Chapter 8: The Passenger Beside Me
The black sedan hit the brakes only ten yards behind us.
Its tires screamed across the snow.
I jerked the steering wheel.
The SUV fishtailed toward the ditch.
Mom cried out.
Dad grabbed the back of my seat.
Andre braced one hand against the dashboard.
“Marcus! Straighten it!””
“I’m trying!””
The rear end slid left.
I countersteered.
For one terrifying second, the SUV moved sideways across the road.
Then the tires caught.
We shot forward.
I looked into the rearview mirror.
The sedan was still there.
But it wasn't chasing us anymore.
It had stopped.
The driver's door opened.
A man stepped out.
He didn't wave.
He simply stood in the middle of the road and watched us disappear.
Andre leaned forward.
“Don't stop.””
“I wasn't planning to.””
Vanessa was breathing hard in the back seat.
“That was Calvin.””
Dad shook his head.
“No.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“You recognized the car.””
“Many people drive black sedans.””
“You knew the headlights.””
Dad stared at the floor.
I looked at him through the mirror.
“Dad.””
He said nothing.
“Was Calvin really alive?””
“Yes.””
The word came quietly.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“How long have you known?””
Robert looked at Mom.
She closed her eyes.
“I found out eight years ago,” he said.
“And you never told me?””
“I wanted you safe.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Everybody keeps saying that.””
Andre looked at me.
“Keep your eyes on the road.””
“We're five minutes from Bellweather.””
“Good.””
“Then tell me who Calvin is.””
Andre glanced toward Dad.
“You don't know him.””
“Apparently neither did I.””
Andre rubbed his jaw.
“Calvin was Raymond's right hand.””
Dad corrected him.
“He was more than that.””
“What?””
“He handled the money.””
Mom spoke softly.
“And the people.””
I swallowed.
“People?””
Mom nodded.
“People who disappeared.””
My foot eased off the accelerator.
Andre noticed.
“Don't slow down.””
I sped up.
The snow thickened.
The headlights barely penetrated the white curtain ahead.
Then I saw the sign.
*BELLWEATHER STORAGE — 1 MILE*
I felt my heartbeat in my throat.
“We're close.””
Andre sat upright.
“Turn off the headlights when we reach the gate.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because whoever sent us there wants to know whether we made it.””
“You think the messages are a trap.””
“I know they're a trap.””
“Then why are we going?””
“Because Unit 17 is the only place left that can prove what happened.””
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
*Three minutes.*
Then:
*Do not trust the woman beside your mother.*
I glanced into the mirror.
Vanessa looked back at me.
Her face went pale.
“I swear that wasn't me.””
“I didn't say anything.””
“You were looking at me.””
“You're the only woman beside Mom.””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“I know.””
Andre took the phone from my hand.
He read both messages.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“Where's your second phone?””
She froze.
“What?””
“You have two.””
“No.””
“Vanessa.””
“I don't.””
Andre reached beneath his seat.
He pulled out a small black device.
An older phone.
Cracked screen.
Vanessa stared at it.
“I've never seen that.””
Andre turned it on.
The screen lit up.
Four missed calls.
One voicemail.
All from an unknown number.
He pressed play.
A man's voice filled the car.
“You have seven minutes.””
Vanessa began crying.
“That's him.””
“Calvin?”” I asked.
She nodded.
Andre stopped the recording.
“Why does he have your number?””
“I don't know.””
“Why is this phone in the car?””
“I don't know!””
Dad suddenly said, “Because he put it there.””
Everyone turned.
Robert looked at Vanessa.
“He's been using you.””
“How?””
“He wanted to know what Marcus was doing.””
Vanessa stared at him.
“For how long?””
“Since Marcus called you three weeks ago.””
My stomach dropped.
“You're saying Calvin knew I was coming before I left Chicago?””
Dad nodded.
“How?””
“He has people watching you.””
I looked at Andre.
“Then why send me to Unit 17?””
Andre's expression darkened.
“Because he's desperate.””
“Desperate for what?””
“Whatever is inside.””
We reached the storage facility.
Rows of identical units disappeared into the snow.
The security gate was open.
No attendant booth lights.
No cameras flashing.
Nothing.
Too quiet.
I turned off the headlights.
The SUV rolled forward.
Andre pointed.
“Unit seventeen is at the far end.””
We parked beside a row of storage buildings.
Everyone stayed still.
I turned off the engine.
Silence.
Then Mom whispered, “We're being watched.””
I looked toward the office.
A curtain moved.
Vanessa noticed it too.
“There.””
Andre opened his door.
I grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?””
“Checking the perimeter.””
“Alone?””
He looked at me.
“Stay with Mom.””
He disappeared into the snow.
Dad reached across and grabbed my wrist.
“Marcus.””
“What?””
“Whatever you find in that unit…”
He swallowed.
“…don't believe everything you see.””
I stared at him.
“That's not very reassuring.””
“It isn't supposed to be.””
Mom touched my hand.
“Your father is afraid.””
“I can see that.””
“No.””
She looked at him.
“He's afraid of what you'll think of him.””
Before I could answer, a light appeared in the distance.
Andre was running back.
“Out!””
I opened the driver's door.
“What's wrong?””
“Someone's here.””
“Police?””
“No.””
A gunshot cracked through the facility.
The rear windshield shattered.
Mom screamed.
I ducked.
Dad pulled her to the floor.
Another shot hit the hood.
“Go!”” Andre shouted.
I started the engine.
The SUV lurched backward.
A figure appeared between the storage units.
Black coat.
Gun in hand.
He fired again.
We tore through the rows.
Andre jumped into the passenger seat.
“Unit 17 is ahead!””
I drove straight toward it.
“Are you insane?””
“The evidence is inside!””
“Someone is shooting at us!””
“That doesn't change the plan!””
I slammed the brakes beside the unit.
Andre jumped out.
I followed.
Snow blew into my face.
The unit door was chained.
Andre grabbed the silver key.
“That's not the lock.””
I frowned.
“What?””
He pointed lower.
A small steel panel.
“Try seventeen.””
I inserted the key.
Nothing happened.
“Wrong key?””
“No.””
He turned it.
A hidden mechanism clicked.
The chain released.
The storage door rolled upward.
Inside was darkness.
Andre stepped in.
I followed.
There were filing cabinets along the walls.
Boxes.
Old computers.
Photographs.
A metal table.
And a single wooden chair in the center.
Someone had been sitting there recently.
On the table was a tape recorder.
Beside it was a photograph of our family.
Not old.
New.
Taken this year.
Dad.
Mom.
Vanessa.
Me.
Andre.
And standing behind us—
Calvin.
I picked up the photograph.
Andre went completely still.
“He was here.””
A voice came from the tape recorder.
“Marcus.””
We both froze.
The recorder clicked on by itself.
Calvin's voice filled the unit.
“If you're hearing this, then your family finally told you enough to make you dangerous.””
I stared at the machine.
Andre whispered, “Don't touch it.””
Calvin continued.
“I know you're wondering why I let you reach Unit 17.””
The sound of a chair scraping the floor came through the recording.
“Because the evidence inside isn't for you.””
A pause.
“It's for your brother.””
Andre looked at me.
The recording continued.
“Andre, you always believed I wanted you dead.””
Andre's jaw tightened.
“I didn't.””
The tape clicked softly.
“I wanted you frightened.””
A second voice appeared.
My father's.
“Calvin, stop.””
My blood ran cold.
The recording wasn't old.
It was a conversation.
Recent.
Dad's recorded voice said, “He doesn't know anything.””
Calvin answered, “Not yet.””
Then Vanessa's voice.
“She'll never tell him.””
Mom's voice followed.
“You're making a mistake.””
I stepped away from the recorder.
“No.””
Andre stared at me.
The recording continued.
Calvin said, “The boy is already on his way.””
Dad answered, “Marcus?””
“Yes.””
“How do you know?””
“Because Vanessa invited him.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
I looked at her.
She shook her head wildly.
“I didn't.””
The tape played on.
Calvin said, “When he arrives, keep him inside the house until I get there.””
Dad asked, “And if Andre returns?””
A long silence.
Then Calvin answered.
“Kill him.””
Andre stopped breathing.
I looked at him.
Neither of us moved.
Then another voice came through the recording.
A voice I hadn't heard all night.
Dr. Bennett.
He said, “That's enough, Calvin.””
The tape clicked off.
Silence.
Vanessa started sobbing.
“I didn't know.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew enough.””
“I swear!””
Andre looked at the photograph again.
Then toward the storage unit entrance.
“Wait.””
“What?””
He crouched.
Fresh footprints crossed the snow outside.
Several sets.
He looked at me.
“We're not alone.””
A car engine started nearby.
Then another.
Headlights swept across the storage units.
Andre grabbed my shoulder.
“Take Mom and Dad and get to the back exit.””
“What about you?””
“I'll hold them.””
“No.””
“You're not fighting this many people.””
I shook my head.
“We stay together.””
He looked at me.
Then smiled faintly.
“That's the first smart thing you've said all night.””
We ran back toward the SUV.
But before we reached it, I noticed Vanessa wasn't behind us.
“Vanessa?””
No answer.
I turned.
She was standing beside Unit 17.
Holding the ledger.
And beside her stood a man in a black coat.
He placed one hand gently on her shoulder.
Vanessa wasn't fighting.
She wasn't screaming.
She was simply staring at me.
The man looked up.
Even from thirty yards away, I recognized him.
Calvin.
He smiled.
Then he raised a gun to Vanessa's head.
“Marcus!””
His voice carried through the snow.
“Bring me Andre…”
He pulled Vanessa closer.
“…or your sister dies.””
Andre stepped beside me.
His face became stone.
May you like
Then Calvin added one final sentence.
“And before you choose, ask your father why he already gave me permission to kill her.””
