He let them go.
Two days of silence.
Then the twins did something brave.
They had seen CeCe near the hotel that night.
They had seen Kelvin two weeks earlier arguing in a parking bay with Cece about designs and accidents and money.
Shawn liked gadgets.
Nah liked stories.
Together they knew how to hide a phone on record and how to wait.
That afternoon while visiting Mama Ruth, they tugged Austin’s sleeve in the hallway of the house.
Uncle Austin, Shawn whispered.
We have a video.
Austin crouched.
What video? Nah held out a phone.
On the screen.
Cece and Kelvin argued in a quiet lot.
Stolen designs.
You promised me a seat when he falls.
Pay the boys at the gate.
Scare him, not kill him.
Embezzlement covered once he signs off.
Every word was clear.
Austin’s face hardened.
Good work, he said softly, both to the children and to fate.
He sent the file to legal and to a police liaison they trusted.
By evening, warrants were signed.
Police arrested Cece and Kelvin for fraud, extortion, corporate sabotage, and conspiracy.
The burner phones became maps.
