Chapter 13 - THE TRUTH ABOUT DANIELEdward surrendered.
Not to the police.
To me.
He led me to a motel outside the city.
There, he revealed the truth.
My father had discovered Voss's criminal network fifteen years ago.
He knew Voss planned to use Meridian to manipulate enormous financial systems.
He couldn't expose it publicly without putting his family at risk.
So he created a safeguard.
Me.
Daniel was assigned to protect me.
But Daniel was not a hero.
He was compromised.
He had debts.
Secrets.
Weaknesses.
And eventually, Vanessa.
Edward admitted that the affair had been real.
“There was no excuse,” he said.
“None.”
“Then why did my father trust him?”
“Because he knew Daniel's fear.”
“What fear?”
“That Voss would kill you.”
I sat silently.
The man I hated had apparently spent years trying to protect me while simultaneously betraying me.
I didn't know which truth hurt more.
Then Edward gave me a folder.
Inside were photographs of Daniel following Voss's men.
Warnings Daniel had sent anonymously.
Bank accounts Daniel had sabotaged.
Transfers he had stopped.
He had been fighting them.
But he had also hidden things from me.
He had cheated.
He had lied.
He had manipulated.
And when the pressure became unbearable, he had made a terrible choice.
The car.
The line he'd said.
“After tonight, she won't be able to control the car anymore.”
I suddenly understood.
He had been trying to transfer the vehicle because there was tracking software inside it.
He believed Voss had planted it.
He wanted the car out of my name.
But he never explained.
He never trusted me enough to tell me.
And his silence had turned protection into cruelty.
I looked at Edward.
“Where is he now?”
“Hospital.”
“Is he awake?”
“Yes.”
I went to see him.
He looked pale.
Weak.
Human.
For the first time in years, he wasn't pretending.
“You should have told me,” I said.
“I know.”
“You should have trusted me.”
“I know.”
“You should never have touched me that day.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I know.”
“Why did you leave me?”
He looked away.
“Because they told me if I didn't take the car, they would kill Lily.”
I froze.
“You knew about the threat?”
“Yes.”
“And Vanessa?”
“She was part of the operation.”
I stared.
“The mistress?”
“She was the bait.”
My stomach twisted.
“Then why did she turn against you?”
“Because she found out Voss planned to kill her too.”
Daniel coughed.
Then whispered:
“The car was never the target.”
“What was?”
He looked at Lily.
“The tracker.”
“What tracker?”
He closed his eyes.
“Your daughter.”
I froze.
Then he handed me a piece of paper.
It contained one line.
LILY CARTER — PRIMARY ACTIVATION SUBJECT.
My heart stopped.
“She was tracked from birth.”
Daniel nodded.
“And now that Meridian knows she's alive…”
He looked at me.
“They will never stop.”
Outside the hospital room, alarms began screaming.
Daniel sat upright.
“Get out.”
“What?”
“They found you.”
A nurse ran down the hallway.
Then the power went out.
May you like
And someone whispered over the emergency intercom:
“Where is the Carter baby?”
