Chapter 9
The call disconnected.
I tried calling back.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Daniel was shouting into his radio.
Agents moved around us.
Madison grabbed my shoulders.
“Ethan.”
I couldn’t hear her.
I saw Dad.
The gun.
The black screen.
That was all.
“Trace?” Daniel shouted.
An agent answered.
“Partial.”
“Where?”
“Warehouse district near Vernon.”
“Move.”
I started after him.
Daniel blocked me.
“No.”
“My father is there.”
“No.”
“You let him leave.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“That’s on me.”
“Then fix it.”
“I am.”
“By making me stay here?”
“Yes.”
I shoved him.
Daniel barely moved.
“Ethan.”
“Get out of my way.”
He lowered his voice.
“If you go, Vale gets exactly what he wants.”
“I don’t care.”
“You will if your father dies trying to keep you safe.”
That stopped me.
Madison wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“Please.”
I hated every second.
But I stayed.
Agents found three possible warehouses.
Teams moved toward all three.
Minutes felt like hours.
Then my phone rang.
Mom.
I couldn’t answer.
Madison did for me.
“Mrs. Cole?”
Mom’s voice came through.
“Where’s Ethan?”
“I’m here,” I said.
“Is your father okay?”
I closed my eyes.
“I don’t know.”
Silence.
Then Mom said, “Tell me.”
So I did.
When I finished, she didn’t cry.
Not immediately.
She said, “He went alone.”
“Yes.”
“Of course he did.”
Her voice broke.
“Mom.”
“He still thinks he has to fix everything himself.”
I sat down.
“I should have stopped him.”
“No.”
“I knew something was wrong.”
“You are not responsible for your father’s decisions.”
I looked at Madison.
She squeezed my hand.
Mom continued.
“Richard carries Martin Vale with him every day.”
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because it was painful.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“No.”
She sighed.
“It’s an excuse.”
I didn’t answer.
Then Daniel rushed toward us.
“They found the location.”
I stood.
“Dad?”
“Unknown.”
A livestream from an agent’s body camera appeared on a secure screen.
Warehouse.
Dark.
Empty hallways.
Then a room.
Chair.
Blood.
No people.
My heart dropped.
An agent shouted.
“Movement rear exit!”
Camera shook.
People ran.
Then gunfire.
Madison screamed.
I couldn’t breathe.
More shouting.
“Suspect down!”
“Where’s Cole?”
“Search!”
Daniel stared at the screen.
“Come on.”
Then an agent’s voice.
“Found one male.”
“Identify.”
A pause.
“Richard Cole.”
My knees almost gave out.
“Condition?”
The radio crackled.
“Conscious.”
I covered my face.
Madison cried.
Mom was still on the phone.
“He’s alive?” she shouted.
“Yes.”
I laughed and cried at the same time.
Dad had been hit in the shoulder.
Not life-threatening.
Adrian had escaped through another exit before agents fully surrounded the building.
Again.
Always one step ahead.
Dad arrived at the hospital under guard.
When I saw him, anger hit before relief.
I walked into his room.
He smiled weakly.
“Hey.”
I punched him in the uninjured shoulder.
Not hard.
But enough.
“Ow.”
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“Language.”
“Seriously?”
He almost smiled.
Then I hugged him.
Hard.
He groaned.
“Other shoulder.”
I let go.
“You could have died.”
“I know.”
“Mom is going to kill you.”
“I know.”
“Daniel might help.”
“I know.”
I sat down.
Dad’s face became serious.
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
“I thought if I gave him what he wanted—”
“He wants revenge.”
“I know.”
“You can’t satisfy revenge.”
Dad looked at me.
“When did you get smart?”
“Probably while you were getting shot.”
He laughed.
Then winced.
The door opened.
Madison entered.
Dad smiled.
“You okay?”
She stared at him.
“You got kidnapped trying to solve my family’s kidnapping.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds stupid.”
“It was stupid.”
“I’m hearing that a lot.”
She hugged him carefully.
Then sat beside me.
Dad’s expression changed.
“There’s something you both need to know.”
I groaned.
“No more secrets.”
“No more.”
He looked at me.
“Adrian had files.”
“What files?”
“On you.”
Madison stiffened.
“What kind?”
“Everything.”
My schools.
Jobs.
Friends.
Relationships.
He had tracked my life.
Dad continued.
“He knew when you started working at Nexora.”
Nexora was the “little tech company” Mrs. Whitmore had mocked.
In reality, it was a startup I had co-founded with two friends.
Dad had invested nothing.
By my choice.
“What about it?”
“Vale invested indirectly.”
I stared.
“What?”
“Through a fund.”
My stomach turned.
“How much?”
“Two million in the seed round.”
I stood.
“No.”
“I checked.”
“No.”
“He has been closer than we thought.”
“Does he own part of my company?”
“Indirectly, yes.”
I felt violated.
Every part of my life had his fingerprints.
Madison touched my arm.
Dad continued.
“I think he wanted to make you successful.”
I laughed bitterly.
“That makes no sense.”
“He wanted you to build something.”
“Why?”
“So you’d understand what it feels like to lose it.”
The room went quiet.
I thought about Nexora.
Four years.
Late nights.
Sacrifices.
Friends who trusted me.
Employees.
Families.
Adrian wasn’t only after Dad.
He wanted me.
Then my phone rang.
My co-founder, Jake.
I answered.
“Hey.”
He sounded panicked.
“Ethan, something’s wrong.”
“What?”
“Our servers are down.”
I stood.
“What do you mean down?”
“Everything.”
“Backup?”
“Locked.”
“Who has admin access?”
“You, me, Priya.”
Dad closed his eyes.
We both knew.
Jake continued.
“And someone just emailed the entire company.”
My chest tightened.
“What did it say?”
He hesitated.
“Your father’s money built Nexora.”
“That’s not true.”
“I know.”
“Who sent it?”
“Looks like you.”
“What?”
“Your account.”
I opened my laptop.
Couldn’t log in.
Then headlines started appearing online.
COLE HEIR SECRETLY FUNDED BY BILLIONAIRE FATHER.
FAKE ENTREPRENEUR?
NEXORA INVESTORS MISLED.
Madison whispered, “He’s attacking you.”
Dad nodded.
Exactly as predicted.
My phone filled with messages.
Employees.
Investors.
Journalists.
Then a final email arrived.
From an address I recognized now.
Adrian.
SUBJECT: YOUR TURN.
Inside was one line.
SAVE YOUR COMPANY OR SAVE YOUR FATHER’S NAME.
Below it were two encrypted files.
One labeled NEXORA.
The other labeled VECTOR.
Dad stared.
“What is Vector?”
“Evidence,” I said.
“Of what?”
I opened the second file.
Documents appeared.
Old accounting records.
Emails.
Signatures.
Martin Vale.
Richard Cole.
Dad leaned closer.
Then his face drained.
“No.”
“What?”
“That isn’t my signature.”
I looked at him.
The documents showed Dad authorizing transfers connected to the fraud that sent Martin Vale to prison.
“Adrian thinks you stole the money?”
Dad shook his head slowly.
“He thinks I framed Martin.”
Madison stared.
“Did you?”
“No.”
He answered instantly.
“No.”
I looked back at the documents.
“They look real.”
“They’re not.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I never signed those transfers.”
“Then who did?”
Dad froze.
I saw it.
A memory.
A possibility.
“Dad.”
He whispered a name.
“Edward.”
“Who is Edward?”
“My older brother.”
I stared.
“You have a brother?”
“Had.”
No more secrets.
Apparently that had lasted ten minutes.
“What happened to him?”
“He died twenty years ago.”
“What does he have to do with Vector?”
Dad looked sick.
“He was our CFO.”
The room went silent.
Dad stared at the old documents.
Then whispered, “Martin may not have stolen the money.”
I felt cold.
“Then who did?”
May you like
Dad looked at me.
“My brother.”
