Chapter 12 - THE SAFE HOUSE
I didn't think.
I ran.
Detective Brooks grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the back door.
“Stay low!”
Glass covered the floor.
My bare feet slipped.
I almost fell.
Then another shot struck the wall behind us.
We reached the kitchen.
Brooks pushed me through the back door.
“Keep moving!”
Cold air hit my face.
We ran into the woods behind the house.
My lungs burned.
My pregnancy made every step harder.
“Wait!”
“I can't!”
“You have to.”
I turned.
Brooks was holding a flashlight.
Her face was pale.
“There's a second car.”
“What?”
“Someone knew about this location.”
We kept moving.
Minutes later, another vehicle appeared.
A black SUV.
It stopped near the house.
Three men stepped out.
I couldn't see their faces.
Then one of them called:
“Mrs. Carter!”
I froze.
Brooks whispered:
“Don't answer.”
The man continued.
“We know you're out here.”
My heart pounded.
Then he said something that made my blood turn cold.
“We know about the trust.”
Brooks looked at me.
“They're not after you.”
“What?”
“They're after the money.”
We kept moving.
Eventually, we reached an old service road.
A police vehicle waited there.
We climbed inside.
The doors locked.
As we drove away, I looked through the rear window.
The safe house disappeared behind the trees.
Brooks contacted the federal task force.
“This is now a financial conspiracy.”
I looked at her.
“How many people?”
“We don't know.”
“Ten?”
“Maybe more.”
“Twenty?”
She shook her head.
“Possibly dozens.”
I stared ahead.
My husband had built something much bigger than I knew.
Then Brooks received a call.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
“What?”
She handed me the phone.
A man's voice spoke.
“Mrs. Carter?”
“Yes.”
“You don't know me.”
“Who are you?”
“I worked for your father.”
I sat straighter.
“Where?”
“Private security.”
“Why are you calling?”
“Because your father left instructions.”
“What instructions?”
“If your husband ever tried to take control of the trust, I was supposed to find you.”
“Why?”
“To give you something.”
“What?”
“A key.”
My heart stopped.
“Another key?”
“Yes.”
“To what?”
“A vault.”
I looked at Brooks.
“Where?”
“Chicago.”
Brooks shook her head.
“We're not going anywhere without federal protection.”
The man continued:
“There's a reason your father kept this vault hidden.”
“What reason?”
“He believed your husband would eventually try to kill you.”
Silence.
I closed my eyes.
My father had known.
He had prepared for this.
The man gave me an address.
Then he said:
“One warning.”
“What?”
“Don't trust anyone who says they were protecting you.”
The line went dead.
Brooks looked at me.
“What?”
I repeated his warning.
She stared through the windshield.
Neither of us spoke.
May you like
Because suddenly the warning applied to everyone.
Including her.
