THE VEIL OF ILLUSION

"Special Agent Miller," a sharp, female voice answered on the third ring.

"Miller," Julian said, his voice dropping into a low, steady cadence that brooked no interruption. "This is Julian Sterling."

There was a sudden, sharp pause on the line. The sound of rustling papers stopped instantly.

"Sterling?" Miller’s voice sharpened like a honed blade. "Where the hell are you? The state police just issued a red alert for you. Senator Vance claims you snatched two children from a church and executed a domestic terror attack at your own wedding."

"Vance is lying," Julian said coldly. "He's been running an illegal human experimentation and memory suppression facility under his Lake Geneva estate for four years."

"That's a crazy accusation, Julian," Miller replied, though her voice lacked conviction. "Vance is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Do you have proof?"

"I have the proof in my arms," Julian said, looking down at Lily and the infant. "And I have the transaction codes."

He took a deep breath, his mind working with the lightning-fast precision that had made him the youngest hedge fund manager on Wall Street.

"Four years ago, Vance forced me to set up three off-shore shell companies in the Cayman Islands—Alpha-Nine, Sterling Medical Trust, and Vance Holdings. I thought they were political campaign funds. But I kept the secondary ledger, Miller. The master encryption key is stored on my private server at Sterling Financial."

"If you have that ledger..." Miller paused, the sound of her rapid typing filling the line. "That ties Vance to non-consensual biological testing. It’s federal treason."

"I will give you the ledger, the encryption keys, and my complete testimony," Julian said, his voice vibrating with absolute fury. "On one condition."

"Name it."

"You send a federal SWAT team to the Vance estate at Lake Geneva right now. You break down the iron door in the storm shelter. And you get Clara Vance out alive."

"And if she’s not there?" Miller asked quietly.