Chapter 5 - Victor Was Still in the House
Adrian ran.
Mara shouted for two guards to follow, but he was already through the service corridor.
The garage door stood half open.
Cold air pushed in across the polished concrete.
Three cars remained inside.
Victor was not among them.
“Victor!” Adrian shouted.
Nothing.
Then a taillight flashed.
One of the black sedans rolled backward.
Adrian jumped aside as it shot toward the open garage door.
Mara drew her weapon.
“Stop the vehicle!”
The sedan accelerated.
Adrian caught a glimpse through the windshield.
Not Victor.
A masked driver.
The car vanished down the driveway.
Mara touched her earpiece.
“Gate team, block the south exit.”
Static answered.
Then a guard’s voice.
“Negative. Sheriff’s units are blocking us.”
Adrian stared toward the darkness outside.
Pike hadn’t left.
He had positioned his people around the property.
Mara cursed.
“Victor used the distraction.”
“No,” Adrian said.
He pointed toward the sedan’s empty parking space.
A small leather case rested on the ground.
Victor had left it deliberately.
Inside was a passport.
A key.
And a handwritten note.
ADRIAN — IF YOU’RE READING THIS, EMILY IS ALREADY IN DANGER. TRUST CLAIRE. DO NOT TRUST MARA.
Adrian read the final sentence twice.
Mara stood beside him.
“What does it say?”
He folded the note.
“Nothing useful.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re lying.”
“So are you.”
Mara’s face hardened.
“About what?”
“You said every camera was streaming off-site.”
“That was to push Pike out.”
“You also said Victor was out of state this week.”
“That’s what our intelligence showed.”
“Your intelligence is your job.”
“And protecting you is mine.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“Then why did my brother leave me a message saying not to trust you?”
Mara’s expression disappeared.
For one heartbeat, she looked almost hurt.
Then she said, “Because your brother knows exactly what happened in Kabul.”
Adrian’s stomach dropped.
Emily appeared in the garage doorway.
“Dad?”
He turned.
She was holding a tablet.
“The deletion stopped at seventy-two percent.”
“Did we keep the recording?”
“Yes.”
Relief lasted half a second.
Emily continued.
“But the recording has a second audio track.”
Mara went still.
“What second track?”
“I don’t know. It was hidden.”
Emily tapped the screen.
A man’s voice played.
Low.
Clear.
Familiar.
“Crowe is expendable. If the girl signs, bring her out. If she refuses, make the father come inside.”
Adrian did not breathe.
Emily looked between him and Mara.
“Dad… whose voice is that?”
Mara answered first.
May you like
“Your grandfather’s.”
