Chapter 6 - The Secret Ledger
"There’s a ledger," Leah suddenly blurted out, her eyes wide with realization. "Scott... he hid something before he went to the hospital."
Grant turned to her instantly. "Where, Leah?"
"He told me if anything ever happened to him, I should never go back to the old garage," Leah stammered, her memory rushing back through the fog of grief. "He said... he said the safest place to hide something valuable is inside something broken that nobody wants."
Grant’s mind raced back fifteen years, searching through every memory of the dusty auto shop in Dayton. He remembered the greasy tool racks, the stacks of bald tires, the rusted lift... and then it hit him.
"The cracked red coffee mug," Grant said, his eyes lighting up. "He kept it on the shelf above the air compressor. He never threw it away, even when the handle broke off."
"Yes!" Leah exclaimed. "He carried that mug everywhere!"
"Marcus," Grant ordered, turning to his head of security. "Prep a team. We’re going to Dayton tonight."
"Boss, Vance has scouts watching the old property," Marcus warned. "If we show up, it’ll be an ambush."
"Then let them try," Grant said, adjusting the silver watch on his wrist. "We leave in ten minutes."
Before leaving, Grant walked into the guest bedroom where Ethan was curled up under a warm plush blanket, fast asleep. The boy looked peaceful for the first time in years. Grant softly closed the door and turned to Leah, who was standing in the hallway.
"I’ve stationed four armed guards outside the estate," Grant assured her. "Nobody gets through those gates. You and Ethan are safe here."
"Grant..." Leah took his hand, her knuckles white. "Please be careful. Richard Vance is ruthless. He won't hesitate to kill you."
"Scott gave me this watch to remind me how to be proud of myself," Grant said quietly, looking down at the worn silver metal. "I can't be proud of the man I am if I let his killers walk free. I’m coming back with that ledger, Leah. I promise you."
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Outside, the rain began to fall heavily, painting the dark windows with streaks of water as Grant stepped into the armored SUV. The war against the Vance empire had officially begun.
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