Chapter 181: The Lockdown

Justin’s POV

"Hello?" I barked into the receiver.

"I explicitly warned you not to call your grandparents," the investigator’s voice hit my ear like a cold lash.

I winced, closing my eyes for a fraction of a second. "I know."

"No, you clearly don’t, Justin, because you went ahead and did the exact thing I told you not to do."

I sank back into the heavy leather chair in my lawyer’s office, dragging a hand over my thumping forehead. "I had to know they were safe. I couldn’t just sit here with my hands tied."

"I know you did," he replied, his tone softening just a fraction. There was a brief pause on the line, followed by the familiar, rapid clatter of keyboard keys. "Fortunately, it doesn’t look like you’ve completely ruined the trap. I tracked their vehicle’s location immediately after your call. They’re leaving the house, which works in our favor. The state authorities are already moving into tactical positions around the perimeter, and we’re keeping eyes on every angle."

I glanced up at my lawyer. He was watching me with the exact same tight, concerned expression he had worn since the phone first rang.

"So what happens now?" I asked, my voice laced with raw tension.

"Now you listen to me very carefully." His tone shifted completely. The thread of casual banter evaporated. "I don’t want you making another move. Don’t call your father. Don’t call your grandparents again. Don’t call a single soul connected to this family network. You sit exactly where you are, drink your coffee, review your case with your lawyer, and let me handle the tactical side."

I nodded into the quiet room, even though he couldn’t see me. "Okay."

"And Justin?"

"Yeah?"

"If you interfere again, I’m done."

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, cold and direct. "If you compromise this operation, I will walk away and leave you to sort it out yourself. I don’t care how deep your pockets are."

A ghost of a smile almost touched my lips at his bluntness. "Understood."

"Good." The typing picked up speed again. "Your grandparents are clear of the splash zone. I ran another diagnostic on his system there isn’t any active tracking or GPS monitoring on their car from his end, which is another bullet dodged. So we’re going to sit tight and let him walk right into the net."

I let out a slow breath, trying to loosen the knot in my chest. "Okay."

"Now, there’s something else we need to address."

"What?"

"I want to ensure your home is secure."

My spine snapped straight, every nerve ending on high alert. "My house?"

"Yes."

"Why my house?"

"Because if this man has been studying your family for as long as the paper trail suggests, I am not taking a single fucking chance with your inner circle."

My eyes darted toward my phone resting on the desk. "Harper is there alone."

"I know."

I frowned, a fresh surge of paranoia making my voice drop an octave. "How the hell do you know that?"

"I know enough about your setup to know exactly who is sitting in that living room."

That answer did absolutely nothing to calm the cold dread crawling up my neck.

"I’m going to run a check on your digital security system right now," he stated flatly.

I stared at the phone. "You can just do that from where you are?"

"Justin, I can check a lot of things."

More clicking sounded over the speaker. Then a sudden mouse click, followed by a low hum. "Interesting."

"What?"

"You have an integrated smart lock on the main entry points."

"Yeah."

"Good." More rapid key clicks echoed across the line.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, leaning forward over the desk.

"Reinforcing it."

I sat up straight. "Wait. What the hell do you mean you’re reinforcing my smart lock?"

"Exactly what I said."

I heard several swift, complex command inputs being typed on his end.

"You don’t need to worry about it," he added.

"I’m not worried, I’m completely bewildered," I countered, my pulse quickening.

"Trust me." Another short pause. "I’m locking down the entire software hub remotely so no external signal or physical breach code can access it from the outside."

I stared blankly at my lawyer. My lawyer simply raised his eyebrows, throwing his hands up in a silent gesture that clearly communicated: I told you this guy was unhinged.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked the speaker.

"Dead serious." More furious typing. "I’ve just added an override layer."

I shook my head, a disbelieving laugh scraping past my throat. "This is insane."

"It’s called doing my job."

I couldn’t help a dry, breathless chuckle from escaping my chest. "Fine."

"Good. Now quiet down for a second and let me finish the script."

I tapped the speakerphone button and set the device in the center of the mahogany desk. For the next two minutes, the room was filled with the rhythmic sound of clicking keys, mouse movements, and the occasional low mutter from the investigator.

Then, finally, he let out a sharp breath. "Okay."

I straightened up. "My home is secure?"

"Your home is a fortress."

I exhaled hard. "And Harper?"

"She is safely inside."

My shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch. "Good."

"She won’t be able to unlock the main front access from outside the hub now."

My brow furrowed deeply. "What do you mean?"

"She can move around the interior normally. But I’ve completely sealed the external electronic access points."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning she isn’t leaving that house unless you or an authorized secondary key overrides the lockout from my end."

I stood straight up out of my chair. "You locked my girlfriend inside the house?!"

"Temporarily," he replied without an ounce of remorse.

"That is not exactly comforting!"

"It’s not supposed to make you feel warm and fuzzy, Justin. It’s supposed to keep her breathing."

The sheer gravity of his words shut me up instantly. The anger died in my throat, replaced by a dark, heavy weight.

"Just pray she doesn’t decide to run an errand," he added dryly.

I dragged my palm down my face, the heavy exhaustion returning tenfold. "You really think locking her in was necessary?"

"I think I’m not leaving a single gap for a ghost to slip through."

I turned and stared out the large office window. Down below, the city was moving along completely oblivious. Yellow cabs honked, pedestrians hurried across crosswalks, and sunlight reflected off glass skyscrapers. Normal life was moving forward everywhere else.

Yet somewhere out on a quiet highway, a man tied to the slow destruction of my mother and the decay of my entire life was speeding toward my family.

And Harper was sitting on our couch, completely unaware that she was locked inside a fortress.