Chapter 9 - THE BETRAYAL
We returned to the safehouse.
Elena saw Lucia and froze.
“You found her.”
Isabella nodded.
Elena rushed forward.
The two women hugged.
I watched.
“You knew.”
Elena looked at me.
“Yes.”
“About Lucia?”
“Yes.”
“You knew she was alive.”
“I promised Isabella.”
I wanted to be angry.
But Daniel came running into the room.
“Mommy!”
Isabella dropped to her knees.
Daniel stopped.
He stared at her.
Neither moved.
Then Isabella whispered:
“Danny.”
His eyes filled with tears.
He ran into her arms.
I looked away.
For six years, my son had believed his mother was dead.
For six years, Isabella had believed she could never hold him again.
And I had believed my father had protected us.
He hadn't.
He had destroyed us.
Then the lights flickered.
Vincent immediately drew his gun.
“Someone's here.”
We heard a crash upstairs.
Elena grabbed Daniel.
Isabella took Lucia.
I moved toward the stairs.
Vincent followed.
We found nothing.
Then a red laser appeared on the wall.
Sniper.
I shoved Vincent down.
The bullet shattered the window.
“MOVE!”
We ran.
The safehouse exploded behind us.
I grabbed Daniel.
Vincent grabbed Lucia.
Elena and Isabella followed.
We reached the underground garage.
Three vehicles waited.
I opened the armored SUV.
Everyone climbed inside.
Vincent started the engine.
Then he stopped.
He looked at me.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“There are only two people who knew this safehouse location.”
“Who?”
“You.”
“And you.”
Vincent nodded.
“So one of us is compromised.”
I stared at him.
Before I could respond, Elena pointed at the rearview mirror.
A car was following us.
Black.
No plates.
Vincent accelerated.
The car followed.
We turned onto the highway.
The chase began.
Bullets struck the armored glass.
Daniel screamed.
I pulled him against me.
“It's okay.”
“No!”
His little body shook.
“I don't want Mommy to die again!”
Isabella's face broke.
“I won't.”
Another bullet hit the rear door.
Vincent swerved.
The pursuing car crashed into a barrier.
We escaped.
But Vincent wasn't celebrating.
He looked at the dashboard.
“There is something wrong.”
“What?”
“The GPS.”
“What about it?”
“It isn't showing our location.”
He stared at the screen.
“Someone has taken control of the vehicle.”
The doors locked.
The windows froze.
The engine accelerated by itself.
Vincent fought the steering wheel.
“Someone's remotely controlling us.”
I looked at the children.
“Can you stop it?”
“I'm trying.”
The speedometer climbed.
A voice came through the speakers.
Adrian Voss.
“You should have stayed in the hospital.”
I grabbed the microphone.
“Voss!”
He laughed.
“You finally understand.”
“What?”
“Vincent isn't the traitor.”
I looked at Vincent.
Voss continued:
“Your traitor is sitting in the back seat.”
Everyone froze.
I slowly turned around.
Elena was holding Daniel.
Isabella was beside her.
Lucia was crying.
Then I noticed something.
A tiny red light blinking beneath Elena's sleeve.
A tracking device.
I raised my gun.
“Elena.”
She looked down.
Her face went white.
“I swear I didn't know.”
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But the device suddenly began flashing faster.
And the car doors unlocked.
