Chapter 12 - The Boy They UnderestimatedThe river warehouse was surrounded by fog.
Valerie sat in the back seat of an unmarked police car.
Thomas was beside her.
Michael sat in front.
Nick stood across the road wearing the same gray hoodie he had worn the night everything began.
Harris checked his watch.
"Five minutes."
Valerie whispered,
"This is wrong."
Nick looked at her.
"You asked me to trust you."
"I did."
"Then trust me."
She wanted to scream at him.
He was twelve.
Twelve.
No child should ever volunteer to become bait.
But Nick had already walked toward the warehouse.
A light turned on.
A door opened.
Claire stood inside.
"Come in, Nick."
He entered.
Valerie watched through binoculars.
Claire spoke.
"Where is Thomas?"
Nick shrugged.
"He ran."
Claire smiled.
"You're lying."
"Probably."
A man appeared behind her.
Richard Vale.
Elegant.
Calm.
Completely ordinary.
That was the frightening part.
Vale looked at Nick.
"You have something that belongs to me."
Nick shook his head.
"No."
"The ledger."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Vale smiled.
"You're very brave."
Nick said nothing.
Vale stepped closer.
"Your father was brave too."
Nick's face changed.
"You knew my father."
"Of course."
"You killed him."
Vale's smile vanished.
"I didn't."
Claire stepped forward.
"He died because he wouldn't cooperate."
Nick looked between them.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Vale nodded.
"Your father hid the ledger."
Nick said nothing.
"Daniel failed to find it."
Still nothing.
"Then Michael found it."
Nick remained silent.
Vale finally asked:
"Where is it?"
Nick looked at him.
"Somewhere you can't reach."
Vale laughed.
"You're a child."
Nick smiled.
"That's what everyone keeps thinking."
He reached into his hoodie.
Pulled out a phone.
Pressed a button.
Vale's expression changed.
A live video appeared.
Police tactical units surrounded the warehouse.
Harris had been recording everything.
Vale turned toward the door.
Too late.
It exploded inward.
Officers stormed the building.
Claire screamed.
Vale ran.
Michael intercepted him.
They crashed against a steel table.
Valerie grabbed Thomas.
The room became chaos.
Claire tried to escape through a side door.
Nick blocked her path.
She stopped.
"You."
Nick stared at her.
"You should never have found me."
Nick's voice shook.
"But I did."
Claire lunged.
Thomas shouted.
Valerie caught Nick before he fell.
Police restrained Claire.
Vale was handcuffed moments later.
For the first time, Valerie believed it was over.
Until Detective Harris opened a seized laptop.
There were hundreds of files.
He scrolled.
Then stopped.
"Valerie."
She approached.
"What?"
He turned the screen toward her.
There was a folder labeled:
PROJECT MERCY.
Inside were photographs.
Of Valerie.
Of Thomas.
Of Nick.
And one more.
A photograph taken seventeen years earlier.
It showed Valerie's father.
Standing beside Richard Vale.
Valerie stared.
Her father had not disappeared.
He had been working with Vale.
And the final file contained only one sentence:
PROJECT MERCY WILL NOT END UNTIL VALERIE REMEMBERS THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.
Valerie felt the world tilt.
"What agreement?"
Nobody answered.
May you like
Then Michael looked at her.
And his expression told her he knew.
