Chapter 2 2

The engine of the black Cadillac Escalade hummed quietly, a low vibration that barely registered against the ambient noise of the city. It was parked in the shadows across from St. George's Preparatory School, the tinted windows turning the afternoon sun into a dull gray haze.

Inside, Branson Reeves sat with the stillness of a predator waiting for movement in the grass. He was looking at a tablet, his finger hovering over a file detailing the school's endowment portfolio. A red line item pulsed on the screen, right in the middle of the block.

"The quarterly report is thin, sir," Quentin said from the driver's seat. He tapped his earpiece. "The foundation's recent acquisitions are... unusually aggressive. It feels like someone's hiding assets in plain sight."

Branson frowned. He looked out the window, his eyes scanning the crowd of nannies, private drivers, and mothers in Chanel suits waiting for the dismissal bell. "My grandmother loves this school. She'd hate to see her donations funneled into someone's offshore slush fund. Find out who's pulling the strings."

A discreet black town car, immaculately clean but utterly forgettable, cut through the polite chatter of the school pick-up line. It pulled up to the curb with an assertive but silent grace. The rear door opened.

A woman stepped out. She was wearing a simple but exquisitely tailored navy blue dress and low heels. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a severe, elegant chignon. Sunglasses hid her eyes.

Branson watched as she stood by the open door. She didn't look like the other mothers. She looked like a lawyer about to depose a hostile witness. She looked like trouble.

The school doors opened, and a flood of children in uniforms poured out.

"There," Quentin pointed.

Two small children, a boy and a girl with identical messy curls, ran toward the town car. They didn't walk; they sprinted. They threw their backpacks into the car and scrambled inside.

The woman leaned in, her movements efficient and precise. Branson could see her checking their seatbelts, her posture radiating a focused calm. She spoke to them, her lips moving, and then closed the door with a soft, definitive click before getting in the other side.

Branson's interest, which had been purely professional, shifted. There was a familiarity to her profile, a ghost of a memory he couldn't quite place.

"Just another Upper East Side mother," he muttered, turning back to his tablet, trying to dismiss the strange sense of déjà vu. "Who is she?"

Quentin typed something into his console. "Car is registered to a corporate account for Sterling Investments. No passenger manifest. Do you want me to dig deeper?"

"No," Branson said, dismissing the thought. "Focus on the money trail. The foundation is the only thing that matters. My grandmother doesn't have time for distractions."

On the street, Imogen stiffened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It was a sensation she knew well-the feeling of being watched. Not just looked at, but assessed.

She turned her head slowly, her eyes scanning the street from behind her dark glasses. Her gaze landed on the black Escalade parked in the shade. The windows were opaque, impenetrable, but she knew someone was behind them.

For a second, her gaze seemed to lock with the invisible figure inside.

Inside the car, Branson paused. Even through the tint, he felt the weight of her stare. It was direct. Unflinching.

Imogen broke the contact. The town car pulled smoothly into traffic and disappeared around the corner.

"The trail is going cold, sir," Quentin said, frustrated.

"Let's go," Branson said, tossing the tablet onto the leather seat. "Senator Sterling is expecting us at the gala tonight. He says he has a lead on a specialist."

High above the city, in the penthouse of the Sterling Building, the elevator doors slid open.

Imogen walked in, holding Leo and Mia's hands. The living room was a museum of modern art and cold surfaces. Lucas Sterling was pacing the floor, his tie loosened, sweat beading on his forehead. When he saw Imogen, his shoulders slumped in relief.

"You came," he breathed.

"I said I would," Imogen said. She led the twins to a velvet sofa. "Sit here, kiddos. Don't touch anything white."

She walked over to Sterling. "Show me."

Sterling handed her a file. It was stamped strictly confidential. Imogen flipped it open. Her eyes moved rapidly across the offshore account statements, the shell corporation charters, the encrypted transaction logs.

"This is sloppy, Lucas," she said after thirty seconds. She pulled a lollipop out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and handed it to Mia without looking away from the papers. "He's using the same clearinghouse in the Caymans for all three holding companies. Anyone looking closely will connect the dots."

Sterling went pale. He grabbed the back of a chair to steady himself. "If this gets out before the election next week..."

"It won't," Imogen said. She snapped the folder shut. "I can create a new firewall, route the funds through a blind trust I control in Liechtenstein, but it will cost you. And I need payment upfront."

"Name it," Sterling said. "Money? Passports?"

"Identity," Imogen said. "I need a cover. And I need Leo and Mia enrolled in St. George's. Today."

"Done," Sterling said. "You can stay here. The guest wing is empty. We'll say you're my... niece. From the Midwest."

The front door opened. Linda Sterling walked in, carrying shopping bags from Bergdorf's. She stopped dead when she saw the two identical backpacks on the coffee table and the children with lollipops on her white sofa.

"Lucas?" Her voice was shrill. "Why are there... children in here? And who is she?" She gestured to Imogen with a manicured hand, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something rotting.

"Linda, this is Imogen," Lucas said, stepping between them. "My niece. She's going to be staying with us for a few days."

Linda looked Imogen up and down, taking in the severe dress, the aura of cold competence. "In my house? Looking like that?"

Imogen didn't flinch. She looked at Linda with a strange mixture of amusement and pity. She knew the Sterling family finances better than Linda did. She knew that the credit card Linda had just used was maxed out.

"Nice to meet you too, Aunt Linda," Imogen said dryly. She picked up the backpacks. "Come on, Leo, Mia. Let's go find our room."