Chapter 11 - The Original Engine
The most valuable thing in the garage wasn't the car.
Ethan explained why the Charger mattered.
The body was rare.
The engine was rarer.
But the real value was the history.
The original engine block had been traced to a documented vehicle from a private collection.
The car had been raced decades earlier.
Then stored.
Then forgotten.
My father didn't know that.
Or rather, he knew only part of it.
Ethan had recognized the serial pattern years ago.
When I bought the shell, I thought I'd found an old car worth saving.
I hadn't realized I'd found a historical artifact.
Ethan had quietly tracked it.
When I completed the restoration, he knew exactly what it could become.
“Ava knew?”
“No.”
“Dad?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
I looked down.
The betrayal cut deeper than I expected.
The family had ignored my work until someone else saw its value.
Then suddenly everyone wanted a piece.
We decided to retrieve the Charger from my garage and move it to a secure facility.
Before we could, the garage alarm went off.
We ran outside.
The rear door was open.
A man was inside.
He saw us.
Then ran.
Lucas chased him.
I grabbed my phone and called the police.
The man escaped through the alley.
But he dropped something.
A keycard.
Elena picked it up.
MERIDIAN CAPITAL
That wasn't a coincidence.
Someone from the lender had broken into my garage.
Maybe they were trying to recover collateral.
Maybe they wanted to destroy evidence.
We checked the Charger.
The engine compartment had been opened.
I felt sick.
They hadn't touched the body.
They hadn't touched the interior.
They had gone straight to the engine.
Ethan crouched.
He inspected the block.
Then froze.
“Something's missing.”
“What?”
“A plate.”
“What plate?”
“The original serial plate.”
I stared.
Someone had removed it.
Without it, provenance became harder to establish.
That wasn't random theft.
It was targeted.
My father wasn't trying to steal the car.
He was trying to make it impossible to prove where it came from.
Then Ava called.
I answered.
Her voice was shaking.
“Willow.”
“Where are you?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Why did you steal the documents?”
“I didn't.”
“Then what happened?”
Silence.
“I found something.”
“What?”
“Dad has been using my name too.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“How?”
“He opened an account in my name.”
“What account?”
“An offshore one.”
Elena looked at me.
“Where?”
Ava gave me the name.
Then whispered:
“I'm sorry.”
I couldn't answer.
She continued.
“He said everything would be fine after the Hayes deal.”
“And now?”
“He knows you found Ethan.”
My blood went cold.
“How does he know?”
Ava started crying.
“Because I told him.”
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone.
Lucas asked:
“What did she say?”
I looked at him.
“He knows Ethan is alive.”
We all became silent.
Then headlights appeared outside.
Two black SUVs.
The first stopped at the curb.
The second blocked the driveway.
Ethan looked through the window.
“That's David.”
My father stepped out.
He didn't come to talk.
He came with four men.
And in his hand was a folder.
He looked directly at me.
Then said:
“Willow.”
May you like
He held up the folder.
“You're going to sign this tonight.”
