Chapter 4
The drive to the warehouse felt endless.
Aaron drove an unmarked sedan.
Lena sat beside him, speaking quietly with officers through an earpiece.
I sat in the back holding Vanessa’s phone.
Every few seconds, I looked at the photograph again.
Rachel tied to a chair.
Vanessa standing beside her.
The message about Claire.
I kept searching the image for Sophie.
A shoe.
A shadow.
Anything.
Nothing.
“Why isn’t Sophie in the picture?”
Aaron looked at me through the mirror.
“Could be intentional.”
“That doesn’t answer me.”
“They want you emotionally unstable.”
“They succeeded.”
Lena turned.
“Daniel, listen. Officers are moving into positions around the warehouse. Nobody goes inside until we understand what we’re dealing with.”
“I’m going inside.”
“No.”
“My daughter is in there.”
“We don’t know that.”
“I heard her.”
“We know Michael had access to her during the call. That doesn’t prove she’s still inside.”
My mind seized on the possibility.
“You think they moved her?”
“I think we consider everything.”
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
PARK BEHIND THE WAREHOUSE.
NO POLICE.
I held it up.
“They know.”
Aaron said nothing.
“They know police are coming.”
“They’re assuming.”
“No. Michael knows me.”
Aaron tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“I’m counting on that.”
We turned onto an industrial road.
The old warehouse appeared beyond a row of dead trees.
I had not been there in almost twelve years.
The place looked smaller than I remembered.
Rust on the metal roof.
Broken windows.
Weeds pushing through cracked asphalt.
The loading dock where Michael and I once celebrated our first million-dollar contract was covered in graffiti.
My stomach twisted.
This was where our friendship had started.
Now he had brought my family here.
Aaron stopped two blocks away.
“You stay in the car.”
I opened the door.
“Daniel.”
I got out.
Lena cursed.
Two unmarked vehicles waited nearby.
Officers moved toward us.
My phone rang.
Michael.
I answered.
“You brought them.”
“I came.”
“You brought police.”
“I didn’t call anyone.”
“You always were a terrible liar.”
“Let Sophie and Rachel go.”
“Walk to the rear loading door.”
Aaron shook his head.
I ignored him.
“Then what?”
“Bring the phone.”
“I want proof Sophie is alive.”
Michael paused.
Then I heard crying.
“Daddy?”
I closed my eyes.
“I’m here.”
“I want to go home.”
“I know.”
“Vanessa said—”
The line shifted.
Michael again.
“You heard her.”
“If she has one mark on her—”
“Rear door. Three minutes.”
The call ended.
Aaron stepped closer.
“He wants the phone because something on it matters.”
“Obviously.”
“Which means you have leverage.”
“I’m not using Sophie as leverage.”
“We use the phone.”
I looked at Vanessa’s device.
It had been locked since I removed it from her purse.
Lena had not had time to examine it.
“What if they destroy whatever evidence is on it?”
“We can copy it later.”
“If Sophie is alive later.”
Aaron looked me in the eyes.
“You walk in there without a plan and you may get everyone killed.”
I hated that he was right.
“What plan?”
Lena pulled a small transmitter from her vest.
“You wear this.”
“No wire.”
“It isn’t negotiable.”
“It is if Michael searches me.”
“We can place it inside your belt seam.”
I thought of Sophie.
“Do it.”
Thirty seconds later, I was walking alone toward the warehouse.
Every instinct screamed at me to run.
Instead, I moved slowly.
Hands visible.
The rear loading door was open.
Darkness beyond it.
I stepped inside.
“Michael?”
My voice echoed.
A light snapped on.
Vanessa stood twenty feet away.
Rachel was still tied to the chair beside her.
A strip of cloth covered my sister’s mouth.
Her eyes widened when she saw me.
“Where’s Sophie?”
Vanessa looked exhausted.
Her hair was messy.
Her expensive blouse was torn near one shoulder.
For one second, she almost looked like the woman I had believed she was.
Then she said, “Phone.”
“Where is my daughter?”
“Give me the phone.”
“Not until I see Sophie.”
Vanessa glanced toward the shadows.
“Michael.”
He stepped out.
He was holding a pistol.
My entire body became still.
Michael had always hated guns.
At least that was what he told me.
He used to lecture me about firearm safety whenever I went hunting with my father.
Now he held the weapon comfortably.
Too comfortably.
“Put it away,” I said.
He smiled.
“You’re in no position to give instructions.”
“You kidnapped my daughter.”
“Technically, Vanessa picked her up.”
Rachel made an angry sound through the gag.
I looked at her.
“Are you hurt?”
Michael lifted the gun.
“Eyes on me.”
I obeyed.
“Where’s Sophie?”
“Safe.”
“Show me.”
“You first.”
He held out his hand.
“The phone.”
I raised Vanessa’s phone.
“You want this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Vanessa snapped, “Daniel.”
I looked at her.
“What’s on it?”
“Private conversations.”
“About my company?”
Silence.
“About Claire?”
Vanessa’s eyes flickered.
Michael noticed.
“Stop.”
I looked between them.
Interesting.
For the first time, Michael sounded angry with Vanessa.
Not united.
Cracks.
I needed cracks.
“What did Claire find?”
Michael’s face remained calm.
“Claire found things that didn’t concern her.”
My chest tightened.
Rachel’s eyes widened.
I took one step forward.
“You killed her.”
Vanessa whispered, “Daniel, don’t.”
Michael looked almost bored.
“Claire made choices.”
“You cut her brake line?”
“I didn’t touch her car.”
“But you paid someone.”
“Careful.”
“Why? Afraid the police might hear?”
His eyes narrowed.
My pulse jumped.
Had he noticed the transmitter?
I forced myself not to move.
Michael walked closer.
“The police are outside, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know.”
He studied my face.
“You brought Aaron.”
I said nothing.
Michael laughed softly.
“Of course you did.”
Then he raised the gun toward Rachel.
My sister froze.
“Police don’t change the situation.”
“Leave her out of this.”
“She entered the situation when she took Sophie.”
“Because Vanessa hurt her.”
Michael looked at Vanessa.
There it was again.
Anger.
“You hit the child?”
Vanessa’s face hardened.
“She heard too much.”
“That wasn’t the plan.”
“She wouldn’t stop talking.”
“You were told not to touch her.”
“I handled it.”
“No. You panicked.”
Vanessa stared at him.
“Don’t blame me.”
“I told you to keep Daniel calm until Friday.”
“And I did.”
“Obviously not.”
I watched them.
Everything Aaron said was true.
Vanessa had been placed in my life.
Maybe from the beginning.
“You married me because Michael told you to.”
Vanessa looked at me.
Her expression changed.
For the first time, shame appeared.
“No.”
Michael laughed.
“Please.”
She turned on him.
“Shut up.”
“You think lying matters now?”
“Michael.”
He looked at me.
“She met you because I arranged it.”
The words hurt even though I expected them.
“Our marriage?”
“Useful.”
I looked at Vanessa.
“Was any of it real?”
Her lips parted.
Nothing came out.
That was my answer.
I swallowed.
“Where is Sophie?”
Vanessa whispered, “Daniel—”
“WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?”
A small voice answered from above.
“Daddy!”
I looked up.
Sophie stood on a metal walkway overlooking the warehouse.
A man was holding her shoulder.
Ethan.
Vanessa’s brother.
Sophie’s face was wet with tears.
Her hands were wrapped in small white bandages.
Rage surged through me.
“Let her go!”
Ethan shouted down.
“Phone first.”
I raised the device.
“You have what you want.”
Michael shook his head.
“Not yet.”
He pulled a small laptop from a crate.
“Unlock it.”
“I don’t know the code.”
“Vanessa.”
She walked toward me.
I stepped back.
Michael aimed the gun at Rachel.
“Don’t.”
I stopped.
Vanessa reached for the phone.
I kept my grip.
She looked at me.
“Daniel.”
“What is on this phone?”
Her voice dropped.
“Enough.”
“Enough for what?”
“To destroy all of us.”
Michael shouted, “Unlock it!”
Vanessa flinched.
I saw fear.
Not fear of me.
Fear of Michael.
She typed six digits.
The screen opened.
Michael grabbed the phone.
He connected it to the laptop.
Folders appeared.
Messages.
Photographs.
Documents.
Audio files.
Then I saw one file name.
CLAIRE_0412.
My breath stopped.
Michael saw it too.
His face changed.
He turned toward Vanessa.
“What is that?”
She backed away.
“I protected myself.”
“You recorded me?”
“You said if anything went wrong, I would take the fall.”
Michael raised the gun.
Vanessa went pale.
“Michael.”
“You stupid—”
A loud bang exploded.
For one horrifying second, I thought he had fired.
Then the warehouse lights went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Police shouted outside.
Rachel screamed behind her gag.
Michael cursed.
I ran.
Not toward the door.
Toward the stairs leading to Sophie.
A gunshot cracked behind me.
Metal sparked near my shoulder.
“DADDY!”
“I’m coming!”
Another shot.
I hit the stairwell.
Boots thundered below.
Someone grabbed my jacket.
I swung blindly.
A man grunted.
I tore free and kept climbing.
Emergency lights flickered red.
I saw Ethan dragging Sophie along the walkway.
She screamed.
“Let me go!”
I reached the top.
“ETHAN!”
He turned.
He was holding a knife.
“Stay back.”
I stopped.
Sophie cried.
“Daddy.”
Ethan pressed the blade near her shoulder.
My vision narrowed.
“You don’t want to hurt her.”
“You don’t know what I want.”
“I know she’s four.”
“She wasn’t supposed to hear anything.”
“Then blame the adults who were stupid enough to talk around her.”
His face twisted.
I had hit something.
Good.
“Vanessa ruined this.”
“That’s what Michael said.”
Ethan glanced toward the warehouse floor.
Exactly what I wanted.
I stepped closer.
“He’ll blame you too.”
“Shut up.”
“He already is.”
“One more step—”
“You think Michael plans to share anything with you after tonight?”
Ethan’s breathing changed.
Below us, officers shouted.
Then Vanessa screamed.
“Michael, no!”
Another gunshot.
Ethan looked down.
I moved.
I hit his knife hand.
Sophie fell away.
I grabbed her.
Ethan slammed into me.
We crashed against the railing.
The metal groaned.
I held Sophie against my chest with one arm and shoved Ethan back with the other.
He swung.
His fist hit my jaw.
Pain flashed.
Then Aaron appeared at the stairs.
“DROP IT!”
Ethan raised the knife.
Aaron fired.
Ethan collapsed.
I turned Sophie’s face against my chest.
“Don’t look.”
She was screaming.
“I’ve got you.”
Below us, chaos continued.
Police rushed toward Rachel.
Vanessa was on her knees.
Michael was gone.
A side door stood open.
Aaron ran toward me.
“Are you hit?”
“No.”
“Sophie?”
I checked her.
No blood.
No wounds.
She wrapped herself around me.
“Daddy, take me home.”
I kissed her hair.
“I will.”
Lena shouted from below.
“Aaron!”
We looked down.
She was standing beside Michael’s laptop.
The transfer from Vanessa’s phone had completed before the power outage.
And one audio file was already playing through the laptop speakers.
Vanessa’s recorded voice.
Then Michael’s.
Claire’s name.
The mechanic.
The brake line.
May you like
And a sentence that made the entire warehouse fall silent.
Michael said, “Claire was only the first problem. Daniel will be the last.”
