Chapter 9
Dr. Patel kept us waiting seventeen minutes.
I counted every one.
Emily sat beside me with both hands over her stomach.
I didn’t touch her until she reached for me first.
Then I held her hand.
Not tightly.
Just enough.
The office door opened.
“Emily?”
We stood together.
Dr. Patel was a calm woman in her fifties who spoke in a way that made every sentence sound carefully chosen.
That scared me more than panic would have.
She sat across from us.
“I reviewed the bloodwork from the emergency department.”
Emily swallowed.
“And?”
“First, both babies looked good on ultrasound.”
We exhaled together.
“But?”
Dr. Patel nodded.
“Your blood pressure was significantly elevated.”
Emily frowned.
“I was upset.”
“Stress can absolutely affect it. But your urine sample also showed protein.”
I watched Emily’s face.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“At this stage, it doesn’t give us a diagnosis by itself. It means we need to monitor Emily more closely.”
“Monitor for what?”
“Hypertensive complications.”
Emily’s hand tightened around mine.
“Preeclampsia?”
“It’s too early to label this that way, and there are other explanations. I don’t want you going home convinced something terrible is happening.”
Emily nodded.
“But twins already make the pregnancy higher risk.”
“Yes.”
My stomach twisted.
“What do we do?”
Dr. Patel looked at both of us.
“Reduce unnecessary stress where possible.”
Emily gave a humorless laugh.
“Can you write that on a prescription and give it to our families?”
Dr. Patel smiled.
“I wish.”
Then her expression turned serious.
“I’m also referring you to maternal-fetal medicine. More monitoring. More appointments.”
“Bed rest?” I asked.
“Not now.”
“Work?”
“We’ll discuss that based on how her pressure behaves.”
Emily looked down.
I asked, “What can I do?”
Dr. Patel looked at me.
“Be boring.”
I blinked.
She smiled slightly.
“Reliable meals. Reliable rides. Reliable appointments. Reliable communication.”
Emily looked at me.
I knew exactly what the doctor had accidentally described.
Everything I had not been.
“Boring sounds good,” I said.
After the appointment, we sat in my truck without starting the engine.
Emily held the new appointment folder in her lap.
“Higher risk.”
“Yes.”
“Twins.”
“Yes.”
“My family collapsing.”
“Yes.”
“Your family committing felonies.”
“Accurate.”
She almost smiled.
I waited.
Then she looked at me.
“Are you still taking the Houston job?”
“No.”
She studied my face.
“You didn’t even think.”
“I’ve been thinking since I told you.”
“You already accepted.”
“I’ll withdraw.”
“What about the money?”
“We’ll handle it.”
“How?”
“Together.”
That word mattered.
She looked out the window.
“What if you resent me?”
“For what?”
“Giving up the raise.”
“I’m not giving it up because of you.”
“Then why?”
“Because I accepted it for the wrong reason.”
She looked back.
“I accepted it to hide a financial disaster I created. That’s not a career plan.”
Her expression softened.
“Your company might be angry.”
“They’ll survive.”
She nodded.
I started the truck.
My phone rang before I pulled out.
Detective Harris.
I put it on speaker.
“Mr. Mercer, do you have a moment?”
“Yes.”
“We found Frank Lawson.”
David had told us not to contact him.
Apparently the police had.
“Did he admit anything?”
“Not yet.”
“What did you find?”
“He was staying in a rented property in Arlington.”
“And?”
“We executed a warrant this morning based on evidence from your brother’s devices.”
Emily straightened.
“What evidence?”
“Messages between Jake and Lawson discussing loan applications.”
My stomach tightened.
“So Jake wasn’t lying.”
“Not about Lawson.”
“What about the cameras?”
The detective paused.
“We found recording equipment.”
Emily covered her mouth.
“At Lawson’s place?”
“Yes.”
Cold moved through me.
“Recordings of us?”
“We’re reviewing the material.”
Emily whispered, “Oh my God.”
Detective Harris continued.
“There’s something you should know before this becomes part of the formal evidence.”
I didn’t like his tone.
“What?”
“Lawson appears to have targeted several members of the Bennett family over time.”
Emily frowned.
“My family?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We’re still determining motive.”
I looked at her.
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
The detective took a breath.
“Mr. Lawson had photographs of your father-in-law.”
“Recent?”
“Some.”
David had not spoken to the man in twenty-four years.
Or so he claimed.
“How recent?”
“One appears to have been taken last month.”
Emily went still.
“Where?”
“At a restaurant.”
“With anyone?”
“Yes.”
My stomach sank.
“Who?”
The detective said, “Your brother.”
Emily and I stared at each other.
Jake and David?
That made no sense.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Does David know?”
“We haven’t spoken to him yet.”
Emily immediately grabbed her phone.
I stopped her.
“Wait.”
She looked at me.
“That’s my father.”
“I know.”
“We need to ask him.”
“Yes.”
“But not by accusing him.”
She stared at me.
Then lowered the phone.
The old version of us would have called screaming.
Maybe we were learning.
A little.
We drove to David’s house.
Carol’s car was gone.
David opened the door looking exhausted.
“Everything okay with the babies?”
“For now,” Emily said.
He hugged her.
Then noticed our faces.
“What?”
I entered.
“We need to ask you something.”
His expression changed.
“Ask.”
“Did you meet Jake last month?”
David froze.
Emily saw it.
“Dad.”
He closed the door.
“Yes.”
My jaw tightened.
“You told us Jake had nothing to do with Frank.”
“He didn’t as far as I knew.”
“Why did you meet him?”
David rubbed his forehead.
“He called me.”
“When?”
“About five weeks ago.”
“Why?”
“He wanted money.”
Of course.
“How much?”
“Ten thousand.”
Emily stared.
“Did you give it to him?”
“No.”
“Then why meet?”
“He said he had information about Ryan.”
I frowned.
“What information?”
David looked at me.
“He said you were in debt.”
My chest tightened.
“Did you believe him?”
“I didn’t know.”
“He was creating the debt.”
“I know that now.”
Emily folded her arms.
“What happened at the restaurant?”
“Jake showed me copies of account statements.”
“Fake?”
“Some were real.”
“How?”
“I assume he took them from you.”
David looked at me.
“He showed me transfers to Lauren.”
I closed my eyes.
“He made it look like an affair.”
“Yes.”
Emily stared at her father.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
David looked ashamed.
“I wanted proof.”
“You gave Mom advice about Ryan while you were secretly investigating him?”
“I wasn’t investigating.”
“You met his brother to discuss whether my husband had another woman.”
David sighed.
“Yes.”
Emily stepped backward.
“Unbelievable.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
She laughed.
That phrase had become poison in our family.
“Everyone keeps protecting me by lying to me.”
David looked wounded.
“I’m sorry.”
I asked, “Was Frank at the restaurant?”
“No.”
“Police have a photograph of you and Jake there.”
David nodded.
“That would make sense.”
“Did you know anyone was taking pictures?”
“No.”
“Did Jake mention Frank?”
David thought.
“Not by name.”
“What did he say?”
“He said someone could help me prove where your money was going.”
My stomach tightened.
“What someone?”
“He called him an old friend.”
Emily looked at me.
Frank.
Had to be.
“Did you agree to meet?”
“No.”
“Why?”
David looked at me.
“Because Jake wanted two thousand dollars to arrange it.”
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
Of course he did.
David continued.
“I told him to get lost.”
Emily sat down.
“Dad, you should’ve told us.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Her voice sharpened.
“You don’t get to say that like Ryan does.”
David blinked.
I almost objected.
Then realized I deserved it.
Emily continued.
“You spent last night lecturing us about secrets.”
David nodded slowly.
“You’re right.”
“Meanwhile, you had one too.”
“Yes.”
She looked exhausted.
“What is wrong with this family?”
No one answered.
Then David said, “Fear.”
Emily looked at him.
“We’re all afraid of different things.”
He gestured toward me.
“Ryan was afraid of admitting he failed with Jake.”
Toward himself.
“I was afraid my daughter’s husband was betraying her and I’d fail to protect her.”
Toward the empty driveway.
“Carol was afraid you’d repeat her marriage.”
Then he looked at Emily.
“You were afraid of raising children inside a marriage you couldn’t trust.”
She lowered her eyes.
David sat opposite her.
“We kept calling our fear love.”
Silence filled the room.
He was right.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Mom.
Please come. Jake was released.
I stared.
“What?”
Emily looked at the screen.
“How?”
“Bond.”
David stood.
“Who paid it?”
That was my first question too.
I called Mom.
“Did you bond Jake out?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is he?”
“That’s why I called. He came here.”
I stood.
“Is he still there?”
“No.”
“What did he want?”
Mom started crying.
“He apologized.”
I closed my eyes.
“What else?”
“He asked where you were.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“He left something.”
“What?”
“A letter.”
“Don’t open it.”
“I already did.”
Of course.
“What does it say?”
She took a shaky breath.
“He says Frank is going to kill him.”
The room went silent.
David stepped closer.
“What?”
I put the phone on speaker.
Mom continued.
“He said Frank thinks he talked too much.”
“Where is Jake now?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Did he have a car?”
“No.”
“How did he leave?”
“He walked.”
I cursed.
Emily stood.
“Call the detective.”
I did.
Detective Harris answered immediately.
I explained.
He told us not to search for Jake.
I agreed.
Then I did something the old me would never have done.
I stayed.
Every instinct told me to get in the truck.
Find my brother.
Rescue him.
Fix it.
But Emily was standing there pregnant with twins and a high-risk referral in her purse.
I looked at her.
She understood.
“You want to go.”
“Yes.”
“But?”
“But the police know.”
Her eyes filled.
I put my phone down.
“I’m staying.”
She walked toward me.
For the first time since our fight, she wrapped her arms around me.
I held her carefully.
David looked away.
A few minutes later, police issued an alert for Jake.
Two hours passed.
Then three.
No call.
At sunset, Detective Harris finally called.
“We found your brother.”
My body went rigid.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
I exhaled so hard my knees weakened.
“Where?”
“Bus station downtown.”
“What happened?”
“He was trying to leave Texas.”
“Why?”
“He says Lawson threatened him.”
“Do you believe him?”
“We found messages that support it.”
I closed my eyes.
“Can I talk to Jake?”
“Not tonight.”
“Is he under arrest?”
“Yes.”
“For the fraud?”
“And additional charges.”
I looked at Emily.
She watched my face.
“Detective.”
“Yes?”
“Tell him something for me.”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll deliver personal messages.”
“It’s simple.”
He waited.
“Tell him I love him.”
Emily’s hand touched my shoulder.
“And tell him I’m not saving him this time.”
May you like
The detective was quiet.
Then he said, “I think he already knows.”
