Chapter 5 - THE CAR BY THE RIVER
Ethan drove ninety miles an hour in a tuxedo.
Claire sat beside him in her wedding gown with her shoes off and one hand gripping the dashboard.
“Slow down.”
“My father’s security chief took my mother to an industrial road and shut off the tracker.”
“I know.”
“If something happened—”
“We don’t know that.”
Ethan hit the gas harder.
They reached the river district eighteen minutes later.
Warehouses.
Chain-link fences.
Empty loading yards.
The black SUV was parked behind an abandoned furniture factory.
Both rear doors stood open.
Ethan jumped from the car.
“Nora!”
Claire ran after him, lifting her dress.
“Nora!”
No answer.
Ethan looked inside the SUV.
A broken pair of reading glasses lay on the floor.
There was blood on one armrest.
Claire saw it.
“Oh God.”
Ethan backed away.
“Call the police.”
A sound came from inside the warehouse.
Metal scraping concrete.
Ethan turned.
“Did you hear that?”
“Ethan, wait.”
He ran toward the loading entrance.
Claire cursed and followed.
Inside, the building smelled like dust and river water.
“Nora!”
Something moved behind stacked pallets.
Ethan grabbed a rusted metal bar from the floor.
A man stepped out.
Not Marcus.
One of the security guards from the church.
“Mr. Hale.”
Ethan tightened his grip.
“Where is she?”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Wrong answer.
Ethan swung.
The guard jumped back.
“Jesus! Stop!”
“WHERE IS SHE?”
Claire shouted, “Ethan!”
The guard raised both hands.
“She ran.”
“Bullshit.”
“We were told to take her to a shelter. She freaked out when we stopped.”
“Why is there blood in the car?”
“She hit Marcus with her glasses.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Where’s Marcus?”
The guard glanced toward a side door.
That was all Ethan needed.
He ran.
Outside, a narrow alley led toward the river.
Marcus stood near the water with his phone pressed to his ear.
When he saw Ethan, he hung up.
“Where is Nora?”
Marcus’s expression was unreadable.
“Your father wants you back at the reception.”
Ethan punched him.
Marcus staggered.
Claire screamed.
Ethan grabbed his jacket.
“Where is she?”
Marcus wiped blood from his lip.
“You have no idea what that woman is capable of.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know more than you.”
Ethan hit him again.
This time Marcus drove him into the brick wall.
Claire shouted, “Get off him!”
Marcus released Ethan.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
He reached inside his jacket.
Ethan braced himself.
Marcus pulled out a small plastic bag.
Inside was a cheap silver necklace.
A child’s pendant hung from it.
Ethan knew it.
He didn’t know how.
But he knew it.
His fingers went numb.
Marcus said quietly, “She dropped this before she ran.”
Ethan took it.
On the back, three letters had been scratched by hand.
E.M.H.
His initials.
Claire whispered, “Ethan…”
Then a voice came from behind them.
Weak.
Terrified.
“Don’t believe him.”
They turned.
Nora stood twenty feet away.
Blood ran down one side of her face.
May you like
And she was holding a gun.
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