Chapter 7 - The Father's Letter and the Betrayal No One Saw ComingVictor Hale's letter contained no apology.
Ethan had expected that.
His father had never apologized for anything.
Instead, the letter explained.
It described the Dayton shipment.
The stolen patents.
The political agreements.
The illegal fund.
And Marcus Vale's growing ambition.
But halfway through the letter, Ethan found something he never expected.
Victor had been afraid of Marcus.
His father had not created Marcus.
He had unleashed him.
Marcus had begun as an attorney.
Then an advisor.
Then a fixer.
Eventually, he became indispensable.
Victor wrote:
He knows where every body is buried because he helped choose the graves.
Ethan read the sentence twice.
Then he reached the final page.
It contained a list of names.
The first was Marcus Vale.
The second was Michael Carter.
The third was someone Ethan had never expected.
Daniel Mercer.
Ethan's hand froze.
His chief of staff.
The man who had worked beside him for eleven years.
The man who had found every file.
The man who had directed security.
The man who knew everything.
Ethan read the next line.
Mercer is loyal to whoever controls the evidence.
His phone rang.
Daniel.
Ethan answered.
“Where are you?”
“Office.”
“Come to mine.”
There was a pause.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Daniel entered five minutes later.
Ethan placed the letter on the desk.
Daniel looked at it.
His expression changed.
“You found it.”
Not “What is this?”
Not “Where did you get it?”
You found it.
Ethan's stomach dropped.
“How long?”
Daniel remained silent.
“How long have you worked for Marcus?”
“Three years.”
Ethan stared.
“You were feeding him information.”
“Yes.”
“About the company?”
“Yes.”
“About me?”
“Yes.”
“About Lauren?”
Daniel looked away.
“Yes.”
Ethan's voice became deadly calm.
“Did you help him target her family?”
“No.”
“That's not an answer.”
“I gave him access to internal records.”
“That led him to Lauren.”
“Yes.”
Ethan hit the desk.
“Why?”
Daniel's face was exhausted.
“Because Marcus has something on me.”
“What?”
“My daughter.”
Ethan stopped.
Daniel's hands shook.
“She disappeared six years ago.”
“She's alive?”
“I don't know.”
Marcus promised me he would never hurt her.”
“You believed him?”
“I had nothing else.”
Ethan stared.
“So you sacrificed innocent people.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Yes.”
Ethan wanted to fire him.
Arrest him.
Destroy him.
Instead he asked:
“Where does Marcus keep his records?”
Daniel looked up.
“You still need me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you're going to help me bring him down.”
Daniel nodded.
“I will.”
Meanwhile, Lauren was at her parents' apartment.
Thomas sat at the table.
Linda stood beside him.
They were finally telling the truth.
Michael had not fled the country.
He had been working for Marcus.
But he had also been secretly copying documents.
“He tried to help us,” Linda said.
“Why didn't he come home?”
“Because Marcus threatened you.”
Lauren closed her eyes.
The family was beginning to make sense.
Not a family of villains.
A family trapped under pressure.
A family that had spent twelve years making one bad decision after another because every choice seemed to protect someone.
Then someone knocked.
Lauren opened the door.
Michael stood outside.
Thomas jumped.
“You.”
Michael looked older than the photograph.
“I know.”
Thomas raised his cane.
“You don't come into my house.”
Michael nodded.
“I don't deserve to.”
Lauren stepped between them.
“What do you want?”
Michael held out a flash drive.
“Everything.”
She stared.
“What is it?”
“Marcus's accounts.”
“And?”
“Every payment.”
“To whom?”
“Politicians. Executives. Lawyers.”
He looked at Thomas.
“And me.”
Thomas's face twisted.
Michael continued.
“I was weak.”
Lauren whispered:
“Why come back now?”
“Because Marcus ordered me to kill you.”
Everyone froze.
Michael's voice broke.
“I couldn't.”
Linda covered her mouth.
“I watched him destroy your family,” Michael said.
“And I let him.”
Thomas lowered the cane.
“What do you want from us?”
“Nothing.”
Michael turned.
“I just want you to know that I'm sorry.”
Then he walked away.
Lauren ran after him.
“Uncle!”
He stopped.
“Where are you going?”
“To face what I did.”
He disappeared into the darkness.
Later that night, Ethan called Lauren.
“Come to the office.”
“What happened?”
“I found something.”
When she arrived, Ethan showed her the letter.
Her name was not in it.
But hers was written across another document.
Leverage Target: Lauren Carter
Ethan looked at her.
“I need you to leave the city tonight.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“This is serious.”
“I know.”
“You could be killed.”
“So could you.”
“I can handle it.”
“So can I.”
He stepped closer.
“Lauren.”
She touched his face.
“You can't protect me by pushing me away.”
“I can try.”
“Don't.”
Their foreheads touched.
Ethan whispered:
“I love you.”
Lauren closed her eyes.
She had imagined hearing those words.
Just not like this.
Not in the middle of a war.
She smiled through tears.
“I love you too.”
Then the lights went out.
A gunshot shattered the window.
Ethan pulled Lauren down.
Security alarms erupted.
Daniel rushed inside.
“Down!”
Another shot.
Then another.
Glass exploded across the room.
Ethan covered Lauren.
When the shooting stopped, they waited.
No sound.
Then Daniel looked outside.
“The shooter is gone.”
Ethan checked Lauren.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
“Lauren.”
She held his hand.
“I said I wasn't going anywhere.”
He smiled faintly.
“Stubborn.”
May you like
“Persistent.”
The final battle had begun.
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