Chapter 14 - THE RECORDING
Nobody moved.
Claire plugged the flash drive into the foyer television.
Daniel stepped backward.
Hector noticed.
So did Nicholas.
“Stay where you are,” Nicholas said.
Daniel smiled faintly.
“You believe her now?”
“I believe recordings.”
Claire opened an audio file.
Rebecca’s voice played first.
“This is Rebecca Sloan. Recording from March 14.”
Then another voice.
Burke.
“You said the car would go into the lake.”
A second male voice answered.
“It almost did.”
Nicholas stared at Daniel.
The voice continued.
“Anthony ruined everything when he turned the wheel.”
Burke said, “Nicholas survived.”
“Yes.”
“And now?”
“Keep him weak.”
“What about his spine?”
“Doctors think he can improve.”
“Then stop the improvement.”
Burke hesitated.
“That could kill him.”
The second man laughed.
“That’s eventually the point.”
Daniel moved toward the door.
Hector blocked him.
Claire paused the recording.
Nicholas looked at his brother.
“Tell me that isn’t you.”
Daniel said nothing.
“Tell me.”
Daniel sighed.
“You always were emotional.”
Nicholas went still.
Hannah felt cold.
Daniel’s face changed.
The brother vanished.
Something harder appeared.
“You had everything.”
Nicholas stared.
“Our father hated me.”
“You stole from him.”
“He was stealing from everyone.”
“You ran.”
“I survived.”
“You tried to kill me.”
Daniel raised his voice.
“I tried to take back what should have been mine!”
Hector grabbed him.
Daniel shoved him away.
Security closed in.
Daniel laughed.
“Do you think this ends with me?”
Nicholas looked at Claire.
“Frank.”
Claire nodded.
“He financed it.”
Walter whispered, “And Burke handled the medication.”
Daniel looked at Nicholas.
“You think Claire is innocent?”
Nicholas’s face was empty.
“No.”
Claire flinched.
“She helped me,” Daniel continued. “She gave me your schedule. She gave me your travel routes.”
Claire shouted, “Before the crash!”
“Exactly.”
Nicholas closed his eyes.
Every betrayal had arrived wearing a familiar face.
Hannah stood beside him.
Not touching.
Just there.
Daniel looked at her.
“You think you saved him?”
Hannah met his eyes.
“No.”
Daniel smiled.
“Smart.”
Nicholas turned.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel looked toward the staircase.
“Frank isn’t in Florida.”
Hector grabbed him again.
“Where is he?”
Daniel laughed.
Then every light in the mansion went out.
Darkness.
Someone screamed.
Gunfire exploded near the front doors.
Hannah dropped beside Nicholas.
“Down!”
Emergency lights flickered red.
Security shouted.
Glass broke.
Nicholas grabbed Hannah’s arm.
“Claire?”
“I can’t see her!”
Another shot.
Then Walter cried out.
The lights returned.
Walter lay on the floor.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
Claire was gone.
So was Daniel.
The front door stood open.
Hector ran outside.
Nicholas turned toward Walter.
Hannah pressed her hands against the wound.
“Call an ambulance!”
Walter gripped Nicholas’s sleeve.
“Frank…”
Nicholas leaned closer.
“What?”
Walter struggled to breathe.
“He’s not coming for the house.”
“Then what?”
Walter’s face went white.
“He’s going after the boy.”
Nicholas looked at Hannah.
Her heart stopped.
“Ethan.”
She ran.
The guest room was empty.
The window stood open.
On the bed sat one paper crane.
Beside it was a note.
May you like
COME ALONE, NICHOLAS.
OR THE BOY DIES.
