Chapter 3 - The Kidnapping That Proved My Enemies Had Been Watching Her for Years
I had lost people before.
Friends.
Soldiers.
Partners.
Family.
But when I saw the empty spot where Lily had been standing, something inside me went completely still.
Not rage.
Not panic.
Focus.
“Lock the doors.”
Leon barked orders.
Security flooded the warehouse.
Marcus checked the windows.
Adrian searched the rear exit.
No sign.
Then Lily's backpack was found near the hidden wall.
Inside was a note.
STOP LOOKING.
The ink was black.
At the bottom was the crow symbol.
I stared at it.
“They took her because of me.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No. They took her because of what she knows.”
“What does she know?”
“Enough to get people killed.”
I turned.
“Then start talking.”
Marcus hesitated.
I put my gun on the table.
“Now.”
He sat down.
“Your family didn't build the Vance empire.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“Your grandfather inherited it.”
“From whom?”
“A group of businessmen who had already lost control.”
Marcus continued.
“The original Vance fortune came from a transportation trust.”
“I know.”
“No. You know the public version.”
He leaned closer.
“The trust was never owned by your family.”
“Then who owned it?”
“An anonymous group.”
“What group?”
“The Black Circle.”
The Crow symbol suddenly made sense.
“The Crow is part of it?”
“The Crow leads it.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Why target me?”
“Because your father stole something from them.”
“What?”
“The ledger.”
I laughed.
“Everyone has a ledger.”
“This one contains names.”
“Whose?”
“Judges. Senators. CEOs. Police commanders. Union leaders.”
“So?”
“If released, it would destroy the city.”
I looked at the empty room.
“And Lily has it?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Anna did.”
“And now?”
“We don't know.”
I stared at him.
“Then find her.”
Marcus looked away.
“Anna is dead.”
“You said you spoke to her.”
“Eight years ago.”
“Then you know she was alive.”
“For a while.”
“How did she die?”
Marcus was silent.
I grabbed his collar.
“How?”
He whispered,
“She was killed because she tried to trade the ledger for Lily's safety.”
My grip tightened.
“Who killed her?”
“The Crow.”
I released him.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The poisoned meal.
Nolan's betrayal.
Anna's disappearance.
Lily's arrival.
Someone wanted the ledger.
And Lily knew where it was.
We traced the kidnappers to an abandoned theater.
When we arrived, we heard a child's voice.
“Uncle Caleb?”
I stepped forward.
“Lily.”
A speaker crackled.
“Come alone.”
Leon grabbed my arm.
“No.”
“She has the ledger.”
“You don't know that.”
“I know.”
We entered.
Lily was tied to a chair.
A man stood behind her.
Masked.
The Crow.
He looked at me.
“You came.”
“Release her.”
“Where's the ledger?”
“I don't have it.”
He laughed.
“You always lie badly.”
“Take me instead.”
“That's the problem.”
“What?”
“I don't need you.”
He pointed at Lily.
“I need her memory.”
Lily looked terrified.
“What does that mean?”
The Crow smiled.
“Her mother taught her where the ledger is.”
I looked at Lily.
“Where?”
She cried.
“I don't know.”
The Crow raised a knife.
“She does.”
I stepped forward.
“Don't touch her.”
The Crow paused.
“You still think this is about money.”
“What is it about?”
“Blood.”
He said it like a verdict.
“Your family destroyed mine.”
“How?”
“Your grandfather betrayed us.”
“He died twenty years ago.”
“He left descendants.”
The Crow removed his mask.
I stared.
Nolan.
No.
Not Nolan.
Another man.
Older.
Gray eyes.
I recognized him from childhood photographs.
My uncle.
Clara's husband.
Arthur Vance.
A man we had been told died at sea.
I couldn't speak.
Arthur smiled.
“Hello, Caleb.”
“You've been alive.”
“Yes.”
“You killed Anna.”
His smile vanished.
“Anna betrayed me.”
“She was your niece.”
“She chose you.”
I stepped forward.
“Why?”
“Because you were always the favorite.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You destroyed your own family because of jealousy?”
“No.”
He looked at Lily.
“Because your grandfather stole from us.”
He pointed at Lily.
“And Anna stole again.”
I looked at her.
“Where is the ledger?”
Lily closed her eyes.
Then whispered,
“In the one place my mother knew nobody would search.”
“Where?”
She opened her eyes.
“Inside Grandpa's grave.”
Arthur smiled.
But then gunfire erupted from the balcony.
Someone shot Arthur's men.
Leon shouted.
Marcus pulled Lily free.
Arthur escaped.
I looked at the chaos.
A second betrayal.
Because the shooter wasn't one of my men.
It was Nolan.
He had come for Lily.
He wasn't trying to kill us.
He was protecting us.
I stared.
Nolan lowered his weapon.
“Now you know.”
I shouted,
“Know what?”
May you like
He answered,
“Why I let you hate me.”
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