Chapter 10 - THE BOY WHO DISAPPEARED
Nathan's security team searched everywhere.
School.
Apartment.
Safe house.
Nothing.
Ethan was gone.
Noah was still sleeping upstairs.
Emma collapsed.
“This is my fault.”
“No.”
“I should have protected him.”
Nathan knelt in front of her.
“We're bringing him home.”
“How?”
Nathan looked at the photograph Richard had sent.
A warehouse.
An old train station.
He recognized it.
The abandoned Harrison freight terminal.
Nathan called the police.
But Richard sent another message.
COME ALONE.
Nathan ignored the instruction.
He brought federal investigators.
The warehouse was surrounded.
Nathan entered first.
Inside, he heard a child crying.
“Mom!”
Emma ran forward.
Nathan stopped her.
“Wait.”
A light turned on.
Richard stood there.
Ethan was beside him.
Unharmed.
Richard smiled.
“You really thought I'd hurt him?”
Nathan stared.
“What do you want?”
“The trust.”
“No.”
“Then he stays.”
Ethan began crying.
Nathan looked at him.
“Ethan, are you okay?”
The boy nodded.
Richard smiled.
“Tell him what you found, Nathan.”
Nathan said nothing.
Richard continued.
“Tell him about his brother.”
Ethan looked confused.
“My brother?”
Nathan's heart dropped.
Richard had no idea that Noah was the child connected to the trust.
Or did he?
Nathan suddenly understood.
Richard had kidnapped the wrong boy.
He had assumed Ethan was Noah.
Nathan smiled.
Richard frowned.
“What?”
“You made a mistake.”
Richard's expression changed.
“Did I?”
Nathan nodded.
“You don't know which one is Noah.”
Richard went silent.
Nathan continued.
“And that's why you're scared.”
Richard raised his gun.
Then a voice came from behind him.
“Put it down.”
Emma.
She stood with a police officer.
Richard turned.
The officer tackled him.
Ethan ran into Emma's arms.
Nathan dropped beside them.
He hugged his son.
For the first time.
Ethan held him tightly.
“Daddy?”
Nathan closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The word broke him.
“Yes, I'm your daddy.”
Then police found a folder inside Richard's car.
It contained photographs of both boys.
But one photograph had a red circle around Noah.
Underneath it was written:
THE HEIR.
Nathan stared.
Richard had known.
He had simply been testing them.
And someone else had given him the information.
The name appeared at the bottom of the file.
Emma's father.
Nathan looked at Emma.
“Your father betrayed us.”
Emma's face crumpled.
“No…”
Nathan showed her the evidence.
She stared.
Then her phone rang.
Her father.
She answered.
He said only one sentence.
May you like
“Emma, you need to leave Chicago tonight.”
Then the line went dead.
