Chapter 7
The police hated the plan.
My father hated it more.
That was how I knew we were going to do it.
Detectives created a fake drive that looked almost identical to Ethan's.
A tracking chip was hidden inside its casing.
Dad wore a microphone.
So did I.
We were told repeatedly not to improvise.
Daniel laughed from his hospital bed when he heard that instruction.
“You're telling Emily not to improvise?”
I gave him a look.
He raised both hands.
“Good luck, cops.”
By three-thirty in the morning, Dad and I were driving toward the riverfront site in a black SUV.
Marcus drove.
Police followed at a distance.
I held the fake flash drive inside my coat.
Dad stared ahead.
“You can still stay in the car.”
“So can you.”
“That isn't happening.”
“Then stop asking.”
Silence.
Finally he said, “Your mother would kill me.”
“Probably.”
“She'd kill you too.”
“Definitely.”
That almost made him smile.
Almost.
The construction site was half-finished.
Concrete columns rose into darkness.
Wind blew off the river.
One work light burned near the center.
We stopped.
Nathan Dane stood beneath it.
Alone.
At least visibly.
Dad and I got out.
Marcus stayed near the SUV.
Nathan watched us approach.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
“Thomas.”
“Nathan.”
Nathan looked at me.
“I didn't invite her.”
“I invited myself.”
He smiled.
“You really are Laura's daughter.”
My body stiffened.
“You knew my mother?”
“No.”
“Then don't say her name.”
His smile disappeared.
Dad stepped forward.
“Where's Paul?”
Nathan pointed toward a trailer.
“Inside.”
“Alive?”
“For now.”
“Show me.”
Nathan pulled out his phone.
A live video appeared.
Paul was still tied to the chair.
He looked terrified.
Dad's jaw tightened.
“Release him.”
“Drive first.”
I held it up.
Nathan's eyes locked onto it.
“All this for a flash drive?”
“All this started before I was born.”
Nathan laughed softly.
“At least you understand that.”
I looked at him.
“Your father lost money because Martin Vale stole it.”
“My father lost everything because Thomas protected Martin Vale.”
Dad shook his head.
“I tried to recover the funds.”
“You protected your own reputation.”
“I was twenty-eight years old.”
“And my father was forty-six when he put a gun in his mouth.”
Silence.
Dad looked stunned.
“I didn't know.”
“Of course you didn't.”
Nathan's calm slipped.
“You went on building towers. Buying restaurants. Sending your children to private schools.”
His eyes moved to me.
“We lost our house.”
I understood his rage.
I didn't excuse it.
“You think kidnapping Paul fixes that?”
“No.”
“Attacking Daniel?”
Nathan said nothing.
Dad's voice hardened.
“You ordered that?”
“I ordered them to scare him.”
“You nearly got my son killed.”
Nathan shrugged.
“Collateral damage.”
Dad lunged.
I grabbed his coat.
“Dad.”
Nathan laughed.
“There he is.”
Dad stopped.
“What?”
“The real Thomas Bennett.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“The man my father said existed behind the suits.”
“You never knew me.”
“No.”
“But Rebecca did.”
My stomach tightened.
“You worked with her.”
“For a while.”
“Did she know about Daniel?”
“No.”
Dad looked at me.
Nathan continued.
“Rebecca wanted truth.”
“And you?”
“Balance.”
“What does that mean?”
“My father died with nothing.”
He looked at Dad.
“You should too.”
There it was.
Not justice.
Revenge.
Nathan held out his hand.
“The drive.”
I pulled it from my pocket.
Dad whispered, “Emily.”
I ignored him.
Nathan watched me.
“Walk it over.”
I took one step.
Dad grabbed my arm.
“No.”
Nathan reached inside his coat.
Dad froze.
I couldn't see the weapon.
But I knew.
Nathan smiled.
“Let her come.”
I walked forward.
Ten feet.
Eight.
Six.
Nathan held out his hand.
I stopped.
“Paul first.”
“Emily.”
“No.”
He looked irritated.
“You aren't in control.”
“Neither are you.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You wouldn't be standing in an abandoned construction site at four in the morning if you were.”
For the first time, he looked angry.
Good.
I needed him angry.
People made mistakes when angry.
Richard had proved that.
Nathan moved toward me.
I stepped back.
“Show me Paul.”
He lifted the phone again.
I stared at the screen.
Paul was there.
But something was wrong.
The image.
A small clock sat on a shelf behind him.
It read 2:47.
My phone showed 3:56.
Not live.
I looked at Nathan.
“Where is he?”
Nathan's eyes changed.
Dad heard me.
“What?”
“The video isn't live.”
Nathan reached for me.
I threw the flash drive toward the river.
He reacted instantly.
Turned his head.
Exactly what police were waiting for.
Floodlights exploded on.
“Police! Hands!”
Nathan grabbed me.
A gun pressed against my ribs.
Dad shouted.
I couldn't hear the rest.
Nathan dragged me backward.
“Turn them off!”
Officers surrounded us from behind concrete walls.
Nathan's arm tightened around my throat.
“Tell them to back up.”
I stared at Dad.
His face was white.
“Do it.”
Police didn't move.
Nathan screamed.
“Back up!”
Dad raised his hands.
“Nathan.”
“Shut up.”
“You want me.”
“I want you to lose.”
His voice cracked.
“Everything.”
I could feel the gun shaking.
He was unraveling.
“You already lost,” I whispered.
He tightened his grip.
“What?”
“The drive.”
His eyes flicked toward the darkness where I had thrown it.
“That wasn't the real one.”
His breathing stopped.
I smiled despite the gun.
“You built your whole revenge plan around another fake document.”
He shoved the gun harder into my ribs.
“Shut up.”
“And Rebecca betrayed you.”
“Shut up!”
“And Richard is in jail.”
“Shut up!”
“And your men are in custody.”
His hand trembled.
“You didn't destroy my father.”
He was breathing too fast now.
“You just became Richard Caldwell.”
That did it.
Nathan swung me around.
The gun moved away from my ribs for half a second.
A shot cracked.
Nathan screamed.
The gun dropped.
Officers rushed him.
I fell to the ground.
Dad reached me first.
“Emily!”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you hit?”
“No.”
He checked anyway.
Nathan was dragged away clutching his wounded hand.
He looked at me with pure hatred.
“You think this ends it?”
I stood.
“Yeah.”
He laughed.
“You still don't know where Paul is.”
My stomach dropped.
Dad turned.
“Where?”
Nathan smiled.
Police pushed him forward.
“You have maybe thirty minutes.”
Dad grabbed him.
Officers pulled Dad away.
“Where is he?”
Nathan laughed.
“The river takes everything eventually.”
Melissa's voice came through the hidden earpiece.
“We heard him. Search teams moving.”
Police searched the site.
The trailer was empty.
No Paul.
Then one detective found tire tracks leading toward an old dock.
There was blood.
A broken zip tie.
And Paul's watch.
Dad picked it up.
His face collapsed.
“No.”
I looked toward the river.
Dark water moved beneath us.
Nathan's words repeated in my head.
The river takes everything eventually.
Police divers were called.
Boats searched downstream.
For twenty minutes, nothing.
Then Marcus shouted.
“Here!”
We ran.
Not toward the water.
Toward a concrete storage pit beside the dock.
Officers cut a heavy chain.
Inside, lying on the ground, was Paul.
Alive.
Barely.
Dad dropped beside him.
“Paul.”
Paul opened his eyes.
“Thomas?”
“Yes.”
Paul started crying.
“I’m sorry.”
Dad grabbed his hand.
“Save it.”
“I screwed up.”
“I know.”
“I thought I could fix it.”
“I know.”
“Nathan…”
“Caught.”
“Rebecca?”
“Alive.”
Paul closed his eyes.
“Good.”
Paramedics carried him out.
Before they loaded him into the ambulance, he grabbed Dad's sleeve.
“There’s one more person.”
Dad froze.
“What?”
Paul struggled to speak.
“Nathan wasn't the source inside Bennett.”
Melissa stepped closer.
“Then who was?”
Paul coughed.
“I gave Rebecca information.”
Dad's face tightened.
“But not Caldwell?”
“Never.”
“Then how did Richard get the confidential documents?”
Paul shook his head.
“I tried to find out.”
“Who?”
Paul looked terrified.
“The board.”
Dad stared at him.
“What about it?”
“One of your board members is working with Caldwell.”
Melissa looked toward the police vehicles.
“Which one?”
Paul tried to answer.
His eyes rolled slightly.
The medic pushed us away.
“That's enough.”
Dad grabbed the stretcher.
“Paul, which board member?”
Paul forced out one word.
“Family.”
Then he lost consciousness.
Dad stared after him.
I felt cold.
Our board had seven members.
Only one was family.
May you like
My father's younger brother.
Uncle James.
