Chapter 9 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be DeadSamuel Cross was alive.
That fact alone should have been enough to break my mind.
But what frightened me was the way he looked at me.
Not like a stranger.
Like someone who had been waiting.
Agent Reed raised her weapon.
“Drop it!”
Samuel laughed.
“You're still following orders, Laura.”
Agent Reed froze.
“You know me?”
“I knew your father.”
Her face changed.
The room went silent.
Samuel looked at my father.
“Robert.”
My father whispered:
“You should be dead.”
“I was.”
“Who killed you?”
“You did.”
My father looked horrified.
“What?”
Samuel smiled.
“You left me in a ditch.”
“I saved you.”
“You buried me.”
“To protect you.”
Samuel laughed.
“To protect yourself.”
He looked at me.
“And then they built a life around the lie.”
I stepped forward.
“Why are you here?”
“Because of your ring.”
Trevor moved in front of me.
Samuel raised his gun.
“Don't.”
Trevor stopped.
Samuel looked at him.
“You married the only woman who never knew what her family was doing.”
I said, “What is inside the microfilm?”
“Names.”
“Whose names?”
“Everyone.”
“Everyone in The Harbor?”
“Everyone who ever paid them.”
“Why do you need me?”
“Because the final page requires your blood.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“Your grandfather used biological encryption.”
“That sounds insane.”
“He was paranoid.”
My father said quietly:
“He wasn't paranoid enough.”
Samuel nodded.
“The ledger was meant to expose everyone.”
“Then why hasn't anyone used it?”
“Because nobody could unlock the final page.”
He looked at my wedding ring.
“Until you.”
I glanced at Trevor.
“How?”
Samuel said:
“Your grandfather anticipated that you would marry outside the family.”
I frowned.
“He knew you?”
“He knew Trevor's father.”
Trevor froze.
“My father?”
Samuel smiled.
“Your father wasn't a simple mechanic.”
Trevor stared.
“What are you talking about?”
“He worked for Daniel Rowe.”
“My father died when I was twelve.”
“Yes.”
“What did he do?”
Samuel answered:
“He hid people.”
Trevor went pale.
“What people?”
“Witnesses.”
Trevor's hands curled into fists.
“My whole life…”
Samuel interrupted.
“Your father helped Daniel escape The Harbor's reach.”
I stared at Trevor.
This was becoming too much.
Samuel looked at me.
“Your grandfather believed you would eventually marry someone outside the family.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew you would never trust the people you grew up with.”
I felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat.
“He was right.”
Samuel nodded.
“That was the point.”
He lowered his gun.
“Come with me.”
Agent Reed shouted:
“No!”
Samuel looked at her.
“Then watch them die.”
He pointed toward the windows.
Outside, three black vehicles surrounded the building.
Armed men stood near the marina.
Samuel said quietly:
“They're not here for the microfilm.”
He looked at me.
“They're here for you.”
I felt my blood run cold.
“Why?”
“Because you're the last surviving Bennett who doesn't belong to The Harbor.”
My father shouted:
“Don't believe him!”
Samuel looked at him.
“Then tell her the truth.”
My father was silent.
Samuel smiled.
“She deserves to know.”
I looked at my father.
“Tell me.”
He closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
“Your mother was an informant.”
My heart broke.
“What?”
“She joined The Harbor to protect us.”
“Did she betray them?”
“No.”
“Then why did she stop?”
“Because she fell in love with me.”
I stared.
Everything changed.
My parents hadn't simply been hiding a criminal past.
They had been living inside a war.
My mother joined the organization.
My father infiltrated it.
Daniel tried to expose it.
My grandfather stole the ledger.
And I had been born into the middle of it.
Samuel continued.
“The reason they wanted Khloe was simple.”
“What?”
“She was easy to manipulate.”
My stomach twisted.
“And me?”
“You were never easy.”
Then he revealed the final secret.
“Your wedding wasn't a failure.”
I stared.
“What?”
“The thirty-seven people who didn't come?”
“They were supposed to be there.”
“Why?”
“Because every one of them is connected to The Harbor.”
Silence.
I couldn't breathe.
My empty chairs.
My missing relatives.
The people who had supposedly chosen Khloe's party.
They hadn't abandoned me.
They had been summoned.
For what?
Samuel said:
“Victor created the engagement party to gather them in one place.”
“To arrest them?”
“No.”
“To kill them.”
I stared at him.
“Why would he want them dead?”
“To erase the network.”
“Then why were there police?”
“Because your father called them.”
I turned toward Dad.
He nodded.
“I knew Victor was planning something.”
“You could have warned me.”
“I tried.”
“You abandoned my wedding.”
“To make the event look insignificant.”
I stared.
“What?”
“My wedding?”
He nodded.
“We knew The Harbor would monitor it.”
“So we made them believe we were not gathering.”
My voice shook.
“You let me believe nobody loved me.”
My father began crying.
“I would choose that pain over your death.”
I looked at Trevor.
He was silent.
Samuel said:
“And now the final piece is in your hand.”
He pointed at my wedding ring.
“Give it to me.”
I took one step forward.
Trevor grabbed my hand.
“No.”
Samuel smiled.
“Then we do this the hard way.”
Suddenly the marina lights came back on.
Police sirens exploded in the distance.
Agent Reed smiled.
Samuel looked surprised.
“Laura?”
She raised her weapon.
“I was stalling.”
She fired.
Samuel ducked.
Chaos erupted.
Trevor pulled me behind the concrete wall.
Gunfire shattered the glass.
My father tackled one of the attackers.
Agent Reed returned fire.
Then Samuel disappeared into the smoke.
I looked at my hand.
The ring was gone.
Trevor stared at me.
“What happened?”
I froze.
Someone had taken it.
And then my phone buzzed.
A message.
From Samuel.
You have ten minutes. Come alone.
May you like
Beneath it was an address.
My mother's house.
