Chapter 4 - The Man Who Wanted Our Son
Gideon Cross entered the estate with six officers.
He carried an official warrant.
At least, it looked official.
I knew enough about legal documents to recognize the signature.
Something felt wrong.
“Where is the authorization number?” I asked.
Cross frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“Every emergency warrant has a verification number.”
He handed me the paper.
I pointed to the lower corner.
“This is a civil filing code.”
His expression changed.
I smiled.
“Fake.”
The officers looked at each other.
Cross sighed.
“You always were difficult.”
“And you always were sloppy.”
His face hardened.
“Give me the child.”
“No.”
“The child is evidence.”
“Of what?”
Cross didn't answer.
Emily tightened her hold on Noah.
I stepped forward.
“You don't get near him.”
Cross looked at her.
“Your father should have handed over the ledger years ago.”
Emily stared.
“My father is dead.”
“So is Thomas Carter.”
Cross smiled.
“Yet both of you continue to cause problems.”
That was enough.
I knew he was involved.
But he made a mistake.
He had referred to my father and Thomas in the same sentence.
That meant they had shared information.
I pulled out my phone.
“I recorded that.”
Cross looked at the device.
His face went pale.
“Put it down.”
“No.”
“This is an illegal recording.”
“Maybe.”
“But you just admitted knowledge of the ledger.”
Cross turned to the officers.
“Arrest him.”
Nobody moved.
One officer looked at the warrant.
Then at me.
“Sir…”
Cross turned angrily.
“What?”
“This doesn't authorize seizure of the child.”
His own officers were beginning to doubt him.
I saw the opportunity.
“Who signed it?”
Cross hesitated.
“Judge Harrison.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Judge Harrison retired last year.”
Cross stared.
I had checked.
He hadn't.
The warrant was fake.
The room changed instantly.
Luca's men closed in.
Cross backed away.
“You think this is over?”
I stared at him.
“No.”
“It has just started.”
He turned toward the door.
I let him go.
Because I wanted to know where he was going.
And who was waiting for him.
Two hours later, surveillance showed Cross meeting Vincent at an abandoned dock.
They argued.
Then Vincent handed him a small envelope.
Cross opened it.
His expression changed.
The conversation lasted five minutes.
Luca intercepted the audio.
I listened.
Vincent said:
“The boy is the key.”
Cross replied:
“And the woman?”
“Collateral.”
I felt my entire body go cold.
Emily sat beside me.
“He wants to kill me.”
I turned.
“I won't let that happen.”
She stared at me.
“You can't promise that.”
“Yes, I can.”
“No, Gavin.”
She leaned closer.
“You can promise to protect me.”
“I am.”
“But you can't promise what other people will do.”
She was right.
That was a lesson I had learned too late.
I couldn't control every threat.
But I could make sure she never faced one alone.
The next morning, we moved to a secure residence outside the city.
Emily carried Noah inside.
The house was smaller than mine.
Warmer.
She looked around.
“You have safe houses?”
“Six.”
She frowned.
“Six?”
“I work in security.”
“That's not what people call it.”
“No.”
She smiled faintly.
“Still the same.”
“What?”
“Always prepared.”
I looked at her.
“Not always.”
We spent the afternoon going through the files.
The ledger's three pieces were becoming clearer.
One was in Thomas Carter's old office.
One was somewhere in the Moretti estate.
The third had been transferred into a digital archive.
But the password was unknown.
Then Emily noticed something.
“Noah's name.”
“What about it?”
She pointed to the letters.
NOAH JAMES CARTER MORETTI.
His initials were NJCM.
A code appeared in the ledger.
NJCM.
I stared.
“That's it.”
“What?”
“The key.”
We entered the letters.
The archive opened.
Inside were hundreds of files.
Shipping routes.
Payments.
Names.
Dates.
But one file stood out.
It was labeled Christmas.
I opened it.
A video appeared.
My father.
Thomas Carter.
And Emily's mother.
They were sitting together.
I had never seen my mother-in-law alive on video.
My father spoke first.
“If our children are watching this, the plan failed.”
Emily covered her mouth.
Thomas smiled sadly.
“Or it succeeded longer than expected.”
My father continued.
“We hid the ledger because the people behind this network do not care who they destroy.”
Thomas looked at the camera.
“They will come for Gavin.”
My mother-in-law looked directly forward.
“And they will come for Emily.”
I stared.
Then she said:
“When they do, they will not believe the child matters.”
Thomas nodded.
“He matters because he connects the two families.”
I leaned forward.
“What does that mean?”
The video continued.
“Our families were once enemies.”
My father looked at Thomas.
“Then we became allies.”
Thomas smiled.
“Then our children fell in love.”
Emily started crying.
I couldn't look away.
My father continued.
“The ledger was designed so neither family could access it alone.”
Thomas added:
“Only a Moretti and a Carter together can unlock everything.”
I looked at Emily.
She stared back at me.
Our divorce had not destroyed the plan.
It had accidentally created the exact situation the people behind the conspiracy needed.
We had been separated.
Our son had been hidden.
The ledger had remained locked.
But now we were together again.
The video ended.
A final message appeared.
WHEN GAVIN AND EMILY STAND TOGETHER, THE LEDGER CAN BE OPENED.
Below it was a location.
Pier 7.
Seattle Harbor.
Tonight.
Emily looked at me.
“It's a trap.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
“Because now we know what they want.”
I stood.
“We can use that.”
She looked frightened.
“For the first time,” I said, “we're not reacting to them.”
“What are we doing?”
May you like
I looked at Noah.
“We're choosing where the fight happens.”
