Chapter 3 - THE FIRST WIFE
Dominic stared at the photograph until the edges blurred.
Eight years ago.
Rain.
Fire.
Twisted steel.
Elena screaming inside the car while Dominic fought a jammed seat belt.
Nathan had appeared through smoke and flames.
He had dragged Dominic out seconds before the fuel tank exploded.
Dominic had spent years believing Nathan saved his life.
Now the photograph said something else.
Phase One Complete.
“What the hell is this?” Daniel whispered.
Nathan did not answer.
Dominic turned slowly.
“Who took that picture?”
Nathan’s mouth remained closed.
Dominic walked toward him.
“Who took it?”
“I don’t know.”
Dominic punched him once.
Nathan crashed against the stone.
Harper screamed.
Dominic stopped instantly.
Mia covered Harper’s eyes.
Dominic looked ashamed for only half a second.
Then his rage returned.
“Take Harper upstairs.”
“No.”
Harper clung to Mia.
Mia whispered, “Baby, go with Marcus.”
“No!”
Dominic crouched.
“Harper.”
The little girl looked at him.
“You found your mother because you were brave.”
She sniffed.
“Now I need you to be brave one more time.”
“Mommy comes too?”
“Yes.”
Dominic looked at Mia.
“You’re going upstairs. Doctor Lewis is coming.”
Mia shook her head.
“I need to tell you something first.”
She reached beneath the collar of her torn uniform and removed her silver bird necklace.
Dominic had seen it hundreds of times.
Mia always wore it.
She pressed the bird’s tiny wing.
A seam opened.
Inside was a microSD card.
Nathan lunged.
Daniel slammed him back against the wall.
Dominic stared at Mia.
“You copied something.”
“I copied everything I could before Claire caught me.”
Nathan stopped struggling.
That told Dominic the card mattered.
A lot.
“Marcus.”
Marcus took the necklace.
“Get it to the secure office. Air-gapped laptop only.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nathan looked at Dominic.
“You don’t know what you’re opening.”
Dominic smiled without warmth.
“That sounds like fear.”
“It’s a warning.”
Harper and Mia were taken upstairs.
Dominic remained in the hidden room.
He opened folders one by one.
Shell corporations.
Wire transfers.
Schedules.
Security patrol changes.
Payments to cops.
Payments to judges.
Payments to people Dominic had never heard of.
Then Daniel found a file marked E.V.
He handed it over.
Dominic opened it.
Inside were medical reports for Elena Vale.
His first wife.
Photographs of her car.
Copies of Dominic’s travel calendar.
And an invoice.
BRIDGE STREET AUTO.
$40,000.
BRAKE MODIFICATION.
Dominic stopped breathing.
Nathan looked away.
Dominic walked to him.
“Tell me it’s fake.”
Nathan said nothing.
“Tell me.”
Nathan finally met his eyes.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”
Daniel whispered, “Jesus Christ.”
Dominic grabbed Nathan by the shirt.
“You killed Elena?”
“No.”
Nathan’s voice was suddenly sharp.
“I did not kill her.”
“Your name is on the payment.”
“My name is on thousands of payments.”
“You arranged the brakes.”
Nathan looked at him for a long moment.
Then he said the sentence Dominic had waited eight years to hear without knowing it.
“Elena wasn’t the target.”
Dominic released him.
“What?”
May you like
Nathan’s face was pale.
“You were.”
