Chapter 5 - David slammed the door shut.Ryan stepped inside.

“Lock it.”

David did.

Every lock.

Deadbolt.

Chain.

Latch.

Then he turned.

“Start talking.”

Ryan was breathing hard.

“Daniel Harper has been watching this building for months.”

David stared.

“Why?”

“Because he believes the people who took his family are still here.”

Melissa whispered,

“They are.”

Ryan looked at her.

“You finally told him?”

“Yes.”

“About everything?”

“No.”

David stepped between them.

“Stop.”

He pointed at Ryan.

“You said the police were involved. Explain.”

Ryan looked at the hidden camera.

“There is a group inside the city police department investigating the stolen surveillance footage.”

“And?”

“And another group is covering it up.”

David felt his stomach tighten.

“How deep?”

“Deep enough.”

Ryan looked at Clara.

“She should not be here.”

David immediately moved closer to her.

“What does that mean?”

Ryan lowered his voice.

“Because the people stealing footage don't just collect video.”

“What do they do?”

“They study families.”

David frowned.

“Why?”

“To find leverage.”

Ryan continued.

“People with affairs. Financial problems. Addictions. Illegal businesses. Hidden children. Anything that can be used.”

David thought about the photograph.

“What about us?”

Ryan looked at him.

“That is what scares me.”

“Why?”

“Your family wasn't random.”

David's jaw tightened.

“What do you mean?”

Ryan pulled out his phone.

He opened a file.

A list appeared.

Names.

Addresses.

Dates.

David's name was on it.

Next to his name was Clara's.

Next to Clara's was Mikey's.

And next to Melissa's was one word.

ASSET.

David stared.

“What is this?”

“A surveillance profile.”

“Why am I listed?”

“You worked for a company that handled financial transfers.”

David remembered his former job.

Six years earlier, before he became a construction supervisor, he had worked briefly in payroll administration.

Ryan nodded.

“You processed payments.”

“That doesn't make sense.”

“It does if one of your clients was moving stolen money.”

David went pale.

“I never knew.”

“I know.”

David looked at Melissa.

“What does she have to do with this?”

Ryan went silent.

David's voice became colder.

“What does my wife have to do with stolen money?”

Melissa stood.

“I was trying to protect you.”

“From what?”

She didn't answer.

David grabbed the file.

“What does ASSET mean?”

Ryan said,

“It means they don't want her hurt.”

David's eyes narrowed.

“Then what do they want?”

Ryan looked at Clara.

“They want her obedient.”

A floorboard creaked.

Everyone stopped.

The sound came from the hallway.

David motioned for Ryan to stay back.

He slowly approached the corridor.

Nothing.

He opened the closet.

Empty.

Bathroom.

Empty.

Bedroom.

Empty.

Then he heard breathing.

Inside Mikey's room.

David rushed in.

The crib was empty.

Mikey was gone.

“NO!”

David tore through the blankets.

Nothing.

Clara screamed.

“Dad!”

Ryan ran in.

Then the baby began laughing.

From somewhere beneath them.

David froze.

The sound came through the air vent.

He dropped to his knees.

“Mikey!”

A tiny cry answered.

David pulled the vent cover off.

Below it was a maintenance shaft.

Dark.

Narrow.

And just deep enough for someone to crawl through.

Ryan grabbed a flashlight.

“Don't go down there.”

But David was already climbing.

His hands scraped metal.

He crawled through the narrow tunnel.

Twenty feet ahead, he saw a faint light.

He moved faster.

Then he reached a small room hidden between the walls.

There was a chair.

A desk.

Three monitors.

Hundreds of files.

And in the center of the room sat Mikey.

Perfectly safe.

Strapped into a baby seat.

A small camera pointed directly at him.

David tore the straps loose.

He grabbed his son.

Then he saw the screens.

Each monitor showed a different room in the apartment.

One showed Clara sleeping.

One showed Melissa changing clothes.

One showed David sleeping beside the children.

And the fourth screen showed something else.

A hospital room.

Daniel Harper sat beside a hospital bed.

And lying in that bed was a little girl.

David stared.

The girl was alive.

Seven years old.

Dark hair.

Pale face.

Lily.

Then a message appeared on the screen.

SHE NEVER DIED.

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