Chapter 15 - A Friend’s Secret
Lucy was already reaching for her coat.
“No,” Graham said.
“She’s my best friend.”
“And that’s why you’re not walking into a trap.”
“You don’t get to decide what I do.”
“I know. I’m asking you not to let Victor use your love for someone against you.”
Lucy’s face crumpled for half a second before she forced it still.
Nina traced the call to an abandoned warehouse near the river. Police teams moved in quietly. Graham stayed behind the perimeter, furious at himself for being unable to do more.
A shout came from inside.
Then a single gunshot.
Lucy ran.
Officers caught her before she reached the entrance. Graham held her as she struggled, calling Maya’s name.
The team emerged minutes later with Maya alive. She had been tied to a chair, shaken but unharmed. Caleb Rusk was in custody. The man who had made the call was a former driver for Victor.
At the hospital, Maya told Lucy the truth.
“My brother worked for Victor,” she said. “He was the one who helped Daniel move the ledger. When he died, Victor told me he’d make sure I went next unless I kept quiet.”
Lucy stared at her. “You knew?”
“I knew parts. Not everything. I was scared.”
“You let me think I was alone.”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
Lucy turned away.
Graham understood the silence between them. Fear could look like betrayal from the outside. Sometimes it was betrayal. Sometimes it was the only thing a person knew how to offer.
Maya reached for Lucy’s hand.
“I’m sorry.”
Lucy did not take it immediately.
Then she sat beside the bed.
“I’m angry,” she said. “But I’m here.”
Nina entered with a tablet.
“Caleb is talking,” she said. “He says Victor has a second set of records. If we get them, we can prove the full theft.”
“Where?” Graham asked.
May you like
Nina looked at him.
“Your house.”
