Chapter 5 - The Mother I Thought Was Dead Had Been Watching Me for Years
The woman's name was Evelyn.
She had worked for my father.
She had been the person who helped our biological mother disappear.
“She is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Safe.”
“Why didn't she contact me?”
“Because she believed Marcus Vale would kill you.”
Hannah stared.
“Then why reveal herself now?”
Evelyn looked toward the memory card.
“Because the evidence is finally complete.”
She handed me a second photograph.
Our mother standing with Samuel Cole.
Beside them stood a young Evan.
All three were smiling.
“What is this?”
“Your father trusted Evan.”
“So Evan fooled everyone.”
“Yes.”
“Where is my mother?”
Evelyn gave me an address.
A church outside the city.
We went before sunrise.
My mother opened the door.
She looked exactly as I remembered.
Except older.
Smaller.
Tired.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Nathan.”
I couldn't speak.
Daniel stepped forward.
She cried when she saw him.
“I thought you were dead.”
“So did he,” Daniel said, pointing at me.
She smiled through tears.
“I was trying to keep both of you alive.”
I spent hours listening.
She told us the truth.
Our father had infiltrated Marcus Vale's organization.
He had discovered that Marcus planned to take over several major shipping routes.
Evan was Marcus's informant inside the Mercer family.
Our father wanted to expose him.
But Evan discovered the plan.
He murdered our father and Samuel.
Then he manipulated the story.
My mother was supposed to testify.
She disappeared instead.
She had spent years building the evidence.
Hannah's father had hidden part of it.
My father had hidden another part.
And the final piece was inside the family Bible.
Together, the evidence could bring down Marcus.
But there was one problem.
Someone else had been helping him.
Someone inside law enforcement.
My mother gave us a name.
Commissioner Andrew Shaw.
I knew him.
I'd donated to his charities.
I'd attended his dinners.
He had called me a friend.
The betrayal seemed endless.
Hannah sat beside me.
“Why don't we go to the authorities?”
My mother shook her head.
“Because some of them work for Marcus.”
I looked at Daniel.
“We build the case ourselves.”
He nodded.
We spent the next week collecting everything.
Bank records.
Property deeds.
Audio files.
Photographs.
Witness statements.
Then Hannah discovered something.
A folder inside the Bible contained thousands of pages.
It wasn't criminal records.
It was educational records.
Scholarship applications.
Bridge House donors.
Children's names.
I looked at her.
“Marcus was funding your center.”
She frowned.
“That's impossible.”
But the records showed he had been funneling money through anonymous donors.
Why?
Hannah discovered the reason.
Bridge House sat on land worth millions.
Marcus wanted the building.
He planned to force her out.
But he couldn't legally buy it.
So he intended to make her organization appear financially corrupt.
The thefts.
The missing computers.
The fake paperwork.
All designed to make it look like Hannah was stealing funds.
I felt my anger become cold.
“We stop him.”
Hannah looked at me.
“How?”
“By making his own evidence bury him.”
That night, someone tried to kill my mother.
The attack failed.
But it proved Marcus knew we were close.
We moved everyone to a secure location.
Then Commissioner Shaw appeared on television.
He accused me of organized crime.
He released documents claiming my companies were fronts.
The media exploded.
My name became headline news.
Assets were frozen.
Employees panicked.
Board members resigned.
Within forty-eight hours, I was no longer the most powerful man in Chicago.
I was the most wanted.
Hannah found me in the library.
“You should leave.”
I looked at her.
“I'm not going anywhere.”
“You could lose everything.”
“I already lost everything once.”
She shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
“I do.”
I took her hand.
“I'd rather lose every company I own than lose you.”
She stared at me.
Then whispered,
“Don't make promises you aren't prepared to keep.”
“I am.”
She kissed me.
This time, she didn't pull away.
Then my phone rang.
Daniel answered.
His face changed.
“What's wrong?”
He looked at me.
“Evan has Rachel.”
My heart stopped.
“My sister?”
“Yes.”
A message appeared on my screen.
Bring the Bible to the old freight terminal.
May you like
Come alone.
Or Rachel dies.
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