Chapter 7 - Daniel's Secret
The darkness lasted three seconds.
Then emergency lights came on.
The passage was empty.
Roman's security men searched every corner.
No one was there.
But on the floor lay a small cassette recorder.
Roman picked it up.
A label was attached.
FOR MEERA.
My hands trembled.
"I don't want to hear it."
Roman looked at me.
"You need to."
He pressed play.
Daniel's voice filled the room.
"Meera, if you're hearing this, I'm sorry."
I closed my eyes.
"I never wanted Evan involved."
Daniel continued.
"But your son was the only person I trusted to remember what adults ignored."
I looked at Evan.
He stared at the recorder.
"Three years ago, I discovered that someone was sabotaging Roman's security systems."
Roman's face remained unreadable.
"I believed the person was inside the company."
The recording crackled.
"Then I discovered something worse."
A pause.
"The sabotage wasn't meant to kill Roman."
Roman looked up.
"What?"
Daniel's voice continued.
"It was meant to make Roman believe someone was trying to kill him."
Silence.
I looked at Roman.
"What does that mean?"
He didn't answer.
Daniel continued.
"Someone wanted Roman afraid."
The recording became clearer.
"Fear makes powerful men predictable."
Roman's jaw tightened.
Daniel continued.
"They wanted Roman to remove certain people from his organization."
"Who?"
Daniel didn't say.
Instead, he gave a name.
"Marcus Vale."
Trent looked shocked.
"But Marcus died."
Daniel's voice continued.
"Marcus didn't die."
Roman's face changed.
"He's alive."
The recording stopped.
Roman stared at the recorder.
Then he looked at Trent.
"Where is Marcus?"
"I don't know."
"You knew he was alive."
"I knew Daniel believed he was alive."
Roman turned away.
I suddenly remembered the photograph.
Marcus standing beside Roman.
A man who had once been trusted.
Then my phone vibrated.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
One message.
YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
Below it was an address.
The hotel's rooftop.
I showed Roman.
He read it.
"We're not going."
I shook my head.
"Why?"
"Because whoever sent this wants us there."
"Then what?"
"We find out who sent it."
The security chief approached.
"Sir."
Roman turned.
"We found a second control system."
"Where?"
"Inside the executive elevator."
Roman's eyes narrowed.
"The device wasn't a bomb."
"No."
"What was it?"
The security chief hesitated.
"A transmitter."
Roman looked toward Evan.
"Designed to track the elevator."
"Yes."
I understood.
"They were watching Roman's movements."
Roman nodded.
"Exactly."
Evan suddenly spoke.
"They were watching the button too."
Roman crouched.
"What?"
"The red light."
"What about it?"
"When Mr. Ortega taught me, he said the button had two lights."
Roman looked confused.
"Yellow means stop."
Evan raised one finger.
"Red means someone is listening."
Roman stood.
"Does the button have a red light?"
Evan nodded.
"Not normally."
Roman's security chief rushed back to the control panel.
He removed the cover.
Behind it was a tiny microphone.
Roman stared at it.
"How long?"
The security chief examined it.
"At least three years."
I felt sick.
Someone had been listening to the hotel staff.
To maintenance.
To me.
To Evan.
Roman looked at me.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"Don't apologize. Find them."
For the first time, Roman looked almost surprised by my answer.
Then a loud alarm sounded.
The entire hotel went dark.
Emergency lighting came on.
Guests began shouting somewhere above us.
Roman's security chief spoke into his radio.
"Power failure across the building."
Roman looked at the control panel.
"How long?"
"Unknown."
Evan looked terrified.
Then he pointed toward the elevator.
"Mom."
"What?"
"The elevator is moving."
Roman turned.
The display lit up.
The elevator began descending.
Roman stepped toward it.
"No one called it."
The doors opened.
Inside was a single chair.
On the chair was a photograph.
Roman picked it up.
It showed me holding Evan three years earlier.
On the back, someone had written:
SHE KNOWS MORE THAN SHE REMEMBERS.
I stared at the words.
Then a second message appeared on Roman's phone.
THE WOMAN ISN'T THE TARGET.
May you like
THE BOY IS.
Before Roman could react, the elevator doors slammed shut and began rising toward the forty-third floor...
