Chapter 6 - The Voice in the Dark
“Vance Law Offices. This is an emergency line. State your name and your situation.”
The voice on the other end was rough, grounded, and utterly devoid of sleep, cutting through the heavy silence of the bedroom like a blade.
“My name is Elena Carter,” I said, my voice shaking so badly I could barely form the syllables. I clutched Noah closer to my chest, staring at the empty banking balance blinking mockingly on my phone screen. “I was referred by a nurse at St. Jude’s. My husband was just arrested for domestic assault three hours ago, but... he’s already emptied every joint account we have. I have a three-day-old infant, zero dollars, and he just sent me a text boasting that I’ll be starving by noon tomorrow.”
A heavy sigh drifted through the receiver, followed by the sound of rustling papers.
“Mrs. Carter, are you safe right now? Is he back at the house?” Marcus Vance asked, his professional exhaustion instantly vanishing, replaced by razor-sharp focus.
“No, he’s in custody,” I replied, my eyes darting toward the dark hallway. “At least, I think he is. But his mother has keys, and he’s transferred all our liquid assets into an unknown account. He’s left me completely destitute.”
“Listen to me very carefully, Elena,” Marcus said, his tone commanding absolute compliance. “Do not panic. If he emptied those accounts electronically while being booked into holding, it means he had a pre-arranged contingency plan, most likely managed through his corporate firm or a secondary proxy. But under Illinois law, any marital funds transferred within thirty days of an emergency protective filing are subject to immediate clawback and judicial freezing.”
“How long will that take?” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. “I can’t buy formula tomorrow. I don’t even have gas in my car.”
“Don’t worry about the gas or the formula,” Marcus instructed firmly. “Be packed and ready by 7:00 AM. My private investigator, a former detective named Miller, will pick you and the baby up at your front door. He’ll bring you directly to my office downtown, and we are going straight to Judge Halloway’s chambers for an emergency ex parte asset seizure and a temporary alimony order. We’re going to hit him before his criminal defense attorney even wakes up.”
“Thank you,” I choked out, a wave of profound relief washing over me.
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“Get some rest, Elena,” Marcus said gently before clicking the line dead.
I set the landline down and pulled Noah into my lap. But as I turned to head back toward the nursery, the motion-activated exterior floodlights outside the master bedroom window suddenly clicked on, casting a brilliant, blinding white glare across the wall.
