Chapter 6 - THE PLAN TO SEPARATE FOUR BROTHERS
Victor Sloane had prepared paperwork to remove my father from control of the family trust.
And if he succeeded, my brothers and I could be separated.
I read the document three times.
Adrian would be assigned management responsibilities under an outside adviser.
Theo would be placed in a residential behavioral program.
Finn would be transferred to a private therapeutic facility.
And I would be sent to a boarding school overseas.
Four sons.
Four different places.
No guarantee we'd see one another.
I felt sick.
“Can he do that?”
Rebecca Collins, our independent family attorney, shook her head.
“Not simply because a document says so. There are legal safeguards and requirements for any change affecting minors.”
I exhaled.
But the fear remained.
Someone had been planning this.
Someone who knew our weaknesses.
Adrian's temper.
Theo's school expulsions.
My suspension.
Finn's anxiety.
Every mistake we'd made was described in the paperwork.
I stared at a paragraph about myself.
Subject demonstrates increasing aggression and instability.
My hands shook.
Tyler Mercer.
The fight.
The police station.
Suddenly, the timing made sense.
“What if Tyler wasn't trying to make me angry?” I whispered.
Everyone turned.
I looked toward Detective Morgan.
“What if someone paid him to start that fight?”
The detective nodded.
“We're examining his communications and any connections to the threats against Finn.”
I swallowed.
The next day, investigators recovered messages between Tyler and an older man using an encrypted messaging account.
The account was linked to a consulting firm associated with Victor.
One message read:
MAKE SURE THE CAVANAUGH BOY GETS SUSPENDED.
My stomach dropped.
Another said:
THE YOUNGER ONE WILL HANDLE THE REST.
I looked toward Finn.
He was sitting beside Eleanor on the couch, building a small model airplane.
He didn't know what the message said.
I wanted to keep it that way.
For once, I understood why adults sometimes wanted to hide the truth.
But Eleanor had taught me something important.
Protection wasn't the same as deception.
We could tell Finn what he needed to know without frightening him with every detail.
That evening, Dad gathered us in the family room.
No lawyers.
No staff.
Just the five of us and Eleanor, whom Finn had asked to stay.
Julian looked nervous.
“I owe all of you an apology.”
Nobody spoke.
“I let fear make decisions for me.”
Adrian folded his arms.
“You let Victor make decisions for you.”
Dad nodded.
“Yes.”
Theo stared at the carpet.
“And you let us become strangers.”
Julian's voice broke.
“Yes.”
Then he looked at Finn.
His youngest son was holding Eleanor's hand.
“Finn, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me.”
Finn's eyes filled.
He whispered, “Are you leaving again?”
Dad shook his head.
“No.”
“For work?”
“Not tonight.”
Finn considered that.
Then moved slowly toward him.
Julian opened his arms.
And Finn hugged him.
It was the first time I'd seen them embrace in months.
I looked away before anyone noticed my tears.
Then Adrian's phone rang.
He read the message.
His expression changed.
“What?” Theo asked.
Adrian looked toward Dad.
“Victor just froze three of our business accounts.”
Julian stood.
Then Adrian revealed the part that made Eleanor go pale.
May you like
“One of those accounts belongs to the trust Mom created for us.”
And according to the bank's notice, Victor had submitted documents claiming Eleanor Hargrove was helping us commit fraud.
