Chapter 4 - The Secret Her Mother BuriedThe truth about Isa's father was worth far more than either of them expected.
Atlanta was raining when they arrived.
Isa's mother opened the door before they knocked twice.
The woman looked older than Isa remembered.
Tired.
Frightened.
And when she saw Declan standing beside her daughter, her face changed.
She knew him.
Isa noticed immediately.
"Mom?"
Her mother stared at Declan.
"You brought him."
Declan frowned.
"You know me?"
"No."
The lie was too fast.
Isa stepped inside.
"What happened?"
Her mother locked the door behind them.
Then she pulled an old metal box from a closet.
Inside were papers.
Photographs.
A ring.
And a faded envelope.
Isa reached for it.
The name on the front made her stop.
Richard Vale.
Declan's expression went blank.
"What?"
He stepped closer.
"That's my grandfather's name."
Isa looked from him to her mother.
"Mom?"
Her mother sat down.
"He met your father before you were born."
Declan's face tightened.
"How?"
"I don't know."
"Why was his name in our house?"
"Because your father worked for him."
Silence.
Isa's heart pounded.
"You said Dad was a mechanic."
"He was."
"What did he do for the Vale family?"
Her mother looked at Declan.
"Your grandfather had enemies."
Declan's eyes narrowed.
"My grandfather died fifteen years ago."
"That doesn't mean the enemies disappeared."
Isa opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
Two men stood outside a mansion.
One was Richard Vale.
The other was Isa's father.
On the back was one handwritten sentence.
Protect the girl.
Isa couldn't breathe.
"The girl?"
Her mother nodded.
"You."
"Protect me from what?"
"From the people who thought you were dangerous."
Isa stared.
"I'm not dangerous."
Her mother's eyes filled with tears.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
"You were born because your father tried to leave the Vale organization."
Declan stepped forward.
"Organization?"
Her mother shook her head.
"I'm sorry."
Isa felt the room tilt.
"My father was involved in organized crime?"
"He wasn't a criminal."
"Then what?"
"He was a fixer."
Declan's face hardened.
"For my family."
Isa turned toward him.
"You knew?"
"No."
"Your family had people like him?"
"My family had a lot of things I didn't understand."
Her mother whispered:
"Your father was supposed to disappear after he betrayed them."
Isa stared.
"What happened?"
"He was killed."
She had always believed his death was an accident.
A highway collision.
A tragic story repeated so many times it had become history.
But now...
It was a lie.
"Who killed him?"
Her mother looked at Declan.
Then at Isa.
"I never found out."
Declan picked up another document.
His eyes narrowed.
"This isn't just about your father."
"What is it?"
He held up an old corporate ledger.
A payment had been made thirty years ago.
To Richard Vale.
Then another.
And another.
The same amount.
Every month.
Isa stared.
"What is that?"
Declan's voice was quiet.
"Payments made to someone using your father's initials."
"Who?"
He turned the page.
A second name appeared.
A. Burn.
Isa frowned.
"My initials are I.B."
Declan nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he saw something else.
His expression changed completely.
The ledger didn't list Isa as a beneficiary.
It listed her as an asset.
He closed the book.
"Isa."
"What?"
"There's something you need to know."
He hesitated.
"Before I tell you, promise me you won't panic."
She almost laughed.
"You've failed at that already."
Declan opened the page.
At the bottom, stamped in red, were four words.
TRANSFER OF CONTROL AT 25.
Isa stared.
"I turned twenty-five seven years ago."
"I know."
"So why didn't anything happen?"
Declan looked at her.
"Because the person who was supposed to tell you died."
"Who?"
"Your father."
A knock sounded at the front door.
Everyone froze.
Three knocks.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Her mother whispered:
"Don't open it."
Declan moved toward the window.
He lifted the curtain slightly.
A black SUV sat across the street.
No plates.
Isa's breath caught.
Declan's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice came through.
"Mr. Vale."
Declan's entire face became ice.
"Who is this?"
The voice laughed.
"You finally found the girl."
Declan gripped the phone.
"What do you want?"
"Not from you."
A pause.
May you like
"From her."
:::
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