Chapter 7 - THE TRAP
We created a trap.
The trust documents were divided into three pieces.
One stayed with my father.
One with Daniel.
One with Grace.
The final piece was fake.
We leaked it.
Marcus took the bait.
By midnight, three men entered the warehouse where they believed the trust documents were stored.
They found me waiting.
“Where's Marcus?” I asked.
The tallest man smiled.
“You think you're in control?”
“No.”
I looked at the cameras.
“I know I'm not.”
The lights came on.
Police entered.
Daniel had already given federal investigators everything.
The men surrendered.
But Marcus wasn't there.
Neither was Victor.
Then my phone rang.
Victor.
“You always were your father's son.”
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere your family will never look.”
“What do you want?”
“Grace.”
My blood ran cold.
He continued.
“She knows where the final trust clause is.”
“I know.”
“Then you know why she has to come.”
“No.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Victor laughed.
“Your father chose her.”
I looked toward Grace.
“He always did.”
Victor hung up.
Grace walked toward me.
“I know where he'll take me.”
I stared.
“Where?”
“My old home.”
Her childhood house.
We drove there.
It was abandoned.
Broken windows.
Overgrown grass.
Inside, we found Victor.
He wasn't alone.
Marcus stood beside him.
And behind them was Eleanor.
My mother.
I stopped.
“Mom?”
She looked exhausted.
“I didn't know it would go this far.”
I couldn't believe her.
“You helped them.”
“I thought I was protecting you.”
“By stealing my children?”
“No.”
She looked at Grace.
“I was protecting the trust.”
Marcus laughed.
“Still pretending you're innocent.”
Eleanor looked at him.
“You promised nobody would get hurt.”
Marcus raised his weapon.
Everything happened at once.
My father tackled him.
Grace grabbed Lily.
Daniel pulled Eleanor behind a wall.
A gunshot shattered a window.
I ran toward the children.
Marcus escaped through the back.
Victor followed.
Within minutes, police surrounded the property.
Eleanor surrendered.
My mother was arrested.
I couldn't look at her.
Not yet.
Grace came toward me.
“You okay?”
I nodded.
Then Noah hugged my leg.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Are we going home?”
I looked at Grace.
She smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
“For real?”
I knelt.
“For real.”
But before we left, an officer approached.
“Mr. Hale?”
“Yes?”
“We found something in Marcus's vehicle.”
“What?”
“A list.”
He handed me a photograph.
My name was at the top.
Below it were Grace's.
Then Noah.
Emma.
Lily.
And one final name.
Amelia Brooks.
My stomach dropped.
May you like
Amelia hadn't been part of this.
Or had she?
