The Golden Oath
Samuel didn't wait for the morning. He took the brooch directly to his security company's forensics lab, a sterile, white-lit room where three of his top hardware analysts were waiting.
Lance Security had been established long before Samuel was born—by his admiral great-grandfather—but Samuel had brought it forward technologically when his father turned it over to him. He took pride in their advanced techniques and equipment, so he had been put off by Anthony Shaw being able to get away. He bought even more equipment and was paying for development and research. He was not about to allow this new foe to escape.
"Don't just scan it," Samuel ordered, his voice echoing off the metal surfaces. "Tear it down. Every leaf, every filament of filigree. I want to be absolutely sure that this thing did not lead a psychopath to my sister's front door."
The team nodded and, although he wanted to stand over them and watch, Samuel reluctantly left the lab and returned to his office. Dan was already there and he spun to the sound of the door opening.
"Did they find anything?"
Samuel sighed as his glance passed between his sister sitting calmly and his brother-in-law pacing like a madman. "They just started. As soon as they have something, they will tell us."
Dan looked to Amber. "We have to move again, love. I am so sorry. I should have had Samuel go to Trace-Progressive."
Amber stood up and shook her head. "No one could have known. What if you were like me? I would've been wearing that thing tomorrow and showing my social media fans."
All three of them shivered at the thought.
In the lab, the head analyst, a woman named Dr. Aris, used a high-powered jeweler's microscope and a laser-scalpel. As she peeled back the first layer of rose gold from the "silk-like" leaves, she let out a sharp, indrawn breath.
Another analyst looked at the monitor where Dr. Aris' work was being projected. "Ceramic?"
"I believe so." Dr. Aris frowned as she grabbed an even smaller pair of tweezers. She carefully worked around the delicate gold filament when one of the analysts hummed. Dr. Aris didn't look up when she spoke. "What are you seeing?"
"All the gold arching from that ceramic housing reminds me of a circuit array."
There was a collective gasp. "Get Mr. Lance here now." Dr. Aris' voice was laced with a sense of urgency and the most junior analyst went to the phone.
Samuel and Dan rushed back to the lab. Dan, not wanting Amber to be too stressed, convinced his wife to wait for them in Samuel's office. The analysts were all waiting for them and when Dan and Samuel entered they sprang forth like they were heading to stations in preparation for battle.
"Sir, I believe there may be a problem." Dr. Aris put her magnifying goggles back on and donned her tools as she leaned back over the brooch.
Samuel leaned into the monitor as Dan watched Dr. Aris. The rose gold was intricately wound around something the same color as the gold. Both men frowned. It was a micro-conduit. Inside, thinner than a human hair, were fibers of a translucent ceramic.
"What is that?" Dan asked, now unable to look away from the screen.
"It's a ceramic-based conductor," Aris explained, her voice trembling slightly. "It doesn't show up on standard metal detectors or frequency sweeps because it is so minute it reads as static. It is very new tech. Also, these leaves aren't just decoration, Mr. Trace. They are a multi-node antenna array." Dr. Aris shook her head. "This work is absolutely incredible. This person is not only a tech whiz with deep pockets, they are a metallurgist and a pretty good jewelry maker."
Samuel felt a surge of cold fury. His spine tingled as it all settled in on him. "He didn't just send her a gift. He sent her a beacon. Is it still active?"
"It is," Aris said, pointing to a tiny, ceramic node near the clasp. "It is still being powered by this." She looked up to the two men as she crushed the node. "It seems that whoever is observing you knows exactly where you are."
Dan slammed his fist against the doorframe. "He knows where the estate is." He looked up to Samuel, the color draining from his face. "Amber is no longer safe. We are moving tonight."
Samuel blew out a calming breath and put a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "I agree, but we need to think about all this clearly. Where will you go?"
Dan looked directly into Samuel's eyes. "Do not worry. I am thinking very clearly. I will not allow anything to happen to Amber. We will go to the Trace estate, or an island. I don't know. I just know that I will make sure that my wife is safe."