Chapter 6
My mother had raised Daniel and me alone.
Our father died when I was nine.
She worked two jobs.
She missed meals so we wouldn't.
For most of my life, there had been almost nothing I feared more than something happening to her.
By the time we reached St. Mary's, my hands were shaking.
"Stay with Noah," I told Nia.
"I'm coming with you."
"He doesn't need a hospital."
"He also doesn't need us separating."
She was right.
Again.
We all went inside.
My mother sat upright in a hospital bed with a bandage above her eyebrow.
"Mom."
She reached toward me.
"I'm okay."
I hugged her carefully.
Noah climbed beside her.
"Grandma."
"Oh, sweetheart."
She held him.
Nia stood near the door.
My mother's eyes moved toward her.
For months, Mom had believed our marriage problems were Nia's fault.
Daniel had helped create that belief too.
"What happened?" I asked.
Mom's face changed.
"I came home from choir practice."
She swallowed.
"The back door was open."
"Did they take anything?"
"I don't know."
"Did you see anyone?"
She hesitated.
"Mom."
"A man ran out through the kitchen."
"What man?"
"I didn't see his face."
She touched the bandage.
"He knocked me down."
My fists tightened.
Nia stepped beside me.
"Marcus."
I knew what the warning meant.
Stay calm.
Mom looked between us.
"Why are you all acting strange?"
I pulled the visitor chair closer.
"Mom, I need to ask you something about Daniel."
Her expression immediately became defensive.
"What about him?"
"Has he asked you questions about me lately?"
"You're brothers."
"That's not an answer."
She frowned.
"What kind of questions?"
"Insurance. Money. Noah. Nia."
Mom looked away.
My stomach dropped.
"What did he ask?"
"Nothing serious."
"Mom."
She sighed.
"He asked whether you and Nia were having problems."
"When?"
"Months ago."
"What else?"
"He said he was worried."
"About what?"
"You."
I laughed once.
"Of course."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't use that tone."
"Mom, Daniel has been collecting information about us."
"What?"
Nia pulled up photographs of the files.
Mom read them.
Her face slowly changed.
"No."
"Mom."
"No."
She shook her head.
"Daniel wouldn't."
"I thought the same thing."
"You're misunderstanding something."
Then I showed her the insurance policy.
She stopped talking.
"Have you seen Horizon Family Holdings before?"
Her hands began trembling.
"Mom?"
She looked at me.
"I signed something."
My stomach turned.
"What?"
"Last year."
"What did you sign?"
"I don't know."
I stood.
"Mom!"
She flinched.
I immediately lowered my voice.
"I'm sorry."
She stared at the blanket.
"Daniel said he was updating family estate paperwork."
"What paperwork?"
"He brought several forms."
"Did you read them?"
Her silence answered.
My heart broke.
"Mom."
"He said he needed signatures because he was helping organize things if anything happened to me."
Nia whispered, "Did he ask about Marcus's life insurance?"
Mom looked at her.
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"What did you tell him?"
"That you had coverage through your company."
"Anything else?"
"I gave him the name of your insurance agent."
I sat down.
The entire scheme was becoming clearer.
Daniel hadn't hacked his way into my life.
We had handed him pieces of it because he was family.
Mom started crying.
"I didn't know."
I took her hand.
"I know."
"Did I help him hurt you?"
"We don't know yet."
"Marcus."
Her voice cracked.
"I trusted him."
"So did I."
For the first time, my mother's eyes moved toward Nia without hostility.
"I blamed you."
Nia said nothing.
"I told Marcus you were tearing the family apart."
Nia's mouth tightened.
Mom began crying harder.
"I'm sorry."
Nia slowly walked forward.
"You didn't know."
"But I should have."
My mother reached for her hand.
After a moment, Nia gave it.
That tiny gesture felt like the first repaired piece of something that had been broken for months.
Detective Howard arrived forty minutes later.
He spoke privately with my mother.
Then he came to us.
"The break-in may be connected."
"May?"
"No valuables were taken."
"What was?"
"Her home office was searched."
My mother looked confused.
"I don't have anything important in there."
Howard looked at me.
"Family documents."
My stomach tightened.
"What kind?"
"Old tax files. Birth certificates. Insurance records."
Someone was cleaning up evidence.
That meant Daniel knew we had found something.
Howard's phone rang.
He stepped into the hallway.
When he returned, his expression had changed.
"We found the red-door property."
Nia grabbed my arm.
"Who owns it?"
"A company linked to Malcolm Reese."
"What's inside?"
"We don't know yet."
"Then get a warrant."
"We're working on it."
I hated that phrase.
Working on it.
My family was hiding in a hotel.
My mother had been knocked down in her own house.
My six-year-old was afraid of his uncle.
And everybody was working on it.
Howard looked at me.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The vehicle seen leaving your mother's street after the break-in matches a black SUV."
I remembered the one parked near my house.
"License plate?"
"Partial."
He checked his notes.
"The registration may connect to Daniel's business."
My mother made a broken sound.
I put my arm around her.
Then my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A photograph arrived.
I opened it.
My stomach dropped.
It was a picture of us entering the hospital.
Taken less than an hour earlier.
Underneath were six words.
YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE TAXI.
Nia read them.
Her face went white.
May you like
Then another message arrived.
THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING.
