Chapter 5: The Price of Protecting a Secret
"EMILY!""
My voice cut through the darkness.
People were stumbling toward the exits. Security guards pushed through the crowd. Someone knocked over a table, sending champagne bottles crashing onto the marble.
I grabbed the nearest chair and steadied myself.
My legs were still recovering, but I didn't care.
"Find her!"" I shouted.
Laura rushed toward me.
"Ethan, don't move!""
"She's my daughter!""
"I know. But someone planned this.""
She pointed toward the service corridor.
A fire door stood open.
Beyond it, the hallway was empty.
I moved toward it as quickly as I could.
Whitmore caught my shoulder.
"Wait. Look.""
On the floor lay Emily's silver necklace.
I picked it up.
The chain had snapped.
There was a small engraving on the back.
To Emily. Always loved. Dad.
I stared at the words.
I'd never given her that necklace.
Someone had.
"Where did she get this?""
Laura looked at it.
"She told me it belonged to her grandfather.""
I turned toward Whitmore.
"Who is her grandfather?""
He hesitated.
"Your father.""
My father had died twelve years earlier.
I looked at the necklace again.
"How?""
Whitmore exhaled.
"Your father knew about Emily before he passed away. He left instructions that she should receive a portion of his estate. Brooke was supposed to tell you.""
I closed my hand around the necklace.
"She hid that too?""
Whitmore nodded.
"Your father was concerned about her safety. He suspected someone was monitoring the family.""
Before I could ask another question, a security guard rushed toward us.
"Mr. Vance!""
"What?""
"We found something in the loading area.""
He handed me a folded piece of paper.
There were only four words.
*STOP LOOKING FOR YOUR DAUGHTER.*
Beneath them was a photograph.
Emily was sitting in the passenger seat of a black SUV.
Her hands were tied.
My knees nearly gave way.
"Call the police," I ordered.
The guard nodded.
Laura took the photograph from my hand.
"There's something wrong.""
"What?""
She pointed toward the window behind Emily.
A familiar building appeared in the background.
The old Vance Industries warehouse.
The one we'd closed five years earlier.
I recognized the loading dock.
"That's outside the city," I said.
Laura nodded.
"Exactly. Whoever took her knows the property.""
Whitmore immediately called the authorities.
Meanwhile, I turned toward Brooke.
She was standing near the ballroom entrance, staring at the floor.
"Brooke.""
She looked up.
"Where is she?""
"I don't know.""
"Don't lie to me.""
"I don't know, Ethan!""
I stepped closer.
"You knew someone was following her. You knew she had found the financial records. You knew about the accident.""
Brooke started crying again.
"I didn't know they would take her.""
"Who are they?""
She looked toward Chad.
That was enough.
I turned.
Chad was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Morrison?""
A security guard answered.
"He left through the kitchen during the blackout.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Laura grabbed my arm.
"Ethan, we need to get ahead of this.""
I turned toward Brooke.
"Tell me everything.""
She shook her head.
"I can't.""
"Your daughter has been kidnapped.""
"Please.""
"Your daughter!""
She collapsed into a chair.
For a moment, she looked less like the woman who had humiliated me and more like someone who had finally realized the consequences of her decisions.
Then she spoke.
"Chad told me he could arrange everything.""
"What everything?""
"The transfer. The company. The accident.""
I stared at her.
"Did you know he intended to kill me?""
She began sobbing.
"I thought he was going to scare you.""
"With a truck?""
"He said the driver would cause a minor collision. Enough to put you in the hospital. Enough to make the board accept the transfer.""
I stepped backward.
"You believed that?""
"He told me you wouldn't be seriously hurt.""
"Then why did you ask what would happen if I survived in the recording?""
She covered her face.
I felt sick.
"Brooke, you knew.""
She didn't deny it.
Instead, she whispered:
"Chad said the truck was supposed to hit Emily.""
The room seemed to tilt.
I gripped the edge of the table.
"What?""
"She was driving your car that evening.""
I stared at her.
"Emily?""
Brooke nodded.
"She had borrowed it from the company garage. Chad knew she was going to meet someone at the office.""
My mind raced.
I remembered the night of the accident.
I had been called to the company because Laura had discovered irregularities in the accounts.
I'd taken my car.
Emily had apparently been expected to use it earlier.
"Why would Chad target her?""
Brooke wiped her face.
"Because she had the evidence. He thought if she disappeared, nobody would be able to prove the transfers were fraudulent.""
I looked at Whitmore.
He had gone pale.
"Who was supposed to drive the car?"" he asked.
Brooke hesitated.
Then she answered.
"Me.""
I stared at her.
"You?""
"Chad told me to switch cars with Emily. He said he would handle the rest.""
I felt my hands begin to shake.
"You were supposed to be driving my Mercedes?""
Brooke nodded.
"But when I arrived, Emily had already left. I saw your car coming out of the garage. I tried calling Chad.""
She began crying harder.
"He told me to stay away.""
I looked at her for a long moment.
"So you knew there was a plan to cause an accident.""
"I didn't know he would actually do it.""
"But you knew.""
She lowered her head.
I turned away.
I couldn't look at her anymore.
A police officer entered the ballroom.
"Mr. Vance?""
"Yes.""
"I'm Detective Harris. We need to speak with everyone involved.""
I nodded.
"Someone has taken my daughter.""
"We're aware. We've issued an alert.""
I showed him the photograph.
He studied it carefully.
"Do you recognize the vehicle?""
"Black SUV. Possibly a Chevrolet Tahoe.""
The detective looked toward Laura.
"Have you seen this before?""
She nodded.
"It appeared in the security footage from the night of the accident.""
He took out his phone.
"Can you identify the registration?""
Laura shook her head.
"Not from this photograph.""
Then Brooke spoke.
"I can.""
Everyone turned.
She pointed at the rear of the vehicle.
"The license plate is partially visible.""
The detective enlarged the image.
Brooke read the numbers.
He immediately sent them to his team.
Then she added something that made my blood run cold.
"The SUV belongs to Chad's father.""
I looked at her.
"His father?""
"Yes. He owns a private security company. Chad has access to all their vehicles.""
Detective Harris exchanged a glance with his colleague.
"That's important.""
He turned toward me.
"Mr. Vance, I need you to stay here while we investigate.""
I shook my head.
"She's my daughter. I'm coming.""
"Sir, we need to establish a safe perimeter.""
"I don't care.""
The detective held my gaze.
"Then help us by telling us everything you know.""
I nodded reluctantly.
He began asking questions.
But before I could answer, Laura's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
She answered on speaker.
A man's voice came through.
"Laura Bennett.""
She stiffened.
"Who is this?""
"You have something that doesn't belong to you.""
Laura looked at me.
"What do you want?""
"Bring the original files to the old warehouse.""
The detective motioned for her to keep him talking.
"Why?""
The man laughed.
"Because Emily is still alive. For now.""
My heart stopped.
I stepped closer to the phone.
"Let me speak to her.""
There was a pause.
Then I heard my daughter's voice.
"Dad?""
My eyes burned.
"Emily! Are you hurt?""
"I'm okay. I think.""
"Listen to me. We're coming for you.""
She began crying.
"Don't come alone.""
The line crackled.
Then she whispered:
"Chad isn't working alone.""
A man's voice shouted in the background.
The call ended.
Detective Harris immediately began tracing the number.
I turned toward Laura.
"What files are they talking about?""
She hesitated.
Then she opened her leather folder and removed a sealed envelope.
"I never told you everything.""
"What do you mean?""
She handed it to me.
Inside was a photograph of my father standing beside Chad's father.
They were shaking hands outside a courthouse.
On the back, someone had written:
*THE ORIGINAL VANCE AGREEMENT — 1998.*
I looked at Whitmore.
He closed his eyes.
"Samuel?""
He took a long breath.
"Your father and Chad's father were business partners before you founded Vance Industries.""
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I thought the agreement had been destroyed.""
"What agreement?""
Whitmore looked at the photograph.
"An agreement that gave Chad's family a claim to your company long before you ever started building it.""
Then Detective Harris's phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
His expression darkened.
He lowered the phone.
"Mr. Vance, we found the SUV.""
"Where?""
"At the old warehouse.""
"Is Emily there?""
He hesitated.
"Yes.""
I felt a wave of relief.
Then he continued.
"But there's a problem.""
"What?""
"The building is surrounded by private security personnel. And the property is legally registered to your company.""
He looked directly at me.
"Someone has already transferred ownership of the warehouse.""
"To whom?""
The detective showed me the paperwork.
The new owner was listed as:
May you like
*EMILY VANCE.*
My daughter had unknowingly inherited the very building where she was now being held.
