have a better suggestion? She has men waiting for us Knox, to ensure nobody else comes with us. What would you have me do?." I demanded icily.

Silence. He scowled, looking down at the ground. "Exactly what you are thinking of doing," he said frowning "but that doesn't mean I have to like what you are about to do."

"She killed Dexter in cold blood," I said, fixating my eyes on the dead man and trying not to shudder "I would say that Karen has well and truly lost it. She wants to end things, maybe it's time we let her. One way or another this has to stop. One of us dies, the other one lives. If I die" I told Knox solemnly "promise me you'll look after Dawn and Faith."

"You know I will" Knox growled, "regardless of if you're married or not, but you're not going to die, lan, because I'm coming with you, just like the note demands."

"I can't ask that of you. You have Lorelai to think about and your baby Gabriel" I began and he held his hand up, shaking his head, his eyes narrowed.

"Exactly and neither of them will be safe as long as Karen remains alive. We'll always be looking over our shoulders or wondering when Karen's going to come back into our lives to wreak havoc. If we want to end this we work together. We finish this. Brother with brother."

"What are you going to tell Faith?" Knox asked quietly.

My heart gave a pang. The little girl had no idea what was going on. Her father had terminated his rights and given her away as though she was nothing and now he lay dead on the ground. Visit Job n i b .com to read the complete chapters for free. Her mother was missing. I couldn't bring myself to let Dawn or Carina know what was happening. "I'll tell Father," I said, as Knox listened and the team continued to stand and wait for further instructions "so that if the worst should happen..." my voice faded. "Which it won't" Knox argued brashly.

"But if it does, then he can tell Carina and Faith what happened. I don't want her spending her whole life wondering what happened or where her mother is" my voice broke slightly "and for all I know, Dawn might be dead already."

I was afraid that Karen might have done the unthinkable and killed Dawn while trying to pretend she was alive to keep me desperate to go to her. That this was just another trick in a long list of them that she had done. I would never forgive myself if something had happened to Dawn. This was happening because of me. I couldn't bear to think of what Dawn was going through right now if she was still alive. She must be terrified. I gritted my teeth.

"The place that Charlotte now calls home" Knox murmured, "she just had to leave a riddle didn't she?"

I gave a bitter laugh "Well it wouldn't be any fun if she just told us the time or place would it?" I asked with a heavy dose of

sarcasm.

He sighed. "Do you think she meant the mansion? No that doesn't make sense" he said frowning.

"The place where it all ends and where Charlotte now calls home" I repeated, frowning and looking into the distance "I think I know what she's referring to."

"What?" Knox was puzzled.

"Think about it. Charlotte is buried at the cemetery which would now be..."

"What she calls home" Knox finished with a grimace "So we have to go to the cemetery and to..."

"Her gravestone. Karen wants to end it where Charlotte's end is. It's almost poetic" I mused "ironic in a way. I guess she wants her daughter to see us die, or at least be involved in some way."

I waved at the team "Get this place cleared and cleaned up. Inform the authorities" I gestured at Dexter "Karen must have the money" I added as an aside to Knox "The briefcase isn't here."

I didn't care that the money was missing. I was supposed to have put a tracker in it, but Dawn had sedated me before I could.

"Probably took it from Dexter's cold dead fingers," he said as I began to turn my chair around "If she deposits it into a bank account I might be able to track her" he added while I nodded absently.

Karen wasn't stupid enough to make that sort of mistake but I didn't voice it to Knox. He was already worried about what to say to Lorelai while I was focused on whether my fiancee was still alive. If looks could kill right now, Karen would be a steaming heap of flames right now. She was going down, even if it meant I had to sacrifice my own life to do it. I was going to protect my family, no matter what the cost.