Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN WHO HIRED ME
Margaret stepped into the candlelight.
She wore a cream-colored coat.
Not a scratch on her.
Not a trace of fear.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Your father would have been proud.”
Arthur aimed his gun.
“You're responsible for the staffing agency.”
“Yes.”
“You created the job.”
“Yes.”
“You sent her into my house.”
Margaret smiled.
“I sent her home.”
My mother gasped.
Arthur fired.
Margaret disappeared behind a pillar.
Men moved along the balcony.
Arthur pulled me behind the altar.
“Stay down.”
My mother crouched beside me.
“Listen.”
She handed me the flash drive.
“Your father wanted this delivered to you.”
“What's on it?”
“Everything.”
“Then why didn't you give it to me before?”
“I needed proof Arthur wasn't part of the conspiracy.”
I looked at her.
“Is he?”
She hesitated.
“Not anymore.”
That wasn't reassuring.
“What does that mean?”
“He was.”
Arthur heard.
He turned.
My mother stood.
“You were Gabriel's heir.”
Arthur didn't deny it.
“I was.”
“You took control of the organization.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Gabriel was using Thomas.”
“Yes.”
“You knew they were going to kill him.”
“I tried to stop it.”
My mother laughed bitterly.
“You were too late.”
Arthur lowered his gun.
“I was twenty-nine.”
“That isn't an excuse.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I'll never use it as one.”
Margaret's voice echoed through the church.
“Arthur.”
He raised his weapon.
“You're losing the war.”
Margaret stepped into view.
“Your men don't belong to you anymore.”
Arthur smiled.
“Some of them do.”
“Not enough.”
She looked at me.
“Norah, your father left one final instruction.”
“What?”
“Give Arthur the drive.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Because only he can unlock the final file.”
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
Margaret smiled.
“And when he does, he'll see why Gabriel had your father killed.”
She stepped backward.
“Run.”
A grenade rolled across the floor.
Arthur grabbed me.
“MOVE!”
The church exploded behind us.
We ran through the side door.
My mother followed.
We reached the alley.
Three cars were waiting.
Arthur opened one.
“Get in.”
“Where are we going?”
He looked at the burning church.
“Somewhere no Costello man can find us.”
My mother laughed.
“That's impossible.”
Arthur turned.
“No.”
She stared at him.
He said,
“Because the person hunting us isn't a Costello.”
“Then who?”
Arthur looked at me.
“The mayor.”
I froze.
“Mayor Callahan?”
Arthur nodded.
“He's been paying Gabriel's network for twenty years.”
“And now?”
Arthur opened the car door.
“Now he wants the evidence.”
We drove away.
I plugged the flash drive into Arthur's laptop.
A single file appeared.
The name was simple.
NORAH_HAYES_FINAL.
I clicked it.
A video opened.
My father appeared on screen.
Older.
Bruised.
Alive.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Norah.”
I covered my mouth.
“I need you to know one thing.”
He paused.
“I didn't abandon you.”
Then he said the sentence that destroyed everything I thought I knew.
“Your mother left you to save herself.”
My mother screamed.
“That isn't true!”
The video continued.
“And Arthur…”
My father looked into the camera.
“If you're watching this, then you already know what you did.”
Arthur went rigid.
My father's final words were almost a whisper.
“You were the man I was trying to save.”
The screen went black.
Then another file appeared.
A single photograph.
Arthur.
My father.
My mother.
And a baby.
Me.
But I wasn't the only child in the picture.
May you like
There was another baby in my mother's arms.
A boy.
