Chapter 6 - THE PRICE OF NOAH'S LIFEHarper wanted to run to Noah.

Gabriel stopped her.

Richard Lawson smiled.

"One step closer and the boy dies."

Noah was crying.

"Harper..."

"It's okay."

"No, it isn't."

Richard laughed.

"Still protecting your brother. Your mother would be proud."

Harper stared at him.

"What do you want?"

"You."

"Me?"

"You're the last piece."

Gabriel stepped forward.

Richard's gun pressed harder against Noah's head.

"Don't."

Gabriel stopped.

Richard looked at him.

"You've been difficult for years, Gabriel."

"You killed my brother."

"No."

Richard smiled.

"Your brother killed himself."

Gabriel's eyes hardened.

"Liar."

"He chose to betray us."

"And Emma?"

"She saw too much."

Harper shouted:

"You tried to kill her."

Richard shrugged.

"We tried to erase evidence."

Gabriel's voice became dangerously calm.

"What evidence?"

Richard smiled.

"You'll never see it."

Harper noticed something strange.

Noah wasn't looking at Richard.

He was staring at his own pocket.

Harper understood.

Their childhood game.

Three taps.

Noah tapped his pocket three times.

A signal.

He had something.

Harper looked at Gabriel.

He noticed too.

Gabriel slowly reached into his jacket.

Richard saw the movement.

"Don't."

Gabriel froze.

Then Victoria attacked.

She threw a knife toward the lights.

Darkness swallowed the tunnel.

Gunfire erupted.

Harper dropped to the floor.

Someone grabbed her.

She screamed.

"It's me."

Gabriel.

They crawled behind a concrete barrier.

Noah ran.

Richard fired.

A bullet struck the wall beside him.

Gabriel returned fire.

Richard disappeared into the darkness.

Then Noah reached Harper.

She grabbed him.

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head.

"No."

"What did you take?"

Noah pulled a flash drive from his pocket.

"Dad gave it to me."

Harper stared.

"What?"

Noah swallowed.

"He came to my room."

"When?"

"Last week."

Harper went cold.

"What did he say?"

Noah looked at Gabriel.

"He said the flash drive belongs to the Ashfords."

Gabriel took it.

His face changed when he saw the encryption symbol.

"This is Michael's."

Victoria stepped closer.

"Can you open it?"

"Not here."

Gabriel looked toward Emma.

She was alive.

Barely.

Harper rushed to her.

"Emma!"

Emma opened her eyes.

"You found Noah."

"Yes."

Emma smiled.

"Good."

Harper held her hand.

"Don't leave me."

Emma squeezed her fingers.

"I've already spent eighteen years trying to come back."

She looked at Gabriel.

"Take them to the safe house."

Gabriel shook his head.

"There's no safe house."

Emma whispered:

"Then we're already dead."

Before anyone could answer, Gabriel's phone buzzed.

A message.

From his own number.

YOU HAVE 23 MINUTES.

Underneath was an address.

The Ashford family cemetery.

Harper looked at Gabriel.

"What does that mean?"

Gabriel stared at the screen.

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