Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
The address led Adrian to an abandoned lakeside hotel.
He arrived alone, as instructed, although Marcus and two trusted men were positioned several blocks away.
The building had been empty for years.
Its windows were boarded, the entrance covered in dust, and the parking lot filled with weeds.
Adrian stepped inside.
“Mia?”
His voice echoed through the lobby.
A light flickered above the staircase.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Adrian.”
He turned.
Celeste stood at the top of the stairs.
He raised his weapon.
“Where is my wife?”
“Relax. She's not here.”
“Then why did you send the photograph?”
“I didn't.”
He studied her.
“Who did?”
Celeste descended slowly.
“Your mother.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“Why are you helping her?”
“Because I made a mistake.”
“You made several.”
She accepted the insult.
“I thought marrying you would give me power. I thought your wife was simply an obstacle.”
“And now?”
“Now I know Eleanor is willing to destroy everyone to keep her secrets.”
Adrian lowered his weapon slightly.
“Where is Thomas Harper?”
Celeste reached into her handbag and removed a key.
“Basement.”
They went downstairs.
At the bottom of the stairwell was a steel door.
Celeste unlocked it.
Inside, an elderly man sat in a chair beside a narrow bed.
His hair had turned almost completely gray.
His face was thinner than the photograph.
But his eyes were familiar.
Thomas Harper looked up.
“Adrian Vale.”
Adrian stood motionless.
“You're alive.”
Thomas gave a bitter smile.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Where is Mia?”
“Safe, I hope.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“You know where she is?”
Thomas looked at him for a long moment.
“Before I answer, tell me something. Did you ever love my daughter?”
The question struck harder than Adrian expected.
He could have lied.
He could have said yes.
But Thomas had the expression of a man who had spent years surviving lies.
“I don't know how to answer that.”
“Then you shouldn't have married her.”
Adrian looked down.
“I know.”
Thomas leaned forward.
“She gave up her ability to walk to save your life. She spent six years believing that if she loved you enough, you might eventually see her as more than a debt.”
Adrian said nothing.
“And when she finally found the courage to leave, you sent men to find her.”
“I want to protect her.”
“No. You want to bring her back.”
The distinction silenced him.
Thomas reached beneath the bed and removed a small metal box.
Inside was a flash drive and a photograph of two men standing beside a warehouse.
One was Thomas.
The other was Adrian's father.
“Your father and I were partners,” Thomas said. “We discovered Eleanor had been stealing money from the organization and arranging murders to consolidate control.”
Adrian stared at the photograph.
“My mother?”
“She had your father's killed.”
The words landed like a physical blow.
“My father died in a car accident.”
“That was the story.”
Adrian stepped backward.
“Why didn't you tell anyone?”
“I tried. Your mother had people everywhere. Then she discovered I had the ledger.”
“What ledger?”
“The records of every payment, every murder, every person she bought.”
Thomas handed him the flash drive.
“Your mother believes it's in here. It isn't.”
“Where is it?”
Thomas looked toward the door.
“Mia has the key.”
Adrian frowned.
“She has a silver key.”
“Yes.”
“Where does it lead?”
Thomas smiled sadly.
“To a place your mother has been searching for six years.”
Adrian looked at the old man.
“Why did you let Mia believe you were dead?”
Thomas's expression collapsed.
“Because Eleanor threatened to kill her if I contacted her.”
A noise came from upstairs.
Footsteps.
Then a gunshot.
Celeste screamed.
Adrian pulled Thomas behind the bed and reached for his weapon.
A man's voice echoed through the stairwell.
“Mr. Vale! Your mother sends her regards.”
Adrian looked at Thomas.
The old man's face had gone white.
May you like
Then he whispered something that made Adrian's blood freeze.
“There's one more thing you need to know about the baby.”
