Chapter 2 - The Photograph Hidden Inside Reed Callaway's Private Office Had a Date on It That Made My Blood Run ColdThe photograph was lying face down on Reed's desk.
I knew that before I even entered the office.
Because Reed had said the words in a way that made me understand one thing immediately.
This wasn't about breaking restaurant rules anymore.
Someone had deliberately placed Ava's photograph inside the one room employees weren't allowed to enter.
And whoever had done it knew exactly who she was.
Reed opened the office door.
I stepped inside.
The room was nothing like I expected.
No weapons.
No stacks of cash.
No stereotypical mafia trophies.
Just dark wood, bookshelves, a large desk, and a wall covered with framed photographs.
Family photographs.
Business photographs.
Old Chicago photographs.
And one picture that made me stop.
A younger Reed stood beside an older man.
I recognized the older man.
Everyone did.
Patrick Callaway.
Reed's father.
The man who had built the empire Reed inherited.
But Reed wasn't looking at those pictures.
He was staring at the photograph on his desk.
He turned it over.
My heart stopped.
It was Ava.
Taken three weeks earlier.
She was sitting in my arms outside our apartment building.
I hadn't posted that photograph anywhere.
Nobody from work had it.
I hadn't sent it to anyone.
“How?”
Reed's voice was cold.
“Who took this?”
“I don't know.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“Think.”
“I don't know.”
He placed another photograph beside it.
This one showed me entering Callaway's.
Another showed me carrying Ava.
Another showed Mrs. Perez entering our building.
I stared at them.
Someone had been following us.
For how long?
Reed picked up the final photograph.
My hands started shaking.
It showed Ava's father.
Ethan.
He was standing outside a building in Phoenix.
Alive.
And beneath the photograph was a handwritten note.
THE CHILD BELONGS TO HIM.
I couldn't speak.
Reed looked at me.
“Is this him?”
I nodded.
“His name?”
“Ethan Mercer.”
Reed's expression became unreadable.
“Mercer.”
“You know him?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
I noticed.
“You do.”
Reed walked toward the window.
“Not personally.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
He ignored me.
Instead, he asked:
“When did he leave?”
“Before Ava was born.”
“Why?”
“He said he needed space.”
“Did he know about her?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know where you live?”
“I don't know.”
“Did he ever threaten you?”
“No.”
“Did he ever threaten Ava?”
“No.”
“Then why is someone photographing her?”
I shook my head.
“I don't know.”
Reed turned.
“That's what we're going to find out.”
He reached for his phone.
“Tommy.”
The door opened.
“Boss?”
“Find everything on Ethan Mercer.”
Tommy's eyes moved toward me.
Then back to Reed.
“How far?”
“Everything.”
“Understood.”
Tommy left.
I stared at Reed.
“You're investigating my daughter's father?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He looked at me for several seconds.
“Because whoever put those photographs in my office wanted me to see them.”
“And?”
“And they made one mistake.”
“What?”
“They brought the problem into my house.”
I didn't understand.
Then Reed pointed toward the photographs.
“They think Ava is leverage.”
His eyes hardened.
“They don't understand that leverage only works when the person you're threatening has something to lose.”
I looked at my daughter.
Reed's expression softened.
“And now I do.”
I swallowed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means nobody touches your daughter.”
The words came quietly.
Absolutely.
No hesitation.
No room for negotiation.
For some reason, that scared me.
Not because I thought Reed would hurt Ava.
Because I believed him.
Then Tommy returned.
He looked different.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“Ethan Mercer isn't in Phoenix.”
I stared.
“Where is he?”
Tommy looked at me.
“Chicago.”
My heart stopped.
“He came back six months ago.”
Reed's eyes turned cold.
“And he's been renting an apartment three blocks from Claire's.”
I felt the room spin.
Ethan had been in Chicago.
Near us.
For six months.
And I hadn't known.
Then Tommy said the one thing that made everything worse.
“He's been meeting with someone from Callaway's.”
Reed went still.
“Who?”
Tommy hesitated.
“Your manager.”
Elena.
I felt sick.
Reed looked at me.
“Now we know why you were never supposed to miss another shift.”
Because someone inside the restaurant had been watching me.
Watching Ava.
And perhaps waiting for the right moment.
I reached for my phone.
There was one new message.
Unknown number.
You should have left your baby at home.
I showed Reed.
His expression changed.
Then another message arrived.
Now the boss knows she's yours.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
Neither of us spoke.
Because suddenly the question wasn't whether I had brought Ava into the wrong place.
May you like
It was whether I had accidentally brought her into the only place where someone could protect her.
And whether Reed Callaway had just become the most dangerous enemy of the person hunting my daughter.
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