Chapter 4
I pushed Natalie behind me.
Sophie grabbed her mother's hand.
Marcus appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
He wore a dark coat.
His expression was strangely peaceful.
He looked at me.
Then at Natalie.
Then at the memory card in my hand.
“So,” he said quietly.
“You found it.”
I stared at him.
“You did this?”
Marcus sighed.
“I was hoping you'd never have to know.”
“You locked my wife under my house.”
“I kept her alive.”
My voice shook.
“You kidnapped her.”
Marcus shook his head.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
He looked at Natalie.
“She was going to destroy everything.”
Natalie stepped forward.
“You mean expose everything.”
Marcus's jaw tightened.
I looked between them.
“What did my father discover?”
Marcus said nothing.
I moved closer.
“What did he discover?”
Finally, Marcus whispered, “The company was collapsing.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“Your father had borrowed money to keep it alive.”
“That doesn't explain anything.”
“He covered the losses.”
“With what?”
“Your inheritance.”
I stared at him.
“My inheritance?”
Marcus nodded.
“He transferred assets without telling you.”
“Why?”
“Because he was protecting you.”
Natalie shook her head.
“He was protecting Marcus.”
Marcus glared at her.
“You don't know what happened.”
“I saw the records.”
“You saw half the story.”
“Then tell him the rest.”
Marcus looked at me.
“I borrowed money.”
My chest tightened.
“How much?”
“Enough to save the company.”
“And when you couldn't repay it?”
He looked away.
“My father found out.”
I understood.
“He was going to expose you.”
Marcus nodded.
“He said he would go to the authorities.”
“And you killed him?”
Marcus's eyes widened.
“No.”
His answer came instantly.
“I didn't kill Dad.”
I didn't know whether to believe him.
“Then who did?”
Silence.
Vanessa appeared at the top of the stairs.
She was crying.
“Me.”
Everyone looked at her.
My body went numb.
Vanessa slowly descended.
“I didn't mean for him to die.”
Natalie stared at her.
“You pushed him.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“He grabbed me.”
“You pushed him down the stairs.”
“I panicked.”
I felt sick.
“My father died because of you.”
“I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
Vanessa reached the bottom.
“Your father had proof.”
“What proof?”
“That Marcus had stolen the money.”
Marcus looked furious.
“You promised you'd destroy those records.”
“I tried.”
“And when Natalie found them?”
Vanessa looked at my wife.
“She became a problem.”
I stepped between them.
“So you kidnapped her.”
“Yes.”
“How many times did you lie to me?”
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Every day.”
That answer hurt more than I expected.
I looked at Marcus.
“And you?”
He lowered his head.
“I helped her.”
I closed my eyes.
My own family.
My own house.
My own brother.
My wife had been buried beneath the floor while I ate dinner upstairs with the people who had trapped her.
I opened my eyes.
“Where are the records?”
Marcus looked at the memory card.
“You already have them.”
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Then headlights swept across the small basement window.
Marcus looked toward the ceiling.
“They're here.”
“Who?”
He whispered, “The people I owe.”
Vanessa went pale.
“They found us.”
I heard footsteps above.
More than one person.
I pulled Sophie close.
Natalie grabbed my arm.
“What do we do?”
Marcus looked at me.
“For once, we do the right thing.”
He pulled a phone from his pocket.
“I sent the evidence to someone before I came here.”
“Who?”
“The police.”
I stared at him.
“You did what?”
He smiled sadly.
“I knew one day you'd find out.”
A loud pounding shook the front door upstairs.
Then a man's voice echoed through the mansion.
“Marcus!”
Marcus looked at me.
“They know we're here.”
The basement door slammed shut.
May you like
The lock turned from the outside.
We were trapped.
