Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT EVERYTHING COLLAPSED
I didn't go alone.
I followed Michael's SUV with two trusted security officers several blocks behind.
He eventually stopped beneath an abandoned elevated train line.
I stepped out.
Michael waited in the shadows.
He looked at me for a long moment.
"You look like him."
"Who?"
"Your father."
"I thought you were dead."
"I wanted everyone to think that."
"Why?"
"Because your family kills problems."
I stepped closer.
"Did you know about my children?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you help Grace?"
"I tried."
"She said you disappeared."
"I was hunted."
He looked exhausted.
"I couldn't protect her and protect myself."
"Who is Elena?"
His expression changed.
"My daughter."
"Why was she around Grace?"
"Because Elena helped her."
I frowned.
"How?"
"She was the one who found the first evidence that Richard was targeting the children."
"Where is she?"
Michael looked away.
"Dead."
My chest tightened.
"When?"
"Two years ago."
I stared at him.
"Richard killed her?"
Michael's eyes filled with hatred.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"She disappeared."
He pulled out another photograph.
Elena standing outside our old house.
Behind her was Grace.
And a newborn Emma.
"Elena protected them."
"Why?"
"Because she knew the truth about the trust."
Michael took a breath.
"Your grandfather didn't create the trust to protect Brooks Holdings."
"Then why?"
"To prevent Richard Kane from ever controlling it."
I stared at him.
"Why Richard?"
"Because Richard wasn't simply your father's partner."
"What was he?"
Michael whispered:
"Your grandfather's illegitimate son."
I couldn't speak.
Richard Kane was my father's half-brother.
Another secret.
Another hidden branch of the family.
Michael continued.
"Your grandfather had two sons. My father. Richard's father."
"So Richard had a claim."
"Yes."
"But he was excluded."
"Exactly."
"That's why he wants the children dead."
Michael nodded.
"And your father has been helping him."
I felt anger rise.
"My father didn't order the murders."
"No."
Michael looked at me.
"He did something worse."
"What?"
"He stayed silent."
My phone rang.
The hospital.
I answered.
"Hello?"
The nurse was crying.
"Mr. Brooks, you need to come back immediately."
"What happened?"
"Emma's surgery has been moved."
"Moved?"
"To tonight."
I froze.
"Why?"
"The hospital received an anonymous authorization."
"Who authorized it?"
Silence.
"Your father."
I looked at Michael.
He whispered:
"He's trying to force the surgery before you can stop him."
I drove back like a madman.
When I reached the hospital, Grace was screaming at the surgical staff.
"She isn't ready!"
The doctor looked helpless.
"The authorization came through."
I stepped between them.
"I withdraw consent."
The administrator shook his head.
"Your father is listed as legal financial guardian."
"What?"
Grace looked at me.
"He used the old trust."
I called my lawyer.
Within minutes, we filed an emergency injunction.
The hospital stopped the surgery.
But then something worse happened.
The lights went out.
Every hallway went black.
Emergency lights flickered red.
People screamed.
A nurse shouted:
"Someone has entered the pediatric wing!"
I ran.
Grace was already sprinting toward Emma.
The room was empty.
The bed was empty.
The monitor had been disconnected.
Emma was gone.
"NO!"
Grace collapsed.
I searched the hallway.
Security doors had been forced open.
Then I saw a red raincoat lying on the floor.
Emma's.
My heart stopped.
A phone buzzed.
Mine.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LET YOUR FATHER CONTROL THE SURGERY.
Then another.
NOW YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.
I turned to Grace.
She was shaking.
"I should have told you everything."
"What?"
She looked at me.
"There is one person your father feared more than Richard."
"Who?"
Grace whispered:
"Your mother."
I stared at her.
"My mother?"
May you like
Grace nodded.
"She knows where Emma is."
