Chapter 18: The Deal with the Devil
The federal penitentiary in upstate New York was cold, gray, and smelled of bleach.
Khloe sat in the private visitation booth, staring through the reinforced plexiglass. When the door opened, Marcus Thorne walked in. He looked worse than before—thinner, his eyes hollow, shuffling in his orange jumpsuit. He looked up, shock registering on his face when he saw Khloe.
He picked up the phone. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Come to gloat again?"
"I don't have time for your self-pity, Marcus," Khloe said sharply. "Alexander is back."
Marcus physically recoiled. The color drained from his face, leaving him ghostly white. He dropped the phone, taking a step back from the glass, shaking his head.
"Pick up the phone, Marcus," Khloe commanded.
Trembling, Marcus slowly lifted the receiver. "That's impossible. My mother... she paid people in Marseille to get rid of him. Thirty years ago."
"Well, they failed," Khloe stated coldly. "He has an original will. He froze my assets and bought out our supply chains. He’s trying to bankrupt the company and steal Jonathan's inheritance."
Marcus let out a ragged breath. "He’s a monster, Khloe. You don't understand. Alexander isn't a businessman. He’s a syndicate boss. If he wants the company, he’ll burn the city down to get it. You can't beat him."
"Watch me," Khloe said, her voice dripping with venom. "But I need your help. You ran this company for years. You must have known Aegis Capital was lurking in the shadows. You must know his weakness."
Marcus looked at her, a bitter smile touching his lips. "Why should I help you? You put me in here."
"Because if Alexander takes the company, what do you think he’ll do to your mother?" Khloe pressed, knowing exactly where to strike. "Eleanor is the one who tried to have him killed. If he gets his hands on Thorne Industries, Eleanor’s protective trust is gone. He will destroy her."
Marcus closed his eyes, a look of profound defeat washing over him. Despite his monstrosity, he still feared and loved his mother.
"Aegis Capital," Marcus whispered into the phone. "It's not just a hedge fund. It's a money-laundering front for the European cartels. Alexander uses Thorne shipping routes to move illegal assets. If you can prove the funds he used to buy those shipping contracts came from cartel accounts, the feds will seize Aegis Capital under the RICO act."
"How do I prove it?"
"There’s a ledger," Marcus explained. "He keeps a digital master ledger on an encrypted server in a private vault in Geneva. But the decryption key isn't digital. It's physical. It's a microchip."
Khloe’s mind clicked. "The teardrop emerald."
"Yes," Marcus nodded. "My father gave it to my mother, who passed it down. But Alexander stole it years ago and hid the chip inside. Wait... how do you know about the emerald?"
Khloe thought about the broken replica Alexander had sent her. It was a taunt. He was mocking her, telling her he had the key to his own destruction, but she couldn't reach it.
"I need that chip," Khloe said.
"You'll never get it," Marcus sighed. "He keeps the real emerald on him at all times. He wears it as a ring."
Khloe stood up, her eyes glinting with a dangerous, predatory light. "Thank you, Marcus. Enjoy the rest of your sentence."
May you like
As she walked out of the prison, Khloe dialed Elias.
"Elias," Khloe said into the phone. "Call Clara. Tell her I need a flight to Monaco tonight. And tell Richard to hire the best pickpocket in New York."
