Chapter 15 - THE DEVIL OF BEACON HILLHarper dropped beside Gabriel.
"No."
Blood covered her hands.
Gabriel struggled to breathe.
"Harper..."
"Stay with me."
Victoria stood frozen.
Harper looked at her mother.
"Why?"
Her mother stepped from the helicopter.
"Because Gabriel knows the final truth."
"What truth?"
"About your father."
Harper shook her head.
"I already know."
"No."
Her mother looked at Michael.
"Tell her."
Michael looked away.
Harper turned.
"What?"
Michael finally spoke.
"Gabriel isn't who you think."
Harper stared.
Michael continued:
"The Ashford family wasn't destroyed by Richard."
"Then who?"
"Your father."
She froze.
"My father was the architect."
The words felt impossible.
"You're lying."
"No."
Michael's voice broke.
"He created the network before he went undercover."
Harper's mother closed her eyes.
"He built it to expose corrupt officials."
Harper whispered:
"Then why did he become one?"
"Because he believed he could control it."
Michael looked at Gabriel.
"Gabriel found out."
Harper looked down at him.
"That's why he became ruthless."
Michael nodded.
"He destroyed everyone connected to the network."
"Even innocent people."
"Sometimes."
Harper looked at the mansion burning behind them.
The Devil of Beacon Hill.
The newspapers had called Gabriel ruthless.
Merciless.
Dangerous.
Maybe they had been right.
But there was more.
Her mother walked toward Harper.
"You were never hired as a maid."
Harper stared.
"What?"
"You were brought here because Gabriel was the only person capable of protecting you."
"Then why hide the truth?"
"Because if Gabriel knew who you were, he would have killed you."
Harper looked at Gabriel.
He stared back.
His eyes were full of exhaustion.
"I knew."
She froze.
"What?"
"I knew from the first day."
"Then why didn't you?"
Gabriel struggled to sit up.
"Because you looked like someone who deserved a chance."
Harper's tears fell.
"Who?"
Gabriel looked toward the burning mansion.
"Emma."
Emma stood behind him.
She was crying.
Gabriel continued:
"I lost my sister once."
He looked at Harper.
"I wasn't going to lose another."
Harper held his hand.
Sirens filled the distance.
Richard was dead.
Derek was dying.
Victoria was arrested.
The police network was collapsing.
The documents from the red box were broadcast to every major news station in Boston.
The names of dozens of corrupt officials appeared on national television.
For the first time in eighteen years, the truth had escaped.
But the nightmare wasn't over.
Three days later, Harper stood outside the hospital.
Derek survived.
Victoria confessed.
Richard's network was dismantled.
Emma gave testimony.
Her mother disappeared before authorities could arrest her.
Gabriel survived the gunshot.
Barely.
Harper entered his hospital room.
He looked at her.
"You came."
"Of course."
She sat beside him.
"What happens now?"
Gabriel looked out the window.
"I don't know."
For the first time, he smiled.
Not the cold smile newspapers feared.
A real one.
Harper smiled back.
Then her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
Harper stared.
It showed her mother.
Standing in front of an airport.
Alive.
Underneath the photograph was a message.
YOU FOUND THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FATHER.
Harper's hands began shaking.
A second message appeared.
NOW FIND OUT WHO YOUR MOTHER REALLY WORKED FOR.
Then another photograph loaded.
A secret meeting.
Her mother.
Richard Lawson.
And one final person.
Gabriel's father.
All three standing together.
The date on the photograph was twenty years earlier.
Harper looked at Gabriel.
He saw the picture.
His face went completely pale.
"That's impossible."
"What?"
Gabriel whispered:
"My father died twenty-two years ago."
Harper stared at the image.
Then the sender sent one final message.
YOUR FAMILY DIDN'T START THE WAR.
A pause.
THEY INHERITED IT.
Harper slowly lowered the phone.
Outside, Boston continued moving as if nothing had happened.
Cars passed.
Sirens faded.
People walked beneath the morning light.
But somewhere in the city, someone was watching Harper Queen.
And this time, she wasn't afraid.
She looked at Gabriel.
"How many enemies do you have?"
Gabriel stared at the photograph.
"Enough to last a lifetime."
Harper stood.
"Then I guess we're going to need a bigger house."
Gabriel smiled faintly.
But before either of them could speak, every television in the hospital hallway suddenly switched channels.
The same black screen appeared.
Then a woman's voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Hello, Harper."
Harper stopped walking.
It was her mother's voice.
"But you still haven't asked the most important question."
The screen went black.
White letters appeared.
WHO WAS THE FIRST ASHFORD TO BECOME A MONSTER?
Harper looked at Gabriel.
For the first time since she entered the Ashford mansion, he looked genuinely terrified.
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And then, from somewhere deep inside the hospital, a gunshot echoed.
END OF SEASON ONE.
