Chapter 14: The Brother Who Escaped
Danny grabbed his jacket.
“We're going to Pennsylvania.””
Rhett held up a hand.
“Wait.””
“My brother just called for help!””
“I heard him.””
“Then move!””
Rhett looked at Caleb.
“Find the phone location.””
Caleb was already working.
“I'm trying.””
Rebecca paced across the cabin.
“Richard has Michael. He has Helen. He has been controlling all of us.””
Walter stood beside the table.
For the first time, anger had replaced the confusion in his eyes.
“Not anymore.””
Danny looked at him.
“Dad, you need to stay here.””
Walter shook his head.
“No.””
“You're eighty-two.””
“And you're my son.””
Danny lowered his voice.
“I'm not losing you because of this.””
Walter reached for his shoulder.
“You've already lost twenty-four years with me. Don't waste another minute arguing.””
Danny looked at his father.
Then nodded.
Caleb finally found the location.
Michael's phone had last connected to a cell tower near a small town outside Pittsburgh.
The location was close to an industrial district.
Rhett divided the group.
He and Mason would approach from the main road.
Danny, Caleb, and Walter would follow in the truck.
Emily and Rebecca would remain with Patricia at the cabin.
Rebecca protested.
“I'm going.””
Rhett shook his head.
“Richard knows you. If he sees you, he might run.””
Rebecca looked at Walter.
“Please bring my brother back.””
Walter nodded.
“I promise.””
The industrial district was almost deserted.
Old warehouses stood beside abandoned railway tracks.
The Iron Wolves searched the area until Caleb spotted a vehicle behind a loading dock.
A black SUV.
Its rear window was shattered.
Danny recognized it.
“That's Michael's car.””
He ran toward it.
The driver's door was open.
Inside lay a phone, a wallet, and a small amount of blood on the seat.
Walter stopped.
“Is he hurt?””
Danny looked around.
“Michael!””
A faint noise came from the warehouse.
Rhett raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
Then a metal door creaked open.
A young man stumbled out.
He had dark hair, a bruised cheek, and a bandage around his wrist.
Danny froze.
The man looked at him.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then the stranger whispered:
“Danny?””
Danny stepped forward.
“Michael?””
The young man nodded.
Danny pulled him into an embrace.
Michael began crying.
“I thought you were dead.””
Danny held him tightly.
“So did I.””
Walter approached slowly.
Michael looked over Danny's shoulder.
His eyes landed on the old man.
“Dad?””
Walter nodded.
“I'm here, son.””
Michael stepped away from Danny.
He studied Walter's face.
Then he reached out.
Walter took his hand.
“I've wanted to meet you for thirty years.””
Michael laughed through tears.
“I'm thirty years old.””
Walter nodded.
“I know.””
Michael looked down.
“I'm sorry.””
Walter frowned.
“For what?””
“For not finding you sooner.””
Walter pulled him into his arms.
“You were a child.””
Michael began crying.
Walter held him until his breathing settled.
Then Rhett interrupted.
“We need to get out of here.””
Michael looked toward the warehouse.
“He's coming back.””
Danny turned.
“Who?””
“Richard.””
They moved into a nearby storage office.
Michael explained that Richard had contacted him after learning about the DNA search.
He had invited him to a meeting, claiming he wanted to explain his adoption.
Michael had gone because he wanted answers.
Instead, Richard had shown him a collection of photographs.
Photographs of Danny.
Photographs of Walter.
Photographs of Emily and Rebecca.
Then Richard told him the family had been involved in criminal activity for decades.
“He said my biological father was a violent criminal,” Michael explained.
Walter shook his head.
“He lied.””
“I know that now.””
Michael continued.
“He wanted me to sign some documents. He said they would prove I had no claim to the Hayes family trust.””
Danny frowned.
“What documents?””
Michael removed a folded paper from his jacket.
It was a legal waiver.
The document transferred all claims to the Hayes family estate to Richard Miller.
Danny examined it.
“Did you sign?””
“No.””
“Good.””
Michael looked at Walter.
“He said if I refused, he would make sure I disappeared like you.””
Walter's face hardened.
“Did he threaten you?””
Michael nodded.
“He said I wasn't the first child he had made disappear.””
Rhett stepped forward.
“Did he tell you where Rebecca came from?””
Michael shook his head.
“But he said something strange.””
“What?””
“He said Eleanor had another child after Rebecca.””
Danny looked at Walter.
“Another one?””
Michael nodded.
“He said the youngest child was never adopted.””
Walter felt his stomach tighten.
“Where is that child?””
Michael pulled out a small photograph.
It showed a hospital nursery.
Three babies lay in separate bassinets.
The names on the labels were barely visible.
Danny leaned closer.
“That's not possible.””
Walter stared at the photograph.
There were three babies.
Danny.
Michael.
And a third child.
But the dates didn't match.
Danny pointed to the label.
“Look at the birth date.””
Walter leaned forward.
It was September 1975.
The same month Danny had been born.
Michael looked at them.
“I think Danny had a twin.””
Silence.
Walter stared at the photograph.
Eleanor had never told him.
Not once.
Before anyone could speak, headlights swept across the warehouse windows.
Rhett looked outside.
A black SUV had entered the lot.
Richard Miller stepped out.
He was older than the man in the photograph, but still carried himself with the confidence of someone accustomed to controlling every room.
He held a briefcase.
And he wasn't alone.
Two men stood behind him.
Richard looked directly toward the office.
Then he raised his voice.
“Daniel! Michael! Come outside.””
Danny stepped toward the door.
Rhett blocked him.
“Don't.””
Richard smiled.
“I'm not here to hurt anybody.””
Walter moved beside Danny.
“Then why did you make my children afraid of you?””
Richard looked at him.
For the first time, his smile disappeared.
“Walter. You should have stayed at home.””
Walter took another step forward.
“You stole my children.””
Richard sighed.
“Your wife made her choices.””
“You helped her.””
“I helped protect the family.””
Walter shook his head.
“You destroyed it.””
Richard opened his briefcase.
He removed a document and held it up.
“Then perhaps you'd like to know what really happened to your twin grandchildren.””
Danny stared.
“My twins?””
Richard smiled.
“Your mother didn't just hide one baby.””
He pointed to the photograph.
“She hid two.””
Then Richard dropped the document onto the ground.
May you like
And the name written at the top made Danny's blood run cold.
*PATricia Lawson.*
