Chapter 5 - THE PRICE OF GETTING NOAH BACK
“No.”
Adrian turned toward me.
We were in the estate’s security room, surrounded by monitors, armed men, maps, and people too frightened to look directly at him.
“No?” he repeated.
“You are not going after Noah without me.”
His expression became dangerous.
“You are the person Malcolm demanded.”
“Exactly.”
“That is why you’re staying here.”
“That is why I’m coming.”
“Claire.”
“Don’t Claire me.”
Russo glanced down.
Everyone else suddenly became fascinated by their screens.
Adrian stepped closer.
“I am not handing you to Malcolm Kane.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“You’re suggesting we walk into exactly what he wants.”
“I’m suggesting we use the fact that he wants me.”
“No.”
I folded my arms.
“You don’t get to decide this.”
“When my son is missing, I decide everything.”
The words hit hard.
Adrian realized it immediately.
His eyes closed for half a second.
“That came out wrong.”
“No. It came out exactly how you meant it.”
“I meant I won’t lose both of you.”
The room went silent.
Both of you.
His son.
And me.
My anger disappeared.
Adrian didn’t seem to care that twenty people had heard him.
He came closer.
“I lost Evelyn because I believed I could control a threat I didn’t understand.”
His voice dropped.
“I will not make that mistake again.”
I looked up at him.
“And what happens if you don’t take me?”
His jaw tightened.
“Malcolm may hurt Noah just to punish you.”
I hated saying it.
Adrian hated hearing it.
But neither of us could pretend otherwise.
Russo finally spoke.
“She’s right.”
Adrian turned a murderous look toward him.
Russo remained unmoved.
“Sir, Malcolm expects us to resist using her. That gives us something.”
Adrian stared at him.
Then me.
Finally, he said, “You do exactly what I say.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Within reason.”
“No.”
“Adrian.”
“Claire.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
The exchange location arrived twenty minutes later.
An abandoned private theater in Queens that had once belonged to a Kane-controlled entertainment company.
Malcolm wanted me at midnight.
Alone.
With the documents.
We didn’t have the documents.
Only Evelyn’s recording.
But Adrian had discovered something inside the safe we had initially missed.
A handwritten list of account numbers.
A trust name.
And three initials.
D.B.
Daniel Bennett.
My father had hidden the real documents somewhere else.
Malcolm apparently believed I knew where.
I didn’t.
At 11:52 p.m., I stood outside the theater wearing a hidden microphone under my blouse.
Adrian adjusted the wire himself.
His fingers brushed my skin.
Neither of us commented.
“Eight minutes,” Russo said.
Adrian ignored him.
“Claire.”
“I know.”
“If anything feels wrong—”
“Everything feels wrong.”
His mouth tightened.
“Then if anything feels worse.”
“I leave.”
“You run.”
“I run.”
“Toward the south exit.”
“Yes.”
“Do not try to protect Noah yourself.”
I nodded.
Adrian touched my cheek.
His men pretended not to see.
“Bring him back,” I whispered.
Adrian’s forehead rested against mine.
“I will.”
I walked inside alone.
The theater smelled like dust and old velvet.
Rows of red seats disappeared into darkness.
One light burned onstage.
A man sat beneath it.
Malcolm Kane.
He was older than I remembered.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
A cane resting against his knee.
Noah sat beside him.
Relief nearly dropped me to the floor.
Noah looked terrified but unharmed.
“Claire!”
I forced myself not to run.
“Hi, buddy.”
“Dad said not to go on adventures.”
A broken laugh escaped me.
“He was right.”
Malcolm smiled.
“Charming child.”
I looked at him.
“If you hurt him—”
“You’ll what?”
“I’ll make sure Adrian destroys everything you care about.”
Malcolm chuckled.
“That is precisely what Evelyn used to say.”
My blood chilled.
“Did you kill her?”
Noah looked toward him.
Malcolm’s smile widened.
“Careful.”
I had to keep him talking.
Keep him focused.
“Victor worked for you.”
“Victor works for whoever pays him.”
“Evelyn found out.”
“Evelyn was nosy.”
Noah whispered, “Don’t talk about my mommy.”
Malcolm looked at him.
Something in his expression made every instinct in me scream.
I stepped forward.
“Look at me.”
He did.
“You want my father’s documents.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have them.”
“Then your usefulness is limited.”
My mouth went dry.
“But I know where they are.”
That was a lie.
Malcolm leaned forward.
“Where?”
“First let Noah come to me.”
“No.”
“Then you get nothing.”
His smile vanished.
For the first time, I saw the man beneath the expensive suit.
Cold.
Bitter.
Hungry.
“You sound like Daniel.”
The mention of my father hit me.
“What did you do to him?”
Malcolm’s eyes glittered.
“Your father was given an opportunity to cooperate.”
My heart began pounding.
“He died from a stroke.”
“Did he?”
The world narrowed.
“You killed my father?”
“Daniel was stubborn.”
My eyes burned.
For eleven years, I had mourned a natural death.
A hospital room.
Machines.
Doctors saying sometimes terrible things simply happened.
Malcolm had just destroyed that memory.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
A door opened behind me.
Victor Sloane stepped from the darkness.
The scar across his face was unmistakable.
Noah shrank away.
“There he is,” Malcolm said almost affectionately.
“The ghost.”
Victor looked at me.
“That necklace suited your father better.”
I forced myself to breathe.
“Where are the documents?” Malcolm asked.
“I told you. Let Noah go.”
“No.”
“Then we wait.”
“You think Adrian is coming.”
“He’s Noah’s father.”
“He always comes.”
Malcolm stood.
“But Adrian inherited his father’s greatest weakness.”
“What’s that?”
“Love.”
The lights went out.
Somebody shouted.
Noah screamed.
I moved toward the sound.
Hands grabbed me.
I fought.
A gunshot cracked through the theater.
Then another.
“Claire!”
Adrian.
I broke free.
Emergency lights flashed on.
Noah was running toward me.
I dropped to my knees.
He crashed into my arms.
“Claire!”
“I’ve got you.”
Adrian appeared beside us.
Blood marked his sleeve.
My heart stopped.
“You’re hurt.”
“Not mine.”
He lifted Noah.
Russo and several men surrounded us.
Across the theater, Malcolm was gone.
Victor was gone.
Adrian swore.
“They had another exit.”
Noah buried his face against his father’s shoulder.
Then he suddenly twisted.
“Gerald!”
“What?” Adrian asked.
“My elephant.”
“We’ll buy another.”
“No!”
Noah began fighting to get down.
“Noah.”
“Mommy’s inside!”
Every adult around him froze.
Adrian stared.
“What did you say?”
Noah was crying now.
“Mommy told me. Before she went to heaven.”
Adrian slowly lowered him.
“Told you what?”
“She said if the bad man ever came back, Gerald had to go to Grandma.”
My heart hammered.
Noah’s stuffed elephant.
The one Malcolm had intentionally left behind at the estate.
Adrian and I looked at each other.
We returned to the house before dawn.
Gerald sat exactly where we had left him.
Adrian examined every seam.
Nothing.
Noah took the elephant.
“No.”
He turned it upside down.
“There.”
A tiny repaired section ran beneath one leg.
Adrian carefully opened it.
Something small dropped onto the table.
A memory card.
Noah looked up.
“Mommy said Gerald remembers everything.”
Adrian inserted the card into an isolated laptop.
Three folders appeared.
Financial records.
Audio.
Video.
Adrian clicked the video.
Evelyn appeared on screen.
Alive.
Smiling sadly.
“If you’re watching this,” she said, “then Malcolm finally came back for what Patrick tried to protect.”
Adrian gripped the table.
Evelyn continued.
“But Malcolm isn’t the only one you need to fear.”
Her expression changed.
“The person helping him is someone Adrian trusts with Noah’s life.”
May you like
Everyone in the room went still.
Including Russo.
