Chapter 10 - The Night Kayla Disappeared
The woman was not Kayla's mother.
She was her mother's sister.
Rachel.
Kayla had never known she existed.
Rachel had entered witness protection after helping investigators build an early case against Gabriel Woods.
The case collapsed.
She disappeared.
Victor had found her.
Rachel brought the final evidence.
An audio recording.
Kayla's mother confronting Eleanor Gable.
Eleanor confessed to ordering Thomas Hughes's death.
She also threatened Kayla and Sam.
Their mother had spent the rest of her life hiding evidence while keeping her children ignorant enough to survive.
Kayla cried quietly.
Gunther stayed beside her.
Rachel explained why Victor had hidden things.
Gabriel had threatened Victor's family.
Victor had spent years waiting for enough evidence to destroy the old network safely.
Gunther forgave him.
Not immediately.
But eventually.
They planned the final operation.
Eleanor contacted Kayla.
She demanded the original cassette.
Kayla volunteered to deliver it.
Gunther refused.
Kayla reminded him she was not property to protect.
They compromised.
Kayla would wear a tracker.
Federal agents would surround the location.
Gunther would remain close.
The exchange happened at an abandoned hotel.
Kayla entered.
Eleanor waited.
“You look like your mother.”
Kayla remained calm.
“You killed my father.”
“Yes.”
The casual answer almost broke her.
But Kayla remembered Gunther.
Control.
Wait.
Listen.
Eleanor demanded the cassette.
Kayla placed it on the table.
Eleanor smiled.
Then she looked at Kayla's necklace.
A tiny light blinked.
Tracker.
Eleanor's smile vanished.
Gunther heard the gunshot from outside.
He ran.
Agents stormed the hotel.
They found Eleanor.
They found blood.
They found Kayla's necklace.
But Kayla was gone.
Gunther picked up the broken tracker.
His hands began to shake.
Then his phone rang.
Eleanor smiled from the floor.
“Answer it.”
Gunther did.
Kayla's voice whispered:
“Gunther?”
“Kayla. Where are you?”
“I don't know.”
A man spoke behind her.
Gunther recognized the voice.
May you like
Gabriel Sr.
And then the line went dead.
