Chapter 1 - THE BACKWARD PLATE
The four-year-old girl touched Dominic Vale's leg brace, and six men waiting to take his empire stopped breathing.
Vincent Hale stepped forward. "Hey. Don't touch him."
Clare Rowan rushed from the linen cart. "Ellie!"
Dominic struck his cane once against the marble. "Let her speak."
Ellie pointed to a silver tab beneath the lowest strap. "That piece is backward."
Dr. Samuel Mercer crouched, loosened the strap, and went still.
"The retaining plate is reversed."
"Could that happen by itself?" Dominic asked.
"No."
For three weeks Dominic had been told the pain, swelling, and weakness in his leg were normal setbacks after the Lower Wacker crash. For those same three weeks, Arthur Voss had been quietly arguing that Dominic was too weak to control Vale Group.
Tonight, six senior men were waiting behind glass doors to vote on "temporary authority."
Dominic stood.
The pressure in his calf eased almost immediately.
One step.
Then another.
Arthur opened the conference-room door. "The council is waiting."
"The vote is postponed," Dominic said.
Arthur's smile tightened. "On what grounds?"
"Mine."
Dominic looked at Vincent. "Lock the estate."
"Full lockdown?"
"Full."
Then he crouched in front of Ellie.
"Did you see anyone touch my brace?"
She nodded. "Yesterday. He clicked it."
"Can you show me who?"
Ellie raised one small finger toward the conference room.
It stopped on Arthur.
Clare whispered, "Oh, God."
Arthur's face changed.
Dominic said nothing.
Before anyone could move, every screen in the room went black.
A heavy security door opened somewhere below the house.
Vincent checked his phone.
"Boss... that door needs executive clearance."
May you like
Dominic turned back toward the glass.
Arthur was gone.
