Chapter 15 - Brother and Sister
Rachel stopped breathing.
“Ethan?”
Her brother stood ten feet away.
For eleven years, she had believed he disappeared because of her.
Now he was standing inside the room.
Alive.
Vale looked furious.
“You.”
Ethan ignored him.
His eyes remained on Rachel.
“I’m sorry.”
She stared at him.
“For what?”
Ethan’s face crumpled.
“For letting you believe I was taken.”
The color drained from Rachel’s face.
“No.”
“Rebecca.”
“No.”
“I helped him.”
She shook her head violently.
“No.”
“I was scared.”
“I owed him money.”
“I thought if I frightened you into silence, he would leave you alone.”
Rachel made a sound I will never forget.
Not a scream.
Something deeper.
Eleven years of guilt collapsing at once.
“You let me believe they killed you.”
“I know.”
“I buried you in my head every day.”
“I know.”
“I changed my name.”
“I know.”
“I slept beside my children wondering whether every sound outside meant they were coming because I failed you.”
Ethan began crying.
“I know.”
Rachel lunged forward despite the restraints.
“If I survive tonight, I never want to see you again.”
Ethan nodded.
“I understand.”
Vale applauded slowly.
“This is touching.”
Ethan finally turned toward him.
“It’s over.”
Vale laughed.
“You brought three men.”
“I brought something else.”
Ethan lifted a small device.
Vale’s expression changed.
“What is that?”
“Your insurance policy.”
Years earlier, Vale had insisted every estate contain a hidden network connected to his private servers.
Ethan had built that network.
And he still knew how to access it.
“Every financial record you have is being transmitted.”
Vale rushed toward him.
Ethan pressed a button.
Somewhere in the house, alarms began screaming.
The lights died.
Chaos followed.
I moved.
Not toward Vale.
Toward Lily.
I slammed my shoulder into the man guarding her.
He fell sideways.
I grabbed Lily with one arm and Tommy with the other.
“Run.”
Lily held onto my jacket.
Rachel shouted from the darkness.
“Daniel.”
I could not leave her.
I handed Tommy to Lily for one impossible second.
“Stay behind the couch.”
Then I crawled toward Rachel.
Gunshots erupted somewhere outside.
Glass shattered.
Men shouted.
I found Rachel’s chair.
My hands searched for the restraints.
“Daniel, take the kids.”
“Not leaving you.”
“You have to.”
“No.”
I used a broken piece of glass to cut through the plastic tie around her wrists.
Suddenly a flashlight hit my face.
Vale stood six feet away.
A pistol pointed directly at me.
“Move away from her.”
Rachel froze.
Behind me, Lily whispered.
“Daddy.”
Vale heard her.
His weapon shifted slightly toward the couch.
And that was his mistake.
Rachel drove the chair into his knees.
He fired.
The bullet struck the wall.
I tackled him.
For the first time in my life, I fought another man without thinking about consequences.
Not because he threatened my marriage.
Not because he had lied to me.
May you like
Because behind me were two children who had already spent too many days protecting themselves.
And I was done allowing adults to make them afraid.
