Chapter 6 - THE AIRFIELD
The airfield was surrounded by fog.
It was nearly six in the morning.
The sun hadn't fully risen.
Gabriel's SUV stopped behind an abandoned hangar.
I looked through the windshield.
“Is this it?”
He nodded.
The detective checked his weapon.
“We stay together.”
I nodded.
My mother stayed in the vehicle.
She didn't want to come.
But she refused to let me go alone.
We entered the hangar.
Empty.
Dust covered the floor.
Old equipment sat against the walls.
Then I heard footsteps.
Daniel appeared.
He looked exhausted.
His shirt was torn.
There was a bruise near his temple.
I ran toward him.
“What happened?”
He stepped back.
“Don't.”
“Daniel.”
“You shouldn't be here.”
“You sent me the photograph.”
“No.”
He looked at Gabriel.
“Someone wants you to think I did.”
I stared.
“Then why are you here?”
“To stop them.”
“Who?”
He looked around.
“Carmen.”
I froze.
“She knows about the blue room.”
“How?”
“Because she has been inside.”
My stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
“Before we married?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Your father allowed her.”
I couldn't understand.
“Why would Dad allow her?”
“Because he wanted to know who was loyal.”
Daniel took a breath.
“Carmen wasn't the only person who entered.”
“Who else?”
He looked at me.
“Your mother.”
I froze.
“My mother?”
“She helped your father.”
I looked toward the car.
My mother stepped out.
She was crying.
“Sofia.”
I stared at her.
“You knew?”
She nodded.
“I knew your father was alive.”
My chest tightened.
“How long?”
“Four years.”
I couldn't speak.
“Mom.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
“Why didn't you?”
“Because your father said you'd be safer if you hated him.”
I shook my head.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does when you know who was hunting you.”
Daniel interrupted.
“Victor.”
Gabriel looked at him.
“Victor is dead.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who is he?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Your father.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“Victor Hale is your father's second identity.”
I couldn't breathe.
“My father is Victor Hale?”
“Yes.”
Everything suddenly made sense.
The photograph.
The company.
The fake death.
The mysterious business partner.
My father had become the man everyone believed was his enemy.
Daniel continued:
“He created Victor Hale to infiltrate Northbridge.”
“And Carmen?”
“She knew.”
“Then why did she attack me?”
“Because she doesn't know how much your father knows.”
I stared.
Daniel looked at me.
“She thought forcing you to sign the documents would give her access to the archive.”
“And you?”
“I was supposed to help her.”
“But you didn't.”
“No.”
“Why?”
He looked down.
“Because I fell in love with you.”
I felt tears in my eyes.
“You should have told me.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing you.”
I shook my head.
“You almost did.”
“I know.”
Then the hangar doors slammed shut.
Everyone turned.
Men appeared on the upper walkway.
Gabriel pulled me behind him.
The detective shouted:
“Federal officers!”
The men didn't respond.
One raised a weapon.
The detective pushed us behind a vehicle.
A shot struck the metal wall.
I screamed.
Daniel grabbed my arm.
“Stay down.”
Another shot.
Then silence.
The men disappeared.
The detective looked outside.
“They're gone.”
Daniel stared at the ground.
“They wanted us to see them.”
“Why?”
He pointed.
A small black case sat in the middle of the hangar.
I approached carefully.
Inside was the original ledger.
The one my father had mentioned.
I opened it.
Names.
Payments.
Dates.
Everything.
But there was one final page.
A handwritten note.
If Sofia finds this, tell her the truth.
Below it was my father's signature.
I read the next line.
Carmen was never the mastermind.
Then:
Neither was Daniel.
I turned the page.
The final name was circled.
My mother's.
I stared.
“Mom?”
She began crying.
“I didn't want you to know.”
“What did you do?”
She looked at me.
“I helped your father disappear.”
“Why?”
“Because he asked me to.”
“But why?”
She wiped her tears.
“Because the person hunting him was someone neither of us expected.”
“Who?”
My mother looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel lowered his head.
Then she whispered:
“Your uncle.”
I turned toward Gabriel.
He didn't deny it.
My world collapsed.
The man who had arrived at three in the morning.
The man who promised to protect me.
The man my father trusted.
May have been the person who started everything.
And Gabriel slowly said:
“Your father told me to betray him.”
I stared.
“What?”
“Because he needed someone the enemy would trust.”
The detective looked at the ledger.
“Then the question isn't whether Gabriel betrayed Richard.”
He turned the final page.
“The question is who Gabriel was pretending to betray him for.”
May you like
And beneath the signature was one final name.
CARMEN CARTER.
