Chapter 11 - JAKE'S BETRAYALJake denied it.
Of course he did.
“You believe her?”
He pointed at Grandmother.
“She lied to all of us.”
I held up the photograph.
“This is you.”
“So?”
“So you were meeting Northbridge the day I left.”
“I was looking for money.”
“For your debt?”
“Yes.”
“Did you give them my location?”
“No.”
Grandmother smiled.
“He gave them the apartment address.”
Jake looked furious.
“I was told they wanted to help me.”
“They promised to erase your debt.”
“Yes.”
“And what did they want?”
He looked at me.
“Nothing.”
Grandmother laughed.
“He's lying.”
Jake shouted,
“Shut up!”
Grandmother smiled.
“Tell her.”
Jake's eyes filled with tears.
“I was scared.”
I waited.
He finally whispered,
“They said they would kill Mom.”
My anger stopped.
“What?”
“They showed me photographs.”
“Our mother?”
“Our whole family.”
He pulled out his phone.
A folder of images.
Mom.
Dad.
Hailey.
Me.
Every image had been taken secretly.
“And they said if I didn't cooperate…”
He swallowed.
“They'd start with Hailey.”
I looked at my sister.
She began crying.
Jake continued.
“I thought I could save everyone.”
“So you gave them my information.”
“I didn't know they would use it like this.”
“You helped them.”
“Yes.”
I looked away.
For the first time, I understood the difference between betrayal and fear.
They could exist in the same person.
Then Jake said something else.
“They gave me something.”
“What?”
A flash drive.
He handed it to me.
“Northbridge's archive.”
Daniel took it.
“We need to get somewhere safe.”
Too late.
Every phone in the room buzzed.
A message appeared.
THE ARCHIVE HAS BEEN OPENED.
Another message.
AUTHENTICATION: TAYLOR HAYES.
I looked at Daniel.
“I didn't open anything.”
He checked his laptop.
“The system says you did.”
“I didn't.”
Then I remembered.
The letters.
The identity documents.
The fake transactions.
My entire digital identity had been copied.
Someone could activate the archive while pretending to be me.
Daniel swore.
“They're using the trust.”
Grandmother nodded.
“Yes.”
“What happens if they finish?”
“They transfer every hidden asset to you.”
“Why?”
“So when the authorities discover it, you're responsible.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Taylor becomes the fall guy.”
My blood ran cold.
“How long?”
He looked at the screen.
“Twenty-seven minutes.”
Grandmother smiled.
“Now you understand why I needed you home.”
I stared at her.
“You knew this would happen.”
“Yes.”
“You brought me here.”
“Yes.”
“So you could stop them?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed toward the computer.
“So they would activate the archive.”
I froze.
“What?”
“The moment you returned home, the system recognized you.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“She used you.”
Grandmother nodded.
“Of course.”
Then every screen in the house turned black.
A message appeared.
TRANSFER INITIATED.
May you like
And beneath it:
TAYLOR HAYES, YOU ARE NOW THE OWNER OF $143,782,991.42.
