Chapter 32 - THE RETURN TO CHICAGOThe flight to Chicago was suffocatingly tense. Elena sat by the window, her mind churning with the devastating implications of Daniel Mercer’s involvement. Hannah, Caleb's fiancée, was Daniel's daughter. The very woman who had saved Caleb, who had helped expose Victor Raines, was the child of the man who had facilitated Elena's murder.
"We cannot tell Caleb," Alexander said quietly, taking the seat beside her. "If Caleb finds out that Hannah's father is the reason his mother had to fake her death... it will destroy him."
"We can't hide it from him, Alexander," Elena argued, turning to face her husband. "This isn't just about Daniel. It's about Margaret. If Daniel knows where she is, we have to find him before the syndicate does. Caleb deserves the truth."
"Caleb is finally happy, Elena," Alexander pleaded, his eyes filled with a desperate need to protect his brother. "He just proposed to Hannah. If we blow this up, we aren't just taking down Daniel Mercer. We are destroying the only family Caleb has left."
"I am not going to let a murderer hide behind his daughter," Elena stated flawlessly. "I am going to get the truth. And if Daniel Mercer tries to run, I will personally drag him back."
The Sterling-Brooks jet touched down at Midway International Airport just before midnight. Marcus had a tactical team waiting on the tarmac. They didn't go to Caleb's apartment. They drove straight to Daniel Mercer's modest home in Logan Square.
The house was dark. Marcus disabled the alarm system and picked the lock on the front door. The tactical team swept the rooms with military precision.
"Clear!" the lead operative whispered over the comms.
Alexander and Elena walked into the living room. It was empty. The closets were stripped bare. The safe in the study was open and empty.
"He's gone," Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He took Hannah and ran."
"No," Elena said, her eyes locking onto a small detail on the kitchen table. She walked over and picked up a single, handwritten note left beside a half-empty cup of coffee.
I knew you would find out eventually. I am not running from you, Elena. I am running to finish what I started. Meet me where it all began.
May you like
Elena stared at the note. "Where it all began."
"Bridge House," Alexander realized, his blood running cold. "He went back to the community center."
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