Chapter 2: The Photograph in the Locked Cabinet
Damien Ashworth didn't look like a man who frightened easily.
I'd seen him dismiss threats without changing his expression. I'd watched armed guards step aside whenever he entered a room.
But now his hands were shaking.
"Take me to the photograph," he ordered.
A gray-haired housekeeper appeared near the hallway.
"Mr. Ashworth?""
"The cabinet. Now.""
She hurried away.
I remained on the carpet with Shadow's head resting against my leg.
The dog hadn't taken his eyes off my necklace.
"Mr. Ashworth, I think you owe me an explanation.""
Damien turned toward me.
"Your mother never told you anything about her life before Brooklyn?""
"She told me she grew up in New Jersey. She said her family was complicated.""
"Did she ever mention a man named Vincent?""
I shook my head.
"Did she ever mention Ashworth?""
"No.""
He looked toward the window.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he removed his watch and placed it on the table.
"Six years ago, my mother died in a car accident. Elena was with her that night.""
My stomach tightened.
"What?""
"Elena was my mother's closest friend. She had been part of our family for years.""
"You're telling me you knew my mother?""
"I knew her better than almost anyone.""
I stared at him.
"Then why have I never heard of you?""
His eyes darkened.
"Because she disappeared.""
The housekeeper returned carrying a wooden box.
Damien unlocked it with a small key attached to his watch chain.
Inside were several photographs, handwritten letters, and an old newspaper clipping.
He pulled out a photograph.
A younger Damien stood beside a beautiful woman holding a black puppy. The woman had dark hair, green eyes, and the same small scar beneath her left eyebrow that I'd seen in my mother's childhood pictures.
I stopped breathing.
It was Elena.
My mother.
I took the photograph with trembling fingers.
"How old is this?""
"Twenty-two years.""
I examined the puppy.
"That's Shadow?""
"Yes.""
Shadow suddenly pushed himself upright.
His tail moved once against the carpet.
Damien looked down.
"Easy, boy.""
I touched the photograph.
"Why did she leave?""
Damien's face hardened.
"That's the question I've spent six years trying to answer.""
He pulled out another photograph.
This one showed Elena standing outside a large country house. Beside her was a young man with Damien's eyes.
"That's my younger brother, Corbin.""
I studied his face.
My stomach dropped.
I knew that man.
Not from a photograph.
From my own life.
For two years, Corbin had stalked me, sent threatening messages, and appeared outside my apartment. I'd changed jobs twice because of him.
He had once grabbed my wrist so hard that I couldn't hold a coffee cup for three days.
I stepped backward.
Damien noticed immediately.
"You recognize him.""
I couldn't speak.
"Briar?""
I swallowed.
"That man has been following me.""
Damien's expression changed.
"Following you?""
"His name is Corbin. He told me my mother had stolen something from his family. He said I would eventually pay for what she did.""
Damien grabbed the edge of the table.
"When?""
"Two years ago.""
"Why didn't you go to the police?""
"I did. He disappeared before they could find him.""
Damien looked at his guards.
"Find every address Corbin has used in the last five years.""
One guard nodded.
I stood up.
"Wait. I need to know why my mother is in your photographs.""
Damien opened the box again.
He removed a folded letter.
The paper was yellow with age. The handwriting was unmistakably feminine.
Elena.
He handed it to me.
I unfolded it.
Damien,
If anything happens to me, protect my daughter. She knows nothing about the people who made her birth a secret. Don't let Vincent find her.
And whatever you do, never let Corbin discover the truth.
My fingers went numb.
"Who is Vincent?""
Damien looked at me.
"My father.""
I stared.
"Why would your father want to find me?""
Before he could answer, Shadow suddenly stood.
His legs trembled, but he forced himself upright.
He walked toward the hallway.
"Shadow?"" I called.
The dog ignored me.
He stopped in front of a narrow door near the kitchen and began scratching.
Damien frowned.
"That's the storage room.""
Shadow scratched harder.
I approached.
"What's inside?""
"Old furniture. Nothing important.""
But Shadow began whining.
I looked at Damien.
"Open it.""
He hesitated, then signaled to a guard.
The door unlocked.
Inside were dusty boxes, an old armchair, and a wooden cabinet.
Shadow rushed toward the cabinet and began pawing at its bottom drawer.
Damien pulled it open.
There was a small velvet pouch.
Inside lay a second silver pendant.
It was identical to mine.
But when Damien opened it, the photograph inside showed two newborn babies.
On the back, someone had written:
Elena's children. Keep them apart until the truth is safe.
My throat tightened.
"Two babies?""
Damien looked at the photograph.
Then at me.
"Your mother had twins.""
I shook my head.
"No. That's impossible.""
He turned the photograph over again.
There was another name written beneath mine.
*Corbin Ashworth.*
A heavy crash suddenly echoed from the other side of the penthouse.
One of the guards shouted.
"Mr. Ashworth! We have a problem!""
Damien grabbed his gun.
"What?""
The guard looked toward the hallway.
"The man in the west bedroom. He's awake.""
Damien's face went white.
"Who?""
May you like
The guard swallowed.
"Corbin.""
