Chapter 6 - THEY TOOK THE WRONG THING FROM HER
Maya did not tell Ethan.
That was her first mistake.
Her second was believing she could solve the problem herself.
The messages instructed her to bring Ben’s original drive to an abandoned parking garage.
No police.
No Ethan.
Maya copied the drive.
Then she left.
What she didn’t know was that Lily had seen the message.
And Lily trusted Ethan.
At 8:17 p.m., Ethan’s phone rang.
“Ethan?”
He smiled automatically.
“Hey, kiddo.”
“Mom went somewhere.”
His smile disappeared.
“What do you mean?”
“She said Mrs. Parker was watching me.”
“Where did she go?”
“I think because of the scary picture.”
Ethan stood.
“What picture?”
“The one of me.”
Thirty seconds later he was calling federal investigators.
Maya reached the garage at 8:42.
Travis Collins stepped from behind a concrete pillar.
She hadn’t seen him in four years.
He looked older.
Harder.
“You ruined everything.”
Maya stared.
“You killed your brother.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“You were paid to scare him.”
Travis looked away.
“Daniel said Ben was going to destroy all of us.”
“He was exposing thieves.”
“You think I don’t know that now?”
“Then testify.”
Travis laughed.
“You think Daniel lets people walk away?”
Maya held up the drive.
“This is what you want?”
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
Travis’s expression changed.
“Maya.”
“Tell me where Daniel is.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand my husband died because you chose money.”
Travis flinched.
Then headlights flooded the garage.
Ethan’s car.
Maya’s stomach dropped.
“No.”
Ethan stepped out.
“Maya!”
Travis grabbed her.
A gun appeared.
Ethan stopped.
“Let her go.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I hear that often.”
“Drive is on the ground,” Travis ordered.
Maya dropped it.
Travis kicked it away.
Then another vehicle entered.
Daniel Ross climbed out.
Ethan stared at him.
For a second, neither man spoke.
Daniel looked almost relieved.
“Ethan.”
“Seven years.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“It wasn’t supposed to become this.”
“You stole from me.”
“From a corporation worth hundreds of billions.”
“You had stock.”
“I had crumbs compared to you!”
Ethan laughed once.
“You were worth nine hundred million dollars.”
“And you had six billion.”
There it was.
Not need.
Comparison.
Daniel had stood beside Ethan for years counting everything Ethan possessed until friendship became humiliation.
“Ben found out,” Ethan said.
Daniel looked at Maya.
“He wouldn’t listen.”
“So you had him killed?”
“No.”
Travis shouted, “You told me to run him off the road!”
Maya froze.
Daniel’s face changed.
Ethan understood.
Travis had just confessed.
Sirens screamed outside.
Daniel spun.
“You called them?”
Ethan smiled faintly.
“No.”
Maya did.
She pulled her phone from her coat pocket.
The call had been connected for eleven minutes.
Daniel lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Travis grabbed Daniel.
A gun fired.
Maya screamed.
Ethan ran toward her.
Travis collapsed.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
Police flooded the garage.
Daniel was tackled.
Maya stood frozen.
Then Ethan reached her.
“What were you thinking?”
She stared at him.
“You’re yelling.”
“Yes!”
“You never yell.”
“I’ve discovered new abilities!”
Maya’s lips trembled.
Then she laughed.
It came out halfway between laughter and tears.
Ethan pulled her into his arms.
“You terrified me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He held her tighter.
“I thought I was protecting Lily.”
“I know.”
Maya looked up.
“I’m bad at letting people help.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“And you’re controlling.”
“I prefer efficient.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
She laughed again.
Then Ethan kissed her.
It wasn’t elegant.
It wasn’t planned.
It was fear and relief and several weeks of feelings neither of them had been brave enough to name.
Maya kissed him back.
When they separated, Travis was being loaded into an ambulance.
Daniel sat handcuffed beside a police cruiser.
For once, Ethan didn’t look at him.
He looked only at Maya.
“I’m still angry.”
“I can tell.”
“I may remain angry for several hours.”
“Understandable.”
“And you’re never doing anything like this again.”
Maya raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t get to order me around.”
Ethan sighed.
“This relationship is going to be exhausting.”
Maya smiled.
“Relationship?”
Ethan realized what he had said.
She waited.
He could negotiate his way out.
Instead he said, “I hope so.”
Maya’s smile softened.
“Me too.”
Back at the apartment, Lily was awake.
She looked at their faces.
“Did you kiss?”
Maya stopped.
Ethan looked at the ceiling.
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because Mom’s smiling weird.”
“I am not.”
Lily looked at Ethan.
“You are too.”
Ethan surrendered.
“Yes.”
Lily nodded.
“Good.”
Maya stared.
“That’s it?”
“What else?”
“You’re seven.”
“I know.”
Lily returned to her cereal.
Ethan sat beside her.
For the first time, he understood something that frightened him.
Daniel had betrayed him.
His company was wounded.
His board wanted him gone.
His reputation was being torn apart publicly.
Yet sitting in a small kitchen with Maya and Lily, Ethan felt richer than he had on the day his company crossed a hundred-billion-dollar valuation.
And that terrified him.
May you like
Because money had taught Ethan how to acquire things.
It had never taught him how to survive having something he could not bear to lose.
