Chapter 5 - The Betrayal Inside Reed’s House
The door opened three inches.
Reed fired once into the wall beside it.
The door stopped.
A voice outside laughed.
“That’s no way to welcome family.”
“Walk away, Victor.”
“You know I can’t.”
Marcus grabbed my shoulder.
“Back room.”
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Elena, please.”
Ava screamed.
The red emergency lights made everything look unreal.
Reed moved toward the hallway.
“Adrian, get them to the safe room.”
“There’s a safe room?” I whispered.
“Of course there’s a safe room,” Adrian said.
Under any other circumstances, I might have laughed.
We moved quickly.
A hidden panel opened behind a wall near Reed’s office.
Inside was a narrow reinforced room with monitors, water, medical supplies, and another exit route.
Marcus followed.
Reed stayed outside.
I turned.
“You’re not coming?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“This is my house.”
“That doesn’t answer me.”
His eyes met mine.
“It does to me.”
The panel began closing.
Without thinking, I reached through the gap.
“Reed.”
He looked at my hand.
Then at me.
“Don’t get killed.”
Something changed in his expression.
“I’ll try to accommodate you.”
The wall sealed.
My heart continued pounding.
I hated that I cared.
I barely knew him.
He was my boss.
A criminal.
Dangerous.
Complicated.
And somehow, in the worst hour of my life, he had become the person standing between Ava and everyone hunting us.
The monitors showed the penthouse.
Four men entered.
Victor followed.
He was older than Reed by maybe twenty-five years.
Silver hair.
Elegant coat.
Calm posture.
He looked like a banker.
That frightened me.
Men who looked dangerous wanted you to know.
Men like Victor didn’t need to.
Reed stood in the center of the room.
Victor smiled.
“You’ve grown predictable.”
Reed said, “You’ve grown old.”
“Still cruel.”
“You taught me.”
Victor’s smile faded.
“Where’s the girl?”
My stomach tightened.
Reed didn’t answer.
Victor looked around.
“Marcus?”
Silence.
“You should know better than to trust a man who has already betrayed everyone he loves.”
Marcus flinched beside me.
I noticed.
Victor knew exactly where to cut.
Reed said, “Why do you want the drive?”
“You’ve seen it?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know.”
“I know Rainer bought cops.”
Victor laughed softly.
“Half the city buys cops.”
“What else?”
Victor stopped smiling.
Reed had found something.
Something we missed.
Victor said, “Give me Marcus.”
“No.”
“Give me the drive.”
“No.”
“The woman?”
Reed’s voice dropped.
“Be careful.”
Victor tilted his head.
Interesting.
Too interesting.
He had noticed the same thing I had.
Reed cared.
Maybe not in the way stories made men care.
Not yet.
But enough.
Victor smiled again.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The weakness.”
Reed shot one of Victor’s men in the leg.
Everything exploded.
Gunfire.
Glass shattered.
I dropped over Ava.
Marcus pulled me behind a steel cabinet.
Adrian swore at the monitors.
“Reed needs backup.”
He pressed something on the wall.
A silent alarm.
The gunfire stopped.
On-screen, one man was down.
Two had retreated.
Victor remained.
Reed stood behind the kitchen island.
“You always were dramatic,” Victor said.
“You brought armed men into my home.”
“I came to protect what belongs to this family.”
“Nothing here belongs to you.”
Victor glanced toward the hidden wall.
“Not even her?”
I froze.
Reed’s face changed.
Victor knew.
He knew where the room was.
Marcus whispered, “We have to leave.”
Adrian opened a second panel.
Behind it was a private elevator.
“Service tunnel to garage level four.”
“Is it secure?” I asked.
“It was.”
Not comforting.
We entered.
Marcus stood beside me.
I kept Ava against my chest.
The elevator descended.
“Why does Victor think I have something?” I asked.
Marcus looked miserable.
“Because my mother met you.”
“What?”
“She never met me.”
“She did.”
“When?”
“Before we started dating.”
I stared.
“That’s impossible.”
“You worked at Lakeside Diner five years ago.”
I remembered.
A tiny place near the hospital.
I worked mornings.
Marcus continued.
“My mother used to come in every Tuesday.”
An older woman flashed through my memory.
Silver scarf.
Coffee.
Blueberry pancakes.
Always tipped too much.
Mrs. Vale.
Except she gave another name.
“She told you to call her Evelyn,” Marcus said.
My mouth opened.
“That woman was your mother?”
“Yes.”
“She died before you introduced us.”
“She knew who you were.”
“Why?”
Marcus looked down.
“Because she chose you.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It’s the truth.”
The elevator stopped.
The doors did not open.
Adrian pressed the button.
Nothing.
Then the lights went out.
I swore.
Ava whimpered.
Marcus pulled out his phone.
No signal.
Adrian opened the emergency panel.
“Power’s cut.”
“Can we climb out?” I asked.
“Maybe.”
A loud metallic sound came from above.
Someone was accessing the shaft.
Marcus looked up.
“They found us.”
Adrian forced the doors apart manually.
Concrete wall.
We were between floors.
“Up,” he said.
He lifted Marcus toward the ceiling hatch.
Marcus pushed it open.
A shot rang out.
Metal sparked.
Marcus dropped.
“Go!” Adrian shouted.
He returned fire.
I covered Ava.
The elevator jolted.
Then dropped six inches.
I screamed.
Marcus grabbed us.
“We need out now.”
Adrian forced the doors wider.
There was a gap to the next floor.
Marcus climbed through.
He reached back.
“Give me Ava.”
I froze.
Every instinct said no.
But another shot hit the elevator wall.
Ava screamed.
I handed her to her father.
For the first time in eight months, Marcus held his daughter.
His face broke for one second.
Then he passed her safely through.
I climbed after.
Adrian followed.
We ran.
The garage was nearly empty.
A black sedan waited near a concrete pillar.
“Whose car?” I asked.
“Reed’s,” Adrian said.
A man stepped from behind it.
Gun raised.
Adrian fired first.
The man fell.
I screamed.
This world was becoming normal too quickly.
We reached the car.
Marcus put Ava in the back with me.
Adrian drove.
As we exited the garage, his phone regained signal.
Messages flooded in.
He checked one.
His face turned white.
“What?”
No answer.
“Adrian.”
He looked into the mirror.
“Reed’s missing.”
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean missing?”
“The penthouse is empty.”
“Victor?”
“Gone.”
“Reed?”
“Gone.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Where would Victor take him?”
Adrian shook his head.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone looked at me.
I answered.
“Hello?”
Victor spoke.
“You have something I want.”
My hand shook.
“What?”
“A memory your daughter carries without knowing.”
I looked at Ava.
Victor continued.
“Bring her to St. Gabriel’s by midnight.”
My blood turned cold.
“If you don’t?”
He paused.
Then Reed’s voice came through the phone.
“Elena, don’t—”
A blow interrupted him.
Victor returned.
“Midnight.”
The call ended.
A new message arrived.
A photograph.
Reed tied to a chair.
Blood at his temple.
Behind him was a stained-glass window I recognized.
St. Gabriel’s.
Then another message appeared.
This one was not from Victor.
It was from a number saved in my phone eight months ago.
Detective Paul Mercer.
May you like
Three words filled the screen.
I KNOW EVERYTHING.
