Chapter 12 - The Betrayal That Never HappenedThe mansion went into lockdown.
Nobody entered.
Nobody left.
Every guard was searched.
Every phone was collected.
Every room was checked.
Elias stood in the center of his office.
“Daniel had two enemies.”
“Arthur,” I said.
“And someone in his own family.”
“You mean me?”
“No.”
“Evan?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“Your father had another son.”
I stared.
“What?”
“An illegitimate son.”
“Who?”
“Jonathan Vale.”
The room went cold.
I remembered the man who had visited our apartment.
The man called Mercer.
The man who had lied about Daniel.
“He's my half-brother?”
“Technically.”
“Why would Daniel trust him?”
“He didn't.”
“Then why was he working with him?”
“He wasn't.”
Gabriel entered.
“Jonathan was manipulating both sides.”
He placed a folder on the desk.
Inside was DNA testing.
Daniel and Jonathan shared a biological father.
My father.
My knees weakened.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because your father paid to keep it secret.”
“For how long?”
“Twenty-seven years.”
I stared at the paperwork.
Then Evan said:
“That isn't the real secret.”
We turned.
“What?”
He pointed to one sentence.
Subject identified through memory recall.
I looked at him.
“What did you remember?”
Evan swallowed.
“Daniel took me to Pier 17.”
“I know.”
“He showed me a room.”
“What room?”
“A room under the warehouse.”
Elias exchanged a look with Gabriel.
Evan continued.
“There were people there.”
“Who?”
“Politicians.”
“Anyone else?”
“A judge.”
“Who?”
Evan closed his eyes.
“He had a snake ring.”
Arthur's ring.
But then Evan shook his head.
“Not him.”
I frowned.
“There was another man.”
“Who?”
“I couldn't see his face.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel told me never to look at him.”
Elias crouched in front of my brother.
“Why?”
“He said that man had killed people just by knowing their names.”
Gabriel went pale.
“That's not possible.”
Elias stood.
“It is if we're talking about the one person Black Harbor was built to protect.”
“Who?”
He said:
“Senator Thomas Reed.”
I recognized the name.
Everyone did.
He was one of Boston's most powerful politicians.
Elias turned toward his files.
“He has survived every investigation for twenty years.”
“And Daniel had evidence against him.”
“Yes.”
“Then why haven't they killed us?”
Elias looked at me.
“Because they need something first.”
“What?”
“Your brother.”
I stared.
“They don't have Daniel.”
“Maybe they do.”
My heart stopped.
The office doors exploded inward.
Gunmen entered.
Elias shoved me down.
Gunfire shattered the windows.
Gabriel returned fire.
The room filled with smoke.
One attacker reached for Evan.
I grabbed him.
Elias shot the man in the shoulder.
“RUN!”
We escaped through the hidden corridor.
At the end was an underground garage.
A car waited.
I climbed in.
Elias slammed the door.
We drove.
Only after several minutes did anyone speak.
Elias looked into the rearview mirror.
“You still have the ledger?”
“Yes.”
“The tape?”
“Yes.”
“The flash drive?”
I checked.
Gone.
My heart stopped.
“It's missing.”
Elias swore.
“When?”
“I don't know.”
Then a voice came through the car speakers.
Daniel.
“Adeline.”
I froze.
Elias slammed the brakes.
“Don't move.”
The voice continued.
“You have the ledger.”
A pause.
“I have your brother.”
I looked at Evan.
He was beside me.
Alive.
So who was speaking?
Daniel's voice came again.
“Your brother isn't Evan.”
My blood ran cold.
The message ended.
Evan looked at me.
“Adeline?”
May you like
Then he whispered:
“Who am I?”
