Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO KNEW WHICH CHILD WAS MISSING
The private jet left Chicago before sunrise.
Dominic sat beside the window, staring at the clouds.
He had always hated flying.
Not because he feared death.
Death had never frightened him.
What frightened him was the idea of being unable to control what happened next.
On the ground, Dominic Vale had always controlled everything.
His businesses.
His enemies.
His people.
His family.
Or at least, he had believed he did.
Now, three years after a car accident had taken the use of his legs, he was discovering that almost every important thing in his life had happened without his knowledge.
Evelyn sat across from him.
The twins slept beside her.
Eli had his stuffed rabbit tucked beneath his chin.
Noah was holding a small blue blanket.
Dominic watched them quietly.
He still didn't know which one was his son.
The thought made something twist inside him.
He hated it.
Not because he was afraid one of them wasn't his.
But because he already loved both.
Evelyn noticed him staring.
“You don't have to look at them like that.”
Dominic turned toward her.
“Like what?”
“Like you're trying to memorize them.”
He looked away.
“Maybe I am.”
She didn't answer.
For several minutes, the only sound inside the cabin was the quiet hum of the engines.
Then Evelyn said, “If Adrian tells us one of them isn't yours…”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“Don't.”
“Dominic.”
“I said don't.”
“You need to think about it.”
“I have thought about it.”
“No, you haven't.”
His eyes moved toward her.
She continued.
“You've been thinking about blood. DNA. What your father did. What the hospital did.”
Her voice trembled.
“But those boys are three years old. They don't understand blood.”
Dominic said nothing.
“They know that they are brothers.”
He looked toward the sleeping children.
Evelyn's voice became softer.
“They know that I am their mother.”
Dominic looked at her.
“And you think I don't know that?”
“I think you're scared.”
The words hit him.
His jaw tightened.
“Of what?”
“That one of them might be taken from you.”
Dominic looked out the window.
He didn't answer.
Because she was right.
He had lost Evelyn once.
He had lost the use of his legs.
He had lost his father.
He had lost three years of his life.
He could not lose a child.
Not now.
Not after finding them.
The plane landed in Oregon late that morning.
A black SUV waited on the runway.
Marcus opened the door.
“Adrian Cross is in a cabin outside Bend.”
“How far?”
“Forty minutes.”
“Security?”
“Already in place.”
Dominic nodded.
Evelyn helped the boys into the vehicle.
Dominic followed.
The drive took them through forests, mountains, and long stretches of empty road.
The farther they traveled, the quieter the world became.
Dominic didn't like it.
Too much space.
Too many places to hide.
Eventually, the SUV stopped in front of a small wooden cabin.
It looked abandoned.
Marcus got out first.
Two men checked the property.
Then he opened Dominic's door.
Dominic rolled down the ramp.
Evelyn held the boys' hands.
They walked toward the cabin.
The door opened before they reached it.
A man stood inside.
He was in his late fifties.
Gray hair.
Thin face.
One hand trembling slightly.
Dominic recognized him from an old photograph.
Adrian Cross.
The nurse.
The man who knew the truth.
Adrian looked at the twins.
His face changed.
He stared at Eli.
Then Noah.
Then back at Eli.
His breathing became uneven.
“Which one?”
Dominic's voice was cold.
“You tell me.”
Adrian's eyes filled with tears.
Evelyn stepped forward.
“You were there.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Yes.”
“You were there when my babies were born.”
“Yes.”
“Where is the third?”
Adrian looked down.
“I don't know.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“You said you knew everything.”
“I know what happened.”
“Then tell us.”
Adrian stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Dominic entered.
The cabin was small.
Old.
There were books on the shelves.
Medical records stacked on a table.
Photographs covered one wall.
Dominic stopped.
There were pictures of children.
Dozens of them.
Evelyn saw them too.
“What is this?”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“I worked for your father.”
Dominic stared at him.
“For how long?”
“Twenty-two years.”
“You were a nurse.”
“I was also his private medical assistant.”
Dominic looked at the files.
“What did he do?”
Adrian's face tightened.
“He collected information.”
“About what?”
“Bloodlines.”
Dominic stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
“Your father believed certain families carried genetic traits that made them valuable.”
Dominic laughed coldly.
“My father was a criminal, not a scientist.”
“Both can be true.”
Adrian walked toward a locked cabinet.
He opened it.
Inside were files.
One was marked:
VALE FAMILY — CONFIDENTIAL
Dominic felt his stomach tighten.
Adrian pulled out another file.
HART FAMILY — GENETIC HISTORY
Evelyn stared.
“Why did he have my family records?”
“Because of your eyes.”
Dominic turned toward her.
Adrian continued.
“Your silver-gray eyes are extremely rare. Your mother had them. Your grandmother had them. Your family line carried a rare genetic mutation.”
Evelyn looked confused.
“What does that have to do with my children?”
“Your father believed the combination of your bloodline and the Vale bloodline would produce a child with a specific genetic profile.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“You're telling me my father stole a baby because of his eyes?”
“No.”
Adrian looked toward the twins.
“He stole a baby because of what he believed the child might become.”
Dominic's voice dropped.
“My father was insane.”
“Perhaps.”
Adrian reached for another file.
“This is the truth.”
He opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A newborn baby.
A silver-gray bracelet around the tiny wrist.
Evelyn gasped.
Dominic stared at the image.
The baby had a small mark beneath one eye.
A faint crescent-shaped birthmark.
Evelyn suddenly covered her mouth.
“What?”
Dominic turned.
“What is it?”
She pointed at Eli.
Then Noah.
“Look.”
Dominic looked.
Both boys had small birthmarks.
Eli's was beneath his left eye.
Noah's was beneath his right.
Adrian shook his head.
“No.”
Dominic looked at him.
“What?”
“The baby in the photograph had the mark beneath the left eye.”
Dominic looked at Eli.
Then Noah.
Eli.
The mark was beneath his left eye.
Adrian's face went pale.
“That's him.”
Evelyn moved closer.
“Which one?”
Adrian stared at Eli.
“I don't know.”
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
“You just said—”
“The photograph is not the child we thought it was.”
He pulled out another file.
“Your father ordered the babies switched before the birth records were finalized.”
Dominic felt the room go cold.
“Why?”
“Because he didn't know which one carried the genetic profile he wanted.”
Evelyn's voice trembled.
“There were three babies.”
“Yes.”
“Three boys?”
Adrian nodded.
“Triplets.”
Dominic stared at the file.
“Then why were two with me?”
“Because your father wanted one of the three.”
“Which one?”
Adrian looked at him.
“That is the question.”
A sound came from outside.
Everyone froze.
Adrian's head turned.
Dominic looked toward Marcus.
Marcus immediately reached for his weapon.
The boys moved closer to Evelyn.
A vehicle stopped outside.
Then another.
Adrian's face changed.
“They found me.”
“Who?”
“Caleb.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“How many?”
Adrian shook his head.
“Enough.”
The cabin lights suddenly went out.
Evelyn pulled the boys close.
Dominic moved toward the wall.
A gunshot shattered the window.
Marcus returned fire.
Adrian shouted, “The basement!”
Dominic turned.
“There is a basement?”
“Under the floor!”
Adrian pulled a hidden lever.
A section of wood opened.
A narrow staircase appeared.
Evelyn grabbed the boys.
Dominic moved toward the opening.
Then another bullet struck the wall beside him.
He looked toward the window.
A shadow stood outside.
Dominic smiled without humor.
“Tell me, Adrian.”
“What?”
“Does Caleb know which child is mine?”
Adrian's face went pale.
“No.”
Dominic turned toward the stairs.
“Good.”
He entered the basement.
Behind him, Evelyn followed with the twins.
Above them, the cabin filled with gunfire.
May you like
And somewhere in the darkness beneath the floor, Adrian Cross whispered the words that changed everything.
“The third baby is alive.”
