Chapter 6 - THE BROTHER I THOUGHT I LOST
I spent the entire night looking through old records.
Ethan had supposedly died in a highway accident.
No body recovered.
Officially declared dead after months of investigation.
I had never questioned it.
Until now.
Harper sent me a photograph.
A man standing outside a café in Montana.
Older.
Gray hair.
But unmistakable.
Ethan.
Alive.
I couldn't breathe.
Eleanor stared at the photograph.
“You need to find him.”
“I will.”
The next morning, I flew alone.
I found Ethan in a small town three hours from the airport.
He was sitting on a porch.
When he saw me, he didn't look surprised.
“You took your time.”
I stopped.
“You knew?”
“I knew eventually you'd come.”
“Why did you disappear?”
“Because they were hunting both of us.”
“Who?”
“Cole.”
I sat down.
Ethan told me everything.
He had discovered that Cole was selling confidential information through private contractors.
When Ethan tried to expose him, Cole arranged the fake accident.
Ethan escaped.
But he couldn't come home.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because they were watching you.”
I looked down.
“All these years…”
“I know.”
Then Ethan told me the worst part.
“Marcus Voss is working for Cole.”
I closed my eyes.
“And Dustin?”
“An asset.”
My stomach turned.
“How deep does this go?”
“Deeper than you want.”
Ethan handed me a small metal box.
Inside was a drive.
“The archive.”
I stared at it.
“This can expose Cole?”
“It can expose everyone.”
I thought of Evelyn.
Her bruises.
Her fear.
The hospital.
The photographs.
The threats.
I understood now.
Dustin hadn't been trying to control Evelyn simply because he was cruel.
He had been trying to get access to me.
But he'd made one terrible mistake.
He had hurt my daughter.
And now the entire machine was going to come apart.
When I returned home, Detective Bennett was waiting.
“We found Marcus.”
“Where?”
She handed me a photograph.
“Your daughter's old apartment.”
I looked at it.
“He's inside.”
I immediately reached for my coat.
Bennett stopped me.
“No.”
“I need to get Evelyn.”
“She isn't there.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“She was never the target.”
My blood ran cold.
“Then who is?”
May you like
Bennett looked at me.
“You.”
