Chapter 5 - THE SECRET SHE NEVER TOLD
Mara couldn't move.
The photograph lay on the concrete floor.
Her mother.
Alive.
Three weeks ago.
It was impossible.
Everything Mara had believed about her childhood suddenly collapsed.
Her mother's funeral.
The coffin.
The grief.
The years of birthdays spent without her.
All of it.
A lie?
“Where is she?”
Mercer smiled.
“You'll never find her.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Talk.”
One of Mercer's men raised his weapon.
Luca grabbed Mara's hand.
“Don't.”
Mercer watched them.
“You see, that's the difference between you and your father.”
“What difference?”
“You care about people.”
Luca stared at him.
“And that makes you weak.”
“No.”
Luca's voice was quiet.
“It makes me nothing like him.”
Mercer laughed.
“You think morality matters in this world?”
“No.”
Luca looked toward the flash drive.
“I think evidence does.”
Mercer's smile disappeared.
Daniel had quietly copied the files.
Mara realized what he had done.
The information wasn't only on the basement computer anymore.
Daniel had transmitted it.
Mercer understood too.
“Stop the transfer.”
One of the men moved.
Daniel fired.
The gunshot exploded through the basement.
Mara ducked.
The man fell backward.
The second attacker rushed Daniel.
Luca grabbed Mara and pulled her behind a concrete column.
Daniel fought the attacker hand-to-hand.
Mercer ran.
Mara saw him disappear through a side door.
“Mercer!”
She started after him.
Luca caught her.
“No.”
“My mother!”
“We need to survive first.”
Daniel knocked the second man unconscious.
Then he ran toward the exit.
“Move!”
They escaped through the service tunnel.
Minutes later, they emerged behind the mansion.
Police sirens approached.
Daniel had called them.
Luca leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Mara stood beside him.
Neither spoke.
Then her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Mara?”
Her blood turned cold.
“Mom?”
A woman's voice whispered:
“Don't trust the police.”
Mara closed her eyes.
“Where are you?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Mom, I thought you were dead.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Then her mother said:
“Because if they knew I was alive, they would have killed you.”
Mara began crying.
“Who?”
“The people inside that house.”
“Mercer?”
“Mercer is only one of them.”
“Then who?”
Her mother breathed shakily.
“Luca's mother.”
Mara froze.
Luca saw her expression.
“What?”
Mara covered the phone.
“She says your mother is involved.”
Luca went still.
The voice returned.
“Mara, listen carefully.”
“I'm listening.”
“Your mother knew what happened to mine?”
“No.”
“She helped your mother escape.”
Mara stared at Luca.
“Then why did you let everyone believe she was dead?”
“Because Luca's father had men watching us.”
Mara's mother began crying.
“I couldn't risk them finding you.”
“Where are you?”
“Under the old St. Agnes train station.”
Mara frowned.
“Chicago doesn't have an active station there.”
“I didn't say active.”
The call ended.
Mara immediately called back.
No answer.
Luca looked at Daniel.
“St. Agnes.”
Daniel nodded.
“I know it.”
Mara looked at Luca.
“You're not coming.”
“I am.”
“You're sick.”
“Someone has been poisoning me for six months.”
“You could barely walk downstairs.”
“And yet I did.”
She shook her head.
“This isn't your fight.”
Luca stepped closer.
“You're wrong.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever did this to your mother used my family.”
He looked into her eyes.
“And whoever is trying to kill me knows your mother is alive.”
Mara swallowed.
Luca continued.
“They're connected.”
Daniel checked his weapon.
“We leave in five.”
Mara wiped her tears.
Then she looked back at the mansion.
The place where she'd worked for seventeen months.
The place where her mother had hidden a message.
The place that had nearly killed Luca.
For the first time, Mara didn't see a mansion.
May you like
She saw a crime scene.
And somewhere inside it, someone was still watching them.
