Chapter 4
The waiting was worse than anything I'd imagined.
Every minute stretched until it felt like an hour.
Marcus sat beside me, staring at the floor.
His hands were clasped so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale.
I wanted to comfort him.
But part of me was still trying to understand how his family had become connected to a missing child.
Danielle had told us that officers were responding to the hotel.
She also explained that we couldn't accompany them.
We were witnesses.
Not investigators.
And Lily's safety came first.
I understood.
But knowing that didn't make the waiting easier.
Finally, Marcus broke the silence.
"Nia, I need to tell you something."
I turned.
He looked exhausted.
"What?"
"Raymond called me last night."
My stomach dropped.
"You said you last spoke three days ago."
He nodded.
"I know."
I stared at him.
"Why did you lie?"
He rubbed his face.
"Because I didn't think it mattered."
"Marcus."
His eyes filled.
"He told me Rachel was causing trouble again."
I felt cold.
"What kind of trouble?"
"He said she was accusing him of stealing family money."
I stared.
"The same thing she accused him of years ago?"
He nodded.
"He said she'd become unstable. That she was trying to destroy him."
I shook my head.
"And you believed him?"
"I didn't know what to believe."
He looked at me.
"Raymond helped raise me after my dad died. He paid for my first car. He helped me through college."
My anger softened slightly.
I knew Marcus's father had died when he was fourteen.
Raymond had stepped into the role of mentor.
He attended Marcus's basketball games.
Helped him find his first apartment.
Gave him advice about work.
For Marcus, questioning Raymond meant questioning someone he'd trusted almost his entire life.
But that didn't excuse hiding information.
"What exactly did he ask you to do?"
Marcus swallowed.
"He asked whether I'd be willing to carry a sealed document pouch to London."
My heart began pounding.
"Marcus."
"I said I'd think about it."
I stared at him.
"You said you'd think about carrying a sealed package internationally without knowing what was inside?"
He looked ashamed.
"I know how stupid that sounds."
"It's not stupid. It's dangerous."
He nodded.
"I understand that now."
I leaned back.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked quietly, "Were you ever going to tell me?"
He looked down.
"I was going to say no to him."
"That's not what I asked."
He closed his eyes.
"I don't know."
The answer hurt.
But at least it was honest.
I stood and walked toward the window.
I loved Marcus.
That hadn't suddenly disappeared.
But trust wasn't something I could simply switch back on because I wanted everything to be okay.
Behind me, he spoke.
"Nia, I'm sorry."
I turned.
"I know."
He looked hopeful.
Then I added, "But I need you to understand what this could've done to us."
His face fell.
"I do."
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
Before he could answer, Danielle returned.
Her expression was serious.
But there was something else in her eyes.
Relief.
"We found Lily."
I covered my mouth.
Marcus stood so quickly his chair scraped the floor.
"She's alive?"
Danielle nodded.
"She's alive."
I burst into tears.
I hadn't realized how tightly I'd been holding my emotions until that moment.
Marcus pressed both hands over his face.
"Thank God."
Danielle explained that Lily had been found inside a hotel room with an adult woman who had contacted authorities after becoming frightened by Raymond's behavior.
Medical personnel were evaluating the child.
Investigators were also working to understand the circumstances of her disappearance.
"Is she hurt?" I asked.
Danielle chose her words carefully.
"She's conscious and receiving appropriate care. I can't share private medical details."
I nodded.
That was enough for now.
Lily was alive.
The girl in the photograph had been found.
Then I asked, "Where's Raymond?"
Danielle's expression changed.
"He wasn't at the hotel when officers arrived."
Marcus stared at her.
"What?"
"He left shortly before the call."
My relief faded.
"Did they find him?"
"Not yet."
I looked at Marcus.
His face was filled with dread.
Then Danielle turned toward us.
"There's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"The woman who contacted authorities says Raymond told her he was going to the airport."
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
Danielle looked directly at him.
"He was trying to recover the suitcase."
I stared at her.
"But the officers already have it."
"Yes."
"Then what was so important inside?"
Danielle hesitated.
"Investigators believe the bag contains records connected to a larger financial scheme."
I remembered the documents.
The identification copies.
The notebook.
And the questions Raymond had asked about my job.
"Was he trying to use Marcus to get them out of the country?"
"That's one possibility being examined."
Marcus sank back into his chair.
I watched his face collapse.
He finally understood how close he'd come to becoming involved.
Not because he wanted to hurt anyone.
But because he'd trusted the wrong person.
Danielle asked another officer to remain with us.
Then she left to coordinate the investigation.
I sat beside Marcus.
Neither of us spoke.
After several minutes, he whispered, "I almost helped him."
I looked at him.
"Yes."
He swallowed.
"I thought I was doing something good."
"I know."
He began crying.
"I thought he was family."
I felt my own eyes fill.
For Marcus, the pain wasn't only fear.
It was betrayal.
He'd trusted Raymond the way a son trusts a father.
And now that trust was collapsing.
I took his hand.
He looked at me in surprise.
"I'm still angry," I said quietly.
He nodded.
"I know."
"But I'm glad you're here."
He squeezed my fingers.
"I'm glad you stopped me."
Later that afternoon, investigators interviewed Evelyn again.
She eventually provided a fuller account.
Raymond had approached her through a community volunteer organization.
He offered to help pay for medical treatment for her grandson.
In exchange, he asked her to transport a suitcase to someone traveling internationally.
He claimed it contained family documents and clothing.
At first, she believed him.
Then she noticed a photograph hidden beneath the luggage tag.
The photograph of Lily.
She became frightened.
When she confronted Raymond, he warned her that backing out would create problems for her family.
I listened to the explanation with a sick feeling.
Evelyn had been afraid.
But she had also nearly placed Marcus in danger.
I wasn't ready to excuse that.
Still, I could see how someone frightened and desperate might become trapped in a situation she never expected.
Danielle later told us that Evelyn was cooperating with authorities.
Her role would be evaluated based on the evidence.
As evening approached, Marcus and I were finally allowed to leave the airport.
Our flight had departed hours earlier.
The anniversary trip was gone.
Neither of us cared.
We walked toward the parking garage in silence.
Then my phone rang.
My mother.
I answered.
"Hi, Mom."
"Nia? Honey, where are you? Marcus's aunt called me."
My stomach tightened.
"What did she say?"
"She said something terrible happened at the airport."
I closed my eyes.
"Mom, I'm okay."
She began crying.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
I looked at Marcus.
"We're both okay."
My mother exhaled shakily.
"Come home."
I glanced toward the exit.
"That's what we're doing."
But before we reached the car, Marcus's phone buzzed.
He stopped walking.
I looked at him.
"What?"
His face went pale.
He held up the screen.
A message from Raymond.
I'M NOT FINISHED.
Then another appeared.
NIA SHOULD HAVE MINDED HER BUSINESS.
I felt cold all over.
Marcus immediately called Danielle.
And as he spoke, I realized the worst part of the day might not be over.
Because Raymond knew my name.
May you like
He knew who I was.
And now, he was threatening me directly.
