Chapter 6 - THE MAN DOMINIC BURIED
Gabriel stepped into the doorway.
Dominic didn't fire.
He couldn't.
For the first time since I'd met him, the most dangerous man in the room looked like a frightened brother.
“You died.”
Gabriel smiled sadly.
“That's what Victor wanted you to believe.”
Claire lowered her weapon.
“Gabriel?”
He nodded.
“I survived the explosion.”
Dominic's voice cracked.
“Why didn't you come back?”
“Because I tried.”
Gabriel revealed scars along his neck.
“They captured me.”
He explained that he had discovered Victor's operation shortly before the explosion.
Victor had arranged for Gabriel to disappear.
Then he used Gabriel's supposed death to manipulate Dominic into becoming more isolated.
Dominic had believed everyone around him was loyal.
Victor slowly replaced them.
One by one.
Gabriel had spent three years collecting evidence.
“Why Marcus?” Dominic asked.
Gabriel looked at the boy.
“Because he noticed what adults ignored.”
“But why was he targeted?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“Because your sister's family was connected to the hospital.”
I looked at him.
“My sister?”
“Rachel helped process your medical records.”
I felt my stomach twist.
“Did she know?”
“No.”
Gabriel's expression softened.
“She was trying to protect patients.”
He handed me a photograph.
Rachel stood beside Claire.
Behind them was a little girl.
Lily.
And next to Lily was Marcus.
I stared at the picture.
“No.”
Gabriel nodded.
“They met at the hospital.”
Marcus had been barely an infant.
But somehow he had been there.
The photograph explained why he remembered the red toy.
Why he recognized the hospital.
Why he seemed familiar with places he'd never consciously visited.
Dominic looked at the photograph.
“Where is Rachel now?”
Gabriel's silence answered first.
“She disappeared six months ago.”
My knees weakened.
Dominic caught me.
“I'm sorry.”
I pushed him away.
“You knew?”
“No.”
“You knew my sister was involved?”
“I knew nothing about your family until tonight.”
Gabriel interrupted.
“We don't have time.”
A distant alarm began to sound.
Someone had entered the hospital.
Dominic looked toward the corridor.
“How many?”
Gabriel checked his watch.
“Enough.”
Dominic looked at me.
“Take Marcus.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere but here.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
His eyes met mine.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
He looked at Marcus.
Then back at me.
“If Victor gets him, he'll use him to find the remaining evidence.”
Marcus suddenly pointed toward a wall.
“There's a door.”
Gabriel stared.
“There isn't.”
Marcus walked to the wall and tapped it.
Three times.
A hollow sound answered.
Dominic looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel smiled for the first time.
“Your boy just found our way out.”
Behind the false wall was a narrow passage.
We moved through it as gunfire erupted behind us.
The tunnel led beneath the hospital.
At the end stood an old elevator.
Gabriel pressed a button.
Nothing happened.
Marcus pointed toward the control panel.
“Red.”
Dominic noticed a tiny red light.
He removed the black device from his pocket.
The moment he held it near the panel, the elevator activated.
Dominic stared at it.
“This wasn't just a listening device.”
Gabriel nodded.
“It was a key.”
“To what?”
The elevator doors opened.
Inside was a computer terminal.
A single message appeared.
WELCOME BACK, DOMINIC.
Then:
PRIMARY ACCOUNT HOLDER CONFIRMED.
Dominic stared at the screen.
“I thought I was being replaced.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“No.”
He looked at Dominic.
“They never wanted to replace you.”
“What did they want?”
Gabriel's answer was quiet.
“They wanted to make you believe you were alone.”
The screen changed.
A list of names appeared.
Politicians.
Bankers.
Doctors.
Police officials.
Businessmen.
And several people Dominic trusted.
At the bottom was one final name.
Dominic stared at it.
His own.
Beside it was a status.
ACTIVE.
Then another line appeared.
SECONDARY SUBJECT: MARCUS VALE.
I pulled Marcus into my arms.
Dominic looked at the screen.
His face became cold.
“They didn't discover him tonight.”
May you like
Gabriel nodded.
“They've been watching him since birth.”
