Chapter 11 - THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Samuel laughed.
Not warmly.
Not nervously.
A slow, exhausted laugh.
"You always were observant."
Evelyn backed away.
"What did he mean?"
Samuel reached beneath his shirt.
He removed a small microphone.
"Barrett isn't the architect."
Lucas pulled Evelyn closer.
"Samuel is."
Evelyn stared.
"That's insane."
Samuel looked at her almost sadly.
"Is it?"
Footsteps surrounded the warehouse.
Armed men appeared on the catwalks.
Evelyn's stomach dropped.
Samuel continued.
"Barrett is greedy. Cruel. Easy to manipulate."
"You used him."
"For twenty years."
Lucas spat at him.
Samuel didn't react.
"My father discovered you," Evelyn whispered.
"Daniel discovered both of us."
"Why kill my family?"
"Because your father planned to give everything to federal prosecutors."
Evelyn's face tightened.
"He should have."
"Perhaps."
Samuel shrugged.
"But that would have destroyed hundreds of lives, businesses, families."
"You mean criminals."
"I mean systems."
Evelyn looked around at the gunmen.
"And you think this is better?"
Samuel smiled faintly.
"I think power is cleaner when intelligent people control it."
Lucas laughed.
"You sound like every monster who thinks he's a philosopher."
Samuel's smile disappeared.
Evelyn looked at him.
"Why keep me alive?"
"I liked you."
Her face twisted with disgust.
"Don't."
"It's true. You reminded me of Daniel."
"You murdered him."
"And regretted it."
"You don't get to regret murder like it's a bad investment."
Samuel nodded.
"Fair."
He pointed toward Penny.
"Bring the child."
Titan exploded.
The mastiff launched at the first gunman.
Chaos erupted.
Evelyn threw Penny behind a printing press.
Lucas tackled one of the men despite the chain around his ankle.
Gunfire cracked.
Samuel ducked behind a pillar.
Titan slammed another attacker against the floor.
Evelyn grabbed a dropped gun.
She hated how familiar it felt in her hands.
Samuel shouted:
"Evie! Don't make this worse!"
"You kidnapped my brother for six years!"
"I kept him alive!"
"That isn't mercy!"
She fired at the light above him.
Glass showered down.
Darkness.
Lucas shouted, "Back exit!"
They moved.
Titan guarded Penny.
Evelyn dragged Lucas toward the rear.
Then a vehicle crashed through the warehouse doors.
Black SUV.
Men poured out.
For one terrible second Evelyn thought they were more of Samuel's people.
Then she saw the man in the passenger seat.
Kendrick.
No handcuffs.
No police.
Just fury.
He stepped out holding a pistol.
"Everyone who isn't mine," he said calmly, "put your weapon down."
Samuel stared.
"How are you out?"
Kendrick smiled.
"My lawyer is expensive."
Then Barrett stepped out of the second SUV.
Evelyn froze.
Kendrick looked at her.
"I found our missing uncle."
Barrett looked terrified.
"Samuel played both of us."
Samuel smiled from the darkness.
"And Kendrick still doesn't understand."
Kendrick's face hardened.
"Understand what?"
Samuel lifted his phone.
"You think Celeste died because she discovered Barrett's accounts."
He pressed play.
A woman's voice filled the warehouse.
Celeste.
Kendrick went pale.
Samuel smiled.
"No, Kendrick."
May you like
"Your wife died because she discovered who your daughter's real grandfather was."
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