Chapter 7 - THE BROTHER
Claire woke in an office above the abandoned mill.
Her abdomen screamed with pain.
Nora slept against her chest.
That was the only reason Claire stayed calm.
She had learned during seven months alone that panic consumed energy.
Energy was useful.
She looked around.
Broken windows.
Old desks.
Dusty filing cabinets.
One locked door.
Margaret Bell stood beside the window.
The elegant assistant Claire remembered from charity dinners now wore dark trousers and practical boots.
“You should have let me disappear,” Claire said.
Margaret turned.
“You were supposed to.”
“Then why hunt me?”
“Because Victor changed his mind.”
“Victor seems to do that often.”
Margaret’s mouth tightened.
Claire looked toward Adrian.
He stood in the corner, staring at the floor.
“You look worse than I do.”
Adrian glanced at her.
“Claire.”
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t know about the threats.”
“You were on the recording.”
“I helped bring you here.”
“Excellent distinction.”
His face twisted.
“I’m trying to help now.”
“Unlock the door.”
“I can’t.”
“Then you’re not helping.”
Nora moved.
Claire adjusted the blanket.
Adrian looked at his niece.
Something in his expression collapsed.
“She looks like Roman.”
“She looks like a potato.”
Adrian almost smiled.
Then Claire said, “Why?”
His smile disappeared.
“Why what?”
“Why betray him?”
Adrian walked toward the window.
“Do you know what it’s like being Roman Mercer’s brother?”
“No. I was busy learning what it was like being Roman Mercer’s wife.”
He looked at her.
“Everything I did was compared to him. Roman was stronger. Roman was smarter. Roman had better instincts. Roman inherited the organization. Roman got Father’s house. Roman got the board seats.”
“And Roman got shot twice before forty. Quite the prize.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
Adrian hesitated.
“Victor told me Roman planned to push me out.”
“Did Roman say that?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?”
“No.”
Claire stared at him.
“Remarkable.”
Adrian flinched.
“Victor had documents.”
“Forged ones?”
He looked at her.
Understanding arrived.
Claire continued.
“He forged an email making me believe Roman wanted my pregnancy terminated.”
Adrian went pale.
“He told me Roman knew.”
“Victor told everyone exactly what they needed to hear.”
Margaret snapped, “Enough.”
Claire looked at her.
“You knew the email was fake.”
Margaret said nothing.
“You knew.”
“I knew what was necessary.”
“For what?”
“To prevent Roman from destroying everything.”
Claire almost laughed.
“You terrorized a pregnant woman because Roman wanted legitimate businesses?”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“You think this family survives because Roman wears expensive suits and buys shipping companies? There are agreements older than your marriage. Debts. Alliances. People who depend on balance.”
“People who depend on crime.”
“People who depend on order.”
Claire shook her head.
“That’s what everyone says when chaos benefits them.”
Margaret stepped toward her.
Nora stirred.
Adrian immediately moved between them.
“Back off.”
Margaret stared.
“You’re becoming sentimental.”
“No. I’m becoming aware that kidnapping my brother’s wife and newborn niece might have been a poor career decision.”
For the first time, Claire saw hope.
Small.
But real.
Adrian crouched beside her.
“Roman will come.”
“I know.”
“Victor expects him.”
“I know.”
“Victor has men downstairs.”
“How many?”
“Eight.”
“Roman will bring more.”
“Victor planted explosives.”
Claire stared.
“What?”
Adrian lowered his voice.
“The lower floor. If Roman surrounds the building, Victor detonates it.”
“Does Roman know?”
“No.”
“Tell him.”
“I don’t have my phone.”
Claire looked at Margaret.
Her phone was clipped inside Margaret’s coat pocket.
Adrian followed Claire’s gaze.
Margaret noticed.
“Don’t.”
Adrian stood.
“Margaret.”
“You made your decision months ago.”
“I made it based on lies.”
“You made it because you wanted to be more than Roman’s shadow.”
Adrian’s face tightened.
“That part wasn’t a lie.”
“No,” Margaret said. “It was your weakness.”
She reached inside her coat.
Adrian moved first.
He grabbed her wrist.
The gun discharged into the ceiling.
Nora screamed.
Claire instinctively curled around the baby.
Adrian and Margaret struggled.
The gun fell.
Claire kicked it beneath a desk.
Adrian pinned Margaret against the wall.
“Keys.”
She spat at him.
“Keys.”
Footsteps thundered below.
Adrian looked at Claire.
“They heard.”
He pulled a key ring from Margaret’s belt.
“Come on.”
Claire tried to stand.
Pain tore across her incision.
She nearly collapsed.
Adrian caught her.
“You can’t walk.”
“I can if the building is rigged to explode.”
He put one arm around her.
They reached the stairwell.
Two men appeared below.
Adrian raised Margaret’s gun.
“Move.”
One man laughed.
“Victor said you might turn.”
Adrian fired into the metal railing beside them.
They ducked.
Claire stared.
“I thought you were helping.”
“I am.”
“Try helping less loudly.”
They moved upward instead.
Roof access.
Cold October air hit Claire’s face.
The mill roof stretched fifty yards.
No escape.
Below, headlights appeared.
Black SUVs.
Roman.
Claire’s heart leapt.
“No.”
Adrian understood.
“He can’t enter.”
Claire searched desperately.
There was an old maintenance light near the roof edge.
Beside it, a rusted electrical box.
Adrian looked at her.
“What are you thinking?”
“Can we signal him?”
“With what?”
Claire handed him Nora.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
“I don’t know how.”
“Neither did Roman this morning. Hold her head.”
Claire tore a strip from the white hospital blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
She tied it to a broken metal pole.
Then waved.
Far below, Roman stepped from the lead SUV.
He saw movement on the roof.
Claire.
Roman began forward.
She waved harder.
Then pointed down.
Crossed her arms.
No.
Roman stopped.
Claire pointed toward the building, then mimed an explosion with her hands.
Matteo raised binoculars.
Seconds later Roman’s men retreated.
Adrian exhaled.
“He understood.”
A voice behind them said, “He always was quick.”
Victor Dane stood in the doorway.
Gun in hand.
Claire froze.
Victor looked at Adrian holding Nora.
“Give me the baby.”
Adrian stepped back.
“No.”
Victor sighed.
“I gave you everything your brother never did.”
“You gave me lies.”
“I gave you courage.”
“You gave me resentment and called it courage.”
Victor’s face became cold.
He raised the gun.
Then Claire heard Roman’s voice below through a loudspeaker.
“Victor.”
Everyone stopped.
“I have the index.”
Victor walked toward the roof edge.
Roman stood alone in the parking lot holding a small black notebook.
“Come down,” Roman called.
Victor smiled.
Claire saw his thumb press a device in his hand.
Detonator.
“One wrong move,” Adrian whispered, “and he blows the building.”
Claire looked at Nora.
Then at Roman below.
Victor called down, “You finally understand.”
Roman raised the notebook.
“Claire and Nora first.”
Victor laughed.
“You are negotiating from the wrong position.”
“No.”
Roman calmly held a lighter beneath the index.
Victor’s expression changed.
“Don’t.”
Roman lit one corner.
“Claire and Nora.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Put it out!”
Roman let the flame grow.
Victor’s control cracked.
He aimed the gun toward Roman.
Adrian moved.
The shot exploded across the roof.
Claire screamed.
Roman disappeared behind an SUV.
Victor turned toward Adrian.
Adrian stared down at his shirt.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
Nora cried in his arms.
Claire grabbed the gun beneath Victor’s wrist.
The detonator fell.
It skidded across the roof.
Toward the edge.
Victor lunged.
May you like
So did Claire.
And suddenly the fate of everyone inside the mill depended on which one reached it first.
