Chapter 8 - The Betrayal Came From the Person I Trusted Most
The name was Naomi Foster.
My supervisor.
My mentor.
The woman who had trained me.
The woman who had supposedly helped save Dominic.
I refused to believe it.
"No."
My mother nodded sadly.
"Naomi joined the Bellwether network years ago."
"But she helped us escape."
"To gain your trust."
Dominic looked at me.
"Did she have access to your credentials?"
I remembered.
Every time.
Naomi had helped reset my hospital account.
She had access to my files.
She had been beside me when the server was accessed.
She had directed us to the archive.
She had known exactly where to find everything.
I felt sick.
"She's the one who framed me."
Dominic nodded.
My mother explained that Naomi had been assigned to monitor me after my mother's disappearance.
She was supposed to report if I remembered anything.
"Why did she help us?"
"Because Mercer was losing control."
"So she switched sides?"
"Perhaps."
We returned to the safe house.
Naomi was waiting.
She stood in the kitchen as though nothing had happened.
"You found your mother."
My anger exploded.
"You betrayed me."
Her face fell.
"Grace..."
"Don't call me that."
She closed her eyes.
"I never wanted any of this."
"Then why?"
"Because my brother was inside the network."
"Who?"
"Mercer had him."
She started crying.
"They threatened to kill him."
I stared at her.
"How long?"
"Seven years."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because they were watching."
Dominic stepped forward.
"Where is her brother?"
"Dead."
Silence.
Naomi sank into a chair.
"They killed him last month."
My mother's face softened.
"You were trapped too."
Naomi nodded.
"I wanted to get Grace out."
"Then why did you frame her?"
"Because I needed Mercer to believe she had the archive."
Dominic stared at her.
"You nearly got her killed."
"I know."
I shook my head.
"You made that decision for me."
"I was trying to keep you alive."
"You don't get to decide that."
Naomi cried silently.
Then she said:
"I can take you to Mercer."
Dominic stiffened.
"Where?"
"The old courthouse."
"Why there?"
"Because that's where they keep the final records."
We went that night.
The courthouse had been abandoned for years.
Inside, we found evidence of the Bellwether network.
Then Mercer appeared.
But he wasn't alone.
He had police officers with him.
Judges.
Private security.
Men wearing badges.
Men who had once attended charity dinners with Dominic.
Mercer smiled.
"You're finally understanding."
Dominic stood in front of me.
"You've been hiding behind Boston's institutions."
"No."
Mercer looked around.
"I built them."
He ordered his men to surrender the archive.
Marcus refused.
A gunshot struck the wall beside his head.
Mercer laughed.
"Still loyal to Anthony's son."
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
He pointed his weapon.
"I'm loyal to his children."
Something in Dominic's face changed.
The room erupted.
Gunfire.
Shouting.
People fled through the corridors.
Naomi pulled me behind the judge's bench.
My mother searched for evidence.
I found a locked drawer.
Inside was a folder.
The final Bellwether ledger.
Names.
Payments.
Dates.
And one signature.
Charles Mercer.
But below it was another.
The name belonged to the current mayor of Boston.
I knew we couldn't simply expose it.
We needed proof.
Naomi pulled out a recorder.
"I recorded him."
Mercer's voice echoed.
"I controlled Hart. I controlled St. Bartholomew's. I controlled the records. Eleanor never understood how far the network reached."
Another voice asked:
"And Grace?"
Mercer answered:
"She was insurance."
Then:
"If Dominic comes for her, kill them both."
We had everything.
Marcus transmitted the file to multiple reporters.
Mercer heard.
His expression changed.
"You stupid girl."
He aimed at me.
Dominic stepped between us.
The gun fired.
Dominic fell.
"Dominic!"
Blood spread across his shirt.
I screamed.
Mercer ran.
Marcus chased him.
I dropped beside Dominic.
He was conscious.
"You're okay."
"That's debatable."
"You've been shot."
"Apparently I attract bullets."
I laughed through tears.
"Don't you dare die."
He touched my hand.
"Not tonight."
Sirens filled the courthouse.
Federal agents stormed the building.
The Bellwether network began collapsing before our eyes.
Mercer was arrested at the train station.
Hart was arrested at the hospital.
Officials resigned.
Investigations began.
But there was one final mystery.
The ledger contained a note from Anthony Vale.
Protect Grace.
And beneath it:
Trust Dominic.
I looked at my brother.
He smiled.
"Looks like Dad knew me better than I thought."
I held my mother's hand.
For the first time in twenty-five years, we were together.
But the story wasn't over.
Because Dominic still had an empire.
May you like
And now the city knew what it was.
The question was whether he would keep it.
