Chapter 6
I stood outside my damaged office, barely breathing.
"What do you mean Daniel isn't in charge?"
Caleb's voice trembled.
"He's taking orders from somebody else."
"Who?"
"I don't know her real name."
Her.
My stomach tightened.
"Caleb, where are you?"
A car horn sounded in the background.
"I got out of a warehouse."
"Where?"
"Near the old industrial district."
I motioned for the officer standing beside me.
"Caleb, listen carefully. I'm with police. They can help you."
"No!"
His voice rose sharply.
"Don't tell anyone where I am!"
"Why?"
"Because somebody warned them every time we tried to report Daniel."
I froze.
"You tried to report him?"
"Twice."
"Who did you call?"
"The foundation's compliance hotline."
I closed my eyes.
That wasn't the police.
It was an internal reporting system.
And if Daniel controlled it, Caleb's complaints could have gone straight back to him.
"Caleb, please. Let us get you somewhere safe."
He began breathing hard.
"There's a gas station on Mercer Street."
I repeated the location to the officer.
"Stay inside. Find an employee. Don't go outside alone."
"Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell Nia I'm sorry."
My chest tightened.
"For what?"
"I should've kept fighting."
"Caleb, you did fight. You're still fighting."
He started crying.
Then the call ended.
Officers immediately coordinated a response.
I wanted to go.
They told me to stay where I was.
It was the longest hour of my life.
Finally, Detective Brooks called.
"We found him."
I closed my eyes.
"Is he alive?"
"Yes. He's receiving medical attention."
I nearly collapsed with relief.
"Thank God."
"He asked about his sister."
"Tell him she's safe."
"I will."
That night, I returned to the hospital.
Nia was sitting beside her mother.
Evelyn looked up as I entered.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
I took a breath.
"They found Caleb."
Evelyn's hands flew to her mouth.
Nia gasped.
"What?"
"He's alive."
Evelyn began sobbing.
She sank into the chair.
"Oh, thank God."
Nia reached for her mother.
For the first time since the funeral, they held each other.
I stood quietly beside them.
I wasn't ready to forgive Evelyn.
But I understood the relief of seeing someone you loved return from the edge of death.
I had lived it myself.
The next morning, Caleb gave investigators a detailed statement.
Later, with his permission, Detective Brooks shared some information with us.
Caleb said he'd discovered false invoices while working at the foundation.
He reported them to Daniel.
Daniel accused him of stealing.
Then Caleb was fired.
Several weeks later, strangers began threatening him.
He tried to collect evidence.
One evening, he was forced into a vehicle by two men.
They held him in a warehouse.
He escaped when one of the men left a loading door unsecured.
I felt sick listening.
Caleb had been alone and frightened while the rest of us believed he was simply avoiding the family.
Then Detective Brooks explained something else.
Caleb had overheard conversations.
Daniel mentioned an investor.
Someone funding the operation.
Someone who expected the foundation to move money through several businesses.
My construction company was one of them.
I stared at the detective.
"Are you saying they used my contracts?"
"We're investigating whether legitimate contracts were altered or accompanied by false invoices."
I thought about the missing folder.
The stolen computer.
Thomas.
It was all connected.
The following day, the police recovered my computer during a search of a property linked to one of Daniel's associates.
They also found several storage devices.
Forensic investigators began examining them.
I wanted answers.
Instead, I received a warning.
A typed letter arrived at the hospital.
No return address.
Inside were seven words.
STOP DIGGING OR SHE DISAPPEARS FOR GOOD.
I stared at the paper.
Then looked toward Nia's bed.
She was sleeping peacefully.
For one terrible second, I imagined losing her again.
I immediately gave the letter to Detective Brooks.
The hospital increased security around Nia's room.
Visitors were screened.
And I refused to leave her side.
That evening, Nia woke and found me staring at the door.
"Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"You're scared."
I tried to smile.
"I'm fine."
She shook her head.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Pretend you're not afraid."
I looked down.
She reached for my hand.
"We can't keep secrets from each other anymore."
Those words broke something open inside me.
I sat beside her.
"I'm terrified."
Her eyes filled.
"I know."
"I buried you in my mind, Nia."
My voice cracked.
"For three days, I thought I would never hear you laugh again."
She began crying.
"I know."
"And now every time somebody walks through a door, I wonder if they're coming to hurt you."
She pulled me closer.
I rested my forehead against hers.
"We need to stop living like this," she whispered.
"I know."
"We need to tell the truth."
"We are."
"All of it, Marcus."
I pulled back.
She looked frightened.
"There is something I haven't told the police."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
She swallowed.
"The woman behind Daniel contacted me before he drugged me."
I stared at her.
"Who was she?"
Nia's lips trembled.
"She told me she knew exactly how to destroy our marriage."
I felt cold.
"Did she give you a name?"
Nia nodded.
"Yes."
May you like
She squeezed my hand.
"Her name was Vanessa Grant."
