Chapter 12 - THE FATHER WHO CHOSE THE ENEMY
Marcus called me six hours later.
“Lila.”
I stared at the phone.
“Where are you?”
“I can explain.”
“Everyone says that right before making things worse.”
Silence.
Then:
“Keene has something.”
“What?”
“Proof.”
“Of what?”
“That Evelyn killed Victor.”
I looked toward her.
She stood beside Adrian across the room.
Alive.
My mother.
Stranger.
Possible murderer.
Marcus continued.
“If that evidence goes public, she goes to prison.”
“So you helped him escape?”
“I’m trying to protect her.”
“By helping the man who tried to kill her?”
“He promised me the evidence.”
I laughed.
“You believed him?”
“No.”
That surprised me.
“Then what are you doing?”
“Getting close enough to destroy it.”
Adrian held out his hand.
I gave him the phone.
“Marcus.”
“Adrian.”
“Location.”
“No.”
“Your daughter is standing in front of me.”
“I know.”
“She deserves better than this.”
Marcus went quiet.
Then he said:
“You’re right.”
A location arrived.
Old Vale shipping terminal.
Lake Calumet.
We drove there before dawn.
Marcus waited alone.
He held a drive.
“Where’s Keene?”
“Gone.”
Adrian looked ready to explode.
Marcus raised the drive.
“This is what he wanted me to steal.”
“What is it?”
“Caroline’s full ledger archive.”
I frowned.
“We already have the microfilm.”
“That was only the index.”
Roman went still.
“What’s on the drive?”
“Everything.”
Murders.
Bank transfers.
Videos.
Audio.
Enough to destroy Keene’s entire network.
Adrian took it.
“Why give it to us?”
Marcus looked at me.
“Because I’m tired of choosing fear over my daughter.”
My throat tightened.
He turned to Evelyn.
“I’m sorry.”
She stepped closer.
“You always were terrible at plans.”
He laughed softly.
Then a red dot appeared on his chest.
Adrian shouted:
“Down!”
Gunfire.
Marcus shoved me behind a crate.
A bullet hit him.
He fell.
I screamed.
Roman fired toward the catwalk.
Keene appeared above us.
Adrian ran.
Marcus clutched his side.
I pressed my hands against the wound.
“Stay with me.”
He looked at me.
“Sorry.”
“No.”
“I missed everything.”
“Then don’t miss this.”
His eyes filled.
“What?”
“Stay.”
He nodded weakly.
Above us, Adrian cornered Keene.
Keene stood near the edge of the catwalk.
“You think you can become legitimate?” he mocked.
Adrian’s expression was calm.
“I think I can become better than you.”
Keene laughed.
Then jumped.
Not to the floor.
Onto a waiting cargo container moving beneath the platform.
He escaped toward the river.
Roman cursed.
I stayed with Marcus.
The drive was safe.
Marcus was alive.
Barely.
Then Evelyn found one final file on the drive.
A DNA report.
She read it.
Her face went white.
Adrian noticed.
“What?”
She looked at me.
“Lila…”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
Evelyn whispered:
“Marcus isn’t your biological father.”
Silence.
May you like
Then she looked at Adrian.
“The report says your father was Victor Vale.”
