Chapter 6 - Into the Fire
""They're destroying the primary trust ledgers!"" Clara shouted over the crackle of burning cedar shingles.
""I don't care about the money,"" Arthur said, staring coldly at the blaze.
""The birth certificate is in there,"" Clara countered urgently. ""The genuine hospital record proving Catherine named you as sole legal guardian before she passed. Without it, the state child welfare board will place Blair into protective custody under Judge Caldwell—another man who owes his seat to your brother.""
Arthur turned to Jax. ""Breach the front door.""
Jax and two operatives used a heavy ram to shatter the oak double doors of the burning rectory. Thick, acrid smoke poured into the courtyard, carrying the chemical stink of burning documents and accelerant.
Arthur pulled a damp cloth over his mouth and followed Jax into the blazing foyer. The ceiling was already groaning under thermal stress, rafters showering sparks across the antique rugs.
At the top of the grand staircase, Father Timothy stood silhouetted against a wall of flame, holding a steel lockbox. A mad, desperate grin split his soot-streaked face. ""You're too late, Arthur! The records are ashes! The girl belongs to the state, and the state belongs to us!""
Timothy hurled a lit kerosene lantern down the stairs. The glass shattered at Arthur’s feet, igniting an instant wall of fire across the foyer floor.
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Through the roaring curtain of heat, Arthur drew his own sidearm—a custom silver Colt .45. ""You underestimated what a grandfather will burn to keep his own.""
He fired three rounds through the floorboards beneath Timothy’s feet.
