Chapter 6 - The Price of Loyalty
Dean took Nora’s phone.
“Who is this?”
The man laughed.
“Senator Mercer sends his regards.”
Dean’s face changed.
The room around him seemed to become colder.
Nora grabbed his sleeve.
“My sister.”
The voice continued.
“Emily Bennett is safe.”
Nora closed her eyes in relief.
“For now.”
The relief vanished.
Mercer’s man gave instructions.
No police.
No federal agents.
No tricks.
Bring the information Evan Blake disclosed.
In exchange, Emily would walk away.
Dean asked, “Where?”
“Adrian knows.”
The call ended.
Nora stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Dean looked at Adrian’s message.
DON’T FOLLOW ME.
“He knew this was coming.”
Detective Kim approached.
“We trace the call.”
Dean shook his head.
“Burner.”
“We still try.”
Nora grabbed Dean’s arm.
“I need to know where my sister is.”
“We’ll find her.”
“How?”
Dean looked at her.
“I don’t know yet.”
She had never seen him admit that before.
It frightened her.
Then another message arrived.
From Adrian.
A map pin.
Old freight terminal.
Calumet Harbor.
Under it:
COME WITHOUT POLICE OR THEY KILL HER.
Dean showed Nora.
“No.”
“I’m going.”
“No.”
“My sister is there.”
“That’s exactly why you’re not.”
She stared at him.
“You don’t get to decide.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not my boss.”
“No.”
“You’re not my husband.”
Something changed in his eyes.
Nora noticed too late.
Neither spoke for a second.
Then Dean said quietly, “No. I’m not.”
The words carried more than they should have.
Nora looked away first.
Detective Kim interrupted.
“We can surround the area without approaching.”
Dean nodded.
“They’ll expect that.”
“Then what?”
Dean looked at the map.
“We give them what they want.”
Nora frowned.
“We don’t have it.”
“Yes, we do.”
He held up the photo from the hospital.
42-17.
“The code.”
Union Station locker.
Evan had said “locker.”
Maybe not safe deposit box.
Maybe the actual records were in a luggage locker.
Police rushed to Union Station.
They found locker 4217.
Inside was a small metal box.
No money.
No tapes.
One flash drive.
Password-protected.
And a handwritten note.
VICTOR KNEW.
Federal technicians began working immediately.
Dean did not wait.
At 2:15 a.m., he entered the freight terminal.
Nora entered with him.
He had argued.
She had ignored him.
Again.
The building smelled of rust and lake water.
Adrian stood near the center.
Hands behind his head.
Two armed men flanked him.
Emily sat tied to a chair.
Alive.
Terrified.
Nora moved.
Dean stopped her.
“Wait.”
Charles Mercer stepped from the shadows.
Sixty-three.
Silver hair.
Perfect coat.
Calm smile.
He looked exactly like he did on television.
That made him more frightening.
“Dean Campbell.”
Dean stared.
“Charles Mercer.”
“And Nurse Bennett.”
Mercer smiled at Nora.
“You have caused me considerable inconvenience.”
Nora’s voice shook.
“Let my sister go.”
“In time.”
He looked at Dean.
“The drive.”
Dean held it up.
Mercer nodded.
“Bring it.”
Dean walked forward.
Nora saw Adrian’s eyes.
He looked at Dean.
Then briefly toward the ceiling.
A camera.
Dean saw it too.
Mercer probably thought the camera belonged to him.
Maybe it didn’t.
Dean handed over the drive.
Mercer smiled.
“Your father was more cautious.”
“You killed him.”
Mercer did not answer.
Dean stepped closer.
“You killed Victor.”
Mercer looked almost bored.
“Your father made choices.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“No.”
“It was a statement.”
Mercer studied Dean.
Then laughed.
“You really are his son.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Both of us are.”
Mercer looked at him.
“Unfortunately.”
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“You used me.”
“For years.”
“You stole the trust.”
“Yes.”
“You told me Dean knew.”
“I needed tension between you.”
“Why?”
“Because united sons would have been dangerous.”
Dean looked at the ceiling camera again.
Keep talking.
Mercer continued.
“Victor believed family made him strong. It made him predictable.”
“And me?”
“You were predictable too.”
Dean smiled faintly.
“Was I?”
Mercer’s smile vanished.
Dean looked toward the entrance.
“You brought me here believing you controlled the room.”
Mercer lifted one hand.
Guns aimed at Dean.
“I do.”
Dean looked at Nora.
“Do you remember the fire alarm?”
Nora understood.
She smiled.
“Different system.”
Mercer frowned.
Then every emergency door in the freight terminal slammed shut.
Red lights flashed.
Police sirens erupted outside.
Mercer turned.
Adrian moved.
He attacked the nearest guard.
Dean lunged for the second.
Nora ran toward Emily.
Gunfire exploded.
She threw herself behind the chair.
Dean slammed one attacker into a steel column.
Pain tore through his still-healing abdomen.
He collapsed to one knee.
Mercer grabbed a gun.
Nora saw it.
“Dean!”
Mercer aimed.
Adrian stepped between them.
The gun fired.
Adrian jerked.
Dean caught him.
“No.”
Mercer ran.
Police breached the building.
Kim’s team stormed in.
Nora cut Emily free.
Then rushed to Adrian.
Blood spread across his shirt.
Dean pressed his hands over the wound.
“You idiot.”
Adrian coughed.
“Sentimental.”
“Shut up.”
Nora dropped beside them.
“Move your hand.”
Dean obeyed.
She assessed the wound.
Upper chest.
Potential lung.
Adrian looked at Dean.
“Did we get him?”
Dean stared toward the exit.
Mercer was being dragged to the ground by police.
“Yes.”
Adrian smiled weakly.
“Good.”
“Don’t you dare close your eyes.”
“You sound like her.”
Dean’s face twisted.
For the first time, Nora saw terror.
Not anger.
Not violence.
Fear.
“Adrian.”
His brother’s eyes closed.
The ambulance ride became a blur.
Nora worked beside paramedics.
Dean sat opposite.
Blood covered his hands.
Adrian’s blood.
At the hospital, surgery began immediately.
Dean waited.
Hours.
Nora stayed with him.
Emily went home under police protection.
Mercer was arrested.
The flash drive had already uploaded its contents to federal servers the moment it connected to Mercer’s laptop.
Dean had known.
The ceiling camera in the terminal belonged to federal investigators.
The confession had been captured.
Victor’s murder.
The stolen trust.
The poisoning plot.
Everything.
At 8:40 a.m., the surgeon entered.
Dean stood.
“How is he?”
“He survived surgery.”
Dean closed his eyes.
Nora smiled.
“But.”
Dean opened them.
The surgeon’s face was serious.
“The next twenty-four hours are critical.”
Dean nodded.
He sat.
Nora sat beside him.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Dean looked at her hand.
“You keep doing that.”
“What?”
“Holding my hand.”
“You keep nearly dying.”
“Fair.”
She smiled faintly.
Then he turned his palm upward.
An invitation.
Nora placed her hand in his.
His fingers closed around hers.
No threat.
No power.
Just a man who had almost lost the last piece of family he never knew he had.
“Nora.”
“Yes?”
“When this is over…”
He stopped.
She looked at him.
“What?”
Dean Campbell, who terrified doctors, businessmen, politicians, and armed men, suddenly looked unsure.
Before he could answer, Detective Kim rushed down the corridor.
“Dean.”
He stood.
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
“What problem?”
Kim held up her phone.
“Mercer never made it to county lockup.”
Dean went still.
“How?”
“The transport vehicle was hit.”
Nora stared.
Kim continued.
“Two officers wounded. Mercer gone.”
Dean’s expression became cold.
Then Kim showed him a surveillance image.
Mercer climbing into a black SUV.
The driver’s face was partially visible.
Dean leaned closer.
His stomach dropped.
May you like
Nora recognized the woman too.
Margaret Vale.
