Chapter 5 - My Youngest Son Was Holding the Gun, But His Hands Were Shaking Because He Still Wanted Me to Call Him My SonWe entered the hotel room.
Brian spun.
He raised a gun.
I froze.
“Brian.”
His hand shook.
“Mom.”
“I know.”
“You're alive.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“You helped make me believe you wanted me dead.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't.”
“You gave them the records.”
“I was afraid.”
“You lied to me.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
He couldn't answer.
Victor stood behind him.
He smiled.
“She always makes you feel guilty.”
Brian looked at him.
“Shut up.”
Victor frowned.
That was the first sign.
Brian wasn't fully under his control anymore.
Victor raised his weapon.
I stepped forward.
“Brian, look at me.”
He did.
“You don't have to do this.”
“What if I can't?”
“You can.”
“What if they kill me?”
“No.”
“They'll kill Noah.”
“We'll save him.”
“You can't.”
“I can.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You always say that.”
“Because I'm your mother.”
Victor fired.
Brian shoved me aside.
The bullet struck the wall.
Samuel returned fire.
Victor ran.
Brian dropped the gun.
I approached him.
He was crying.
“I wanted you to be proud of me.”
I knelt.
“You didn't need to hurt me for that.”
“I know.”
“You could have come to me.”
“I was scared.”
“I know.”
He hugged me.
I held him.
For one moment, he was my little boy again.
Then sirens sounded.
Police arrived.
Victor escaped.
Brian surrendered.
He agreed to testify.
In exchange, the charges would be considered.
He told investigators everything.
Monica.
Edward.
Victor.
The shell companies.
The medication.
The staged accident.
And one final truth.
“Edward isn't working for Victor.”
The room went silent.
“What?”
“He's working for someone above him.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Where is Monica?”
“She knows.”
I looked at Henry.
The conspiracy was bigger than I thought.
Victor wasn't the top.
And my daughter was still missing.
Alice had disappeared.
We found her car abandoned.
Inside was a note.
STOP LOOKING FOR ME.
I didn't believe it.
Alice wouldn't run.
Unless she was protecting someone.
Samuel examined the note.
“The paper is from the Sterling office.”
“So?”
“Edward has access.”
I knew then.
Edward had taken Alice.
He knew she was loyal to me.
He would use her as leverage.
We tracked him.
An old warehouse.
The same building where I had started Sterling Industries forty years ago.
The first factory.
The place where my empire began.
Edward had taken Alice there.
He wanted the original company documents.
The ones proving ownership.
He believed they gave him control.
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He was wrong.
But he didn't know it yet.
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