I called Dad before anyone could stop me.<\/p>\n
His phone rang once.<\/p>\n
Twice.<\/p>\n
Then someone answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus Cole\u2019s voice was calmer than I expected.<\/p>\n
I had heard him speak only a handful of times in my life.<\/p>\n
At that Christmas party.<\/p>\n
On a business call Patrick once took in our kitchen.<\/p>\n
He had always sounded polished.<\/p>\n
He still did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I hang up.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know quite a lot about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Reyes gestured for me to keep him talking.<\/p>\n
I ignored the fear crawling along my spine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething Richard stole from my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad didn\u2019t steal anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s his story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe audit proves it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
That was the first crack.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you found out about the records,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean the evidence you want destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve inherited Richard\u2019s confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I inherited his dislike of thieves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason looked at me as though I had lost my mind.<\/p>\n
Marcus laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand why Patrick fell for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence hurt in a way I refused to show.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riverside.<\/p>\n
Detective Chen was coordinating with police, but the old factory sprawled across several acres near the river. Marcus had chosen terrain he apparently knew well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bring me the archive key.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Reyes.<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t play games.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been inside that archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus went quiet.<\/p>\n
Maybe Patrick had given him bad information.<\/p>\n
Or maybe Marcus was testing me.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard will tell you where the key is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me speak to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you don\u2019t get anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick warned me you could be stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have listened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
Then Dad\u2019s voice came faintly through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna, don\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
The line muffled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad!\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s unharmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you hurt him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Threats would not help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t bring you anything unless I know he\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just heard him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want a video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re negotiating now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from watching bad men underestimate me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went silent.<\/p>\n
Then ended.<\/p>\n
My hands shook afterward.<\/p>\n
Detective Chen called immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confirmed Riverside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConfirmation matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTeams are approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan they get Dad out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not enough.<\/p>\n
Nothing was enough.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Patrick.<\/p>\n
I answered before Reyes could object.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear Riverside.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou followed him after escaping police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that like confession is accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then said, \u201cI can get Richard out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more plans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus expects police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the factory better than they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo does Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the parts Marcus has been using.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward Chen, who was listening through speaker.<\/p>\n
Patrick continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an old loading tunnel beneath Building Three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad had once mentioned underground service corridors.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus used it to move equipment into the site.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat equipment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras. Computers. Supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuns?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Chen wrote something and passed it to Reyes.<\/p>\n
He left to relay the tunnel information.<\/p>\n
Patrick lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus has the red folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. Police can take it from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll burn it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we have other evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot enough for Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Even now Patrick was trying to control the outcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you care about Elena?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I need Marcus convicted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor justice?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor yourself,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least he had stopped pretending.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Marcus takes all the blame, you think you get a better deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really do understand honesty when it benefits you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna, I\u2019m not asking you to forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking you to let me help Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy doing what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can enter through the loading tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chen shook her head violently.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I relayed it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice don\u2019t know Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither did I, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus wants the archive because Victor\u2019s records destroy the story he has used for twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also wants Richard to sign something.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw documents in Marcus\u2019s car. Transfer agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Bennett Industrial?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably isn\u2019t useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs Richard\u2019s signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad won\u2019t sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will if Marcus threatens you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Marcus has Dad, not me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019ll try to get you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Chen.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
We had already reached the same conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick sounded genuinely relieved.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cBut Marcus may have another way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a recording of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat recording?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used audio from videos and calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood before Patrick explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoice cloning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo impersonate me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can he do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly screamed.<\/p>\n
Patrick continued quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me for recordings months ago. I gave him videos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave him recordings of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he needed samples for a presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believed that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer was worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed money.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Money.<\/p>\n
Always enough to cross the next line.<\/p>\n
I ended the call.<\/p>\n
Chen immediately contacted Dad\u2019s bank, attorneys, trustees, and company security.<\/p>\n
Any instruction supposedly coming from me would require in-person verification.<\/p>\n
My voice was no longer proof of my identity.<\/p>\n
Another ordinary thing Patrick had taken.<\/p>\n
The phone rang again.<\/p>\n
Marcus.<\/p>\n
This time a video call.<\/p>\n
Chen positioned herself out of frame.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
Marcus appeared inside a dim industrial room.<\/p>\n
Behind him sat Dad.<\/p>\n
His hands were secured in front of him.<\/p>\n
There was blood near his temple.<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Dad said immediately.<\/p>\n
Marcus struck the back of his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in me went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus turned the camera.<\/p>\n
A metal archive door stood behind them.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard won\u2019t give me the combination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad shouted, \u201cI said no such thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies are wonderfully predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve spent twenty years blaming Dad because your father stole from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know nothing about my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know there\u2019s an audit you\u2019re desperate to destroy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard manufactured that evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why not let police see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n
Pride flashed briefly in his face.<\/p>\n
Marcus moved closer to the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have thirty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome to Riverside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Richard signs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSigns what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA correction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s expression changed again.<\/p>\n
I had named it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was never about justice,\u201d I said. \u201cYou want Dad\u2019s companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family built the foundation he stands on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you want to get rich proving how morally offended you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus grabbed Dad by the shoulder.<\/p>\n
My body reacted before my mind did.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe daughter Patrick described.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated Patrick for giving him the map to me.<\/p>\n
Marcus ended the call.<\/p>\n
Chen immediately said, \u201cYou are not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hesitated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m human.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason stood beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe find another way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later Patrick sent a photograph.<\/p>\n
An exterior wall of Riverside.<\/p>\n
A rusted service door.<\/p>\n
Caption:<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going in.<\/p>\n
I typed back.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
His reply came.<\/p>\n
I owe him this.<\/p>\n
I stared at the words.<\/p>\n
Then typed:<\/p>\n
You owe me many things. Dying stupidly isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
For the first time in days, I could almost imagine the Patrick I once knew reading that message.<\/p>\n
He replied:<\/p>\n
Fair.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
Tell police the tunnel exits behind the archive room.<\/p>\n
I handed the phone to Chen.<\/p>\n
She relayed it to the tactical team.<\/p>\n
Minutes dragged.<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then gunfire cracked through Chen\u2019s radio.<\/p>\n
My entire body went rigid.<\/p>\n
\u201cShots fired, Building Three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer down?\u201d<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cNegative. Civilian inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Chen listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuspect moving toward archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another burst of radio traffic.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Patrick.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
His voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s voice came faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly collapsed with relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick whispered, \u201cMarcus left the room when police entered the south side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you get Dad out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metal scraped.<\/p>\n
Dad grunted.<\/p>\n
Then Patrick said, \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick?\u201d<\/p>\n
His breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left the folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe red one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake it and leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is about me lately. Get Dad out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Jenna.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to hear this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus kept records of every payment he made to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOver six years?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly four hundred thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason stared at me.<\/p>\n
Patrick continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first payment was three weeks before I met you.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Proof.<\/p>\n
Not suggestion.<\/p>\n
Not Marcus\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n
Patrick had been paid before our first conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was the payment description?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cBennett introduction.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could not speak.<\/p>\n
My marriage had a receipt.<\/p>\n
Dad said something in the background.<\/p>\n
Then Patrick continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another payment after our engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that one say?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess secured.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed my hand against my mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after the wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhase two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every milestone of my life had been converted into a transaction.<\/p>\n
I wanted to stop hearing.<\/p>\n
But I had spent too many years not knowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was phase two?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick whispered, \u201cFinancial access.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd phase three?\u201d<\/p>\n
A long silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatrick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccession.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew what that meant now.<\/p>\n
Dad.<\/p>\n
The trust.<\/p>\n
The companies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the final phase?\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick did not answer.<\/p>\n
A noise sounded behind him.<\/p>\n
Footsteps.<\/p>\n
Fast.<\/p>\n
Dad shouted.<\/p>\n
Then the phone crashed against something.<\/p>\n
I heard Patrick grunt.<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
Marcus.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have stayed bought.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I called Dad before anyone could stop me. His phone rang once. Twice. Then someone answered. \u201cJenna.\u201d Marcus Cole\u2019s voice was calmer than I expected. I had heard him speak … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10349,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10329\/revisions\/10349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}