Chapter 6 - The First ChoiceThe first location was Grace.
A live feed showed her hospital room.
Two men stood outside the door.
One checked a weapon.
The second pulled a syringe from his pocket.
I ran.
Marcus grabbed my shoulder.
“Nathan!”
I shoved him away.
“She's going to die!”
We reached the hospital in eight minutes.
Too late.
The hallway was empty.
Grace's room was destroyed.
Blood covered the floor.
Her bed was overturned.
But Grace was gone.
I collapsed against the wall.
Then I heard a child's voice behind me.
“Daddy.”
Lily.
She was standing with a nurse.
She looked terrified.
“Where's Grace?”
“Uncle Ryan took her.”
I spun around.
“Ryan?”
Lily nodded.
“He said he knew where Mommy was.”
I realized the trap.
Ryan wasn't working for Daniel.
Not entirely.
He was playing his own game.
I called him.
He answered immediately.
“You're running out of time.”
“Where's Grace?”
“She knows the location.”
“The location of what?”
“The vault.”
I clenched my fists.
“What vault?”
“The vault your grandfather built.”
Thomas suddenly grabbed the phone.
“Ryan, listen to me.”
Ryan laughed.
“Thomas. Still pretending you're loyal?”
Thomas froze.
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what you did.”
The line went dead.
I stared at Thomas.
“What did you do?”
He didn't answer.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
An address.
Then another message:
Bring Lily.
I stared at the screen.
“No.”
Thomas's face changed.
“They'll kill Grace.”
“I don't care.”
The words shocked even me.
But then Lily stepped forward.
She had heard everything.
“Daddy…”
She looked up at me.
“Grace saved me.”
I knelt.
“You stay here.”
She shook her head.
“Mommy said not to be scared.”
My heart broke.
“Your mother isn't here.”
“She will be.”
I looked at Thomas.
“What does she know?”
He whispered:
“More than anyone.”
We followed the address.
An old warehouse stood beside the river.
Ryan waited outside.
Grace was inside.
Bound to a chair.
Alive.
Barely conscious.
Ryan held a gun to her head.
“You brought Lily.”
I stepped forward.
“You wanted her.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I wanted the key.”
“What key?”
Ryan pointed to Lily's bracelet.
I looked down.
The tiny silver bracelet.
A small circular emblem was engraved inside.
A lion.
My grandfather's crest.
Ryan smiled.
“That's the key.”
I slowly removed it.
Then a gunshot exploded.
Ryan staggered.
Blood appeared on his shirt.
He fell.
I looked toward the doorway.
Victoria stood there.
Holding a gun.
And behind her stood a man I had not seen in eleven years.
My father.
May you like
Daniel Mercer smiled.
“Hello, son.”
