Chapter 9 - THE NIGHT EMILY DISAPPEARED
Daniel was captured at 2:13 in the morning.
At least, that was what Adrian told Emily.
She did not believe him.
Not because Adrian lied.
Because Daniel was too smart to be captured easily.
By sunrise, Emily was back at the Blackwell residence.
Adrian had not slept.
Neither had she.
The entire house felt different.
Everyone moved quietly.
Every door was locked.
Every camera was monitored.
Emily sat in the library.
A book lay open in front of her.
She had not read a single word.
At 8:04, Adrian entered.
“Where is he?”
Emily stood.
“Lower level.”
“You’re keeping him here?”
“For now.”
“Why?”
“Because I need answers.”
Emily's heart began to pound.
“I want to talk to him.”
“No.”
“Adrian.”
“No.”
“You said he was captured.”
“Yes.”
“Then let me talk to him.”
“He is dangerous.”
“So am I.”
Adrian stared at her.
Emily stepped closer.
“He has spent three years controlling my life. I am done being protected from the truth.”
Adrian said nothing.
Finally, he nodded.
“Stay behind me.”
The lower level of the Blackwell residence looked nothing like the rest of the house.
Concrete walls.
Steel doors.
No windows.
Daniel sat inside a room with his hands secured to the table.
He looked tired.
But he was smiling.
Emily stopped at the doorway.
Daniel looked at her.
“There she is.”
Adrian stood beside her.
Daniel's smile widened.
“Did you miss me?”
“No.”
“Still lying.”
Emily walked inside.
Adrian followed.
Daniel looked at him.
“You brought her.”
“She wanted to come.”
Daniel laughed.
“That’s new.”
Emily sat across from him.
“What do you want?”
Daniel leaned back.
“I want the files.”
“I don’t have them.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“You uploaded them.”
Emily's heart stopped.
Adrian looked at her.
Daniel smiled.
“See? He didn’t know that.”
Emily's mouth went dry.
Daniel continued.
“You uploaded everything to an old cloud account.”
Adrian's gaze turned toward her.
“Is that true?”
Emily nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I forgot.”
Daniel laughed.
“You didn’t forget.”
Emily looked at him.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
Daniel leaned closer.
“You uploaded the files because you knew Daniel would search your phone.”
He smiled.
“You were always smarter than you thought.”
Emily's stomach tightened.
“What do you want with them?”
Daniel looked at Adrian.
“Ask him.”
Adrian's face remained unreadable.
Emily turned.
“What does he mean?”
Daniel laughed.
“Ask him what happened the night his brother died.”
Adrian stepped closer to the table.
“Enough.”
Daniel looked at him.
“You never told her, did you?”
“Told me what?” Emily demanded.
Daniel smiled.
“Your precious Adrian was there.”
Emily looked at Adrian.
The room became silent.
“Were you?”
Adrian did not answer.
Emily's heart began to pound.
“Adrian.”
He looked at her.
“Yes.”
The word shattered something.
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
“The night Michael died?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t relevant.”
Emily laughed in disbelief.
“Your brother died, and you were there, and you thought that wasn’t relevant?”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“I was the target.”
“What?”
“The attack was meant for me.”
Emily looked at Daniel.
Daniel smiled.
“But that isn’t the part she wants to know.”
Adrian's eyes became deadly.
“Shut up.”
Daniel leaned back.
“Tell her.”
Emily turned toward Adrian.
“Tell me what?”
Adrian said nothing.
Daniel answered.
“Adrian was driving.”
Emily froze.
Adrian's face hardened.
“I lost control of the car.”
Daniel continued.
“Michael died.”
“Stop,” Adrian said.
But Daniel did not.
“And Adrian survived.”
Emily stared at him.
“Was it an accident?”
Adrian's eyes met hers.
“Yes.”
Daniel laughed.
“Of course he says that.”
Adrian slammed his hand against the table.
The sound echoed through the room.
Daniel flinched.
Emily stood.
“Enough!”
Both men looked at her.
Emily's voice shook.
“I don’t know who to believe.”
Adrian stepped toward her.
“Emily.”
“No.”
She backed away.
“You lied to me.”
“I protected you.”
“You lied.”
Daniel smiled.
Emily looked at him.
“And you?”
He shrugged.
“I never claimed to be good.”
The lights suddenly went out.
A second later, an alarm screamed through the building.
Adrian turned.
“Lockdown.”
The steel door behind Emily slammed shut.
She spun around.
Adrian was on the other side.
Daniel remained inside the room with her.
Emily's blood turned cold.
“Adrian!”
He rushed toward the door.
Daniel stood.
His restraints were gone.
Emily stared at him.
“You were never captured.”
Daniel smiled.
“No.”
The lights returned.
Red emergency lights filled the room.
Adrian stood outside the locked door.
His face had become terrifying.
“Daniel.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Hello, Blackwell.”
Emily backed away.
Daniel stepped toward her.
Adrian slammed his hand against the glass.
“Get away from her!”
Daniel smiled.
“Tell her the truth.”
Emily's heart hammered.
“What truth?”
Daniel looked at her.
“The sentence you heard three years ago.”
Emily's breath stopped.
She remembered.
The night she had hidden inside the apartment hallway.
The voices from Daniel's office.
The name.
The plan.
The sentence that had changed everything.
Daniel leaned closer.
“You heard more than you think.”
Adrian stared through the glass.
“Emily, listen to me.”
She looked at him.
His voice was urgent now.
“Whatever he tells you, do not believe him.”
Daniel smiled.
“Because he knows exactly what you heard.”
Emily turned toward Adrian.
“What did I hear?”
Adrian said nothing.
Daniel answered.
“You heard Adrian Blackwell order his own brother’s death.”
Emily's entire world stopped.
“No.”
Adrian's face went pale.
Daniel continued:
“And you copied the proof.”
Emily stared at Adrian.
The room seemed to tilt.
Adrian shook his head.
“Emily, that is not true.”
Daniel smiled.
Then the door behind him opened.
A man stood there.
Emily recognized him instantly.
The man from the photograph.
The man everyone believed had died two years ago.
Victor Hale.
He looked at Emily.
And said:
“Hello, Emily.”
She could not breathe.
Adrian stared at him through the glass.
For the first time in years, the most feared man in Chicago looked genuinely shocked.
Victor smiled.
“Did you really think I was dead?”
The door slammed shut.
And Emily realized the truth was far worse than any secret she had imagined.
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The enemy had never been outside Adrian Blackwell’s world.
He had been hiding inside the grave.
