Chapter 8 - Fire in the Office
Daniel hit the office door with his shoulder.
Locked.
“Evan!”
No answer.
Smoke curled under the door.
I ran to the hallway cabinet, grabbed the small fire extinguisher, and shoved it into Daniel’s hands.
He kicked the door twice.
The frame cracked on the third hit.
Inside, Evan stood beside the fireplace feeding documents into the flames.
Daniel charged him.
They collided against the desk.
Evan swung once. Daniel ducked and shoved him back.
“Stop!” I shouted.
Evan reached for another folder.
I grabbed it first.
He turned toward me so quickly I stumbled.
“Give me that.”
“No.”
His hand closed around my wrist.
Daniel pulled him away.
The two brothers stared at each other, breathing hard.
This wasn’t a movie fight. No clean punches. No heroic poses. Just two men who had known each other their entire lives suddenly seeing a stranger in the other person’s face.
Lawson and Margaret reached the doorway.
Margaret shouted, “Evan, leave it!”
Everyone froze.
Evan looked at her.
“You told me to burn it.”
Her face went white.
Daniel laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“Thank you.”
Evan realized what he had done.
I opened the folder I had taken.
Inside were loan documents secured by Hale Holdings property.
Total amount: $12.6 million.
Borrower: a company called North Crest Development.
Guarantor: Daniel Hale.
Daniel stared at the signature.
“That’s not mine.”
Lawson examined it. “It may not matter. If the lender relied on it—”
“My brother forged me too?”
Evan looked at Margaret.
Margaret said nothing.
Then a small piece of paper slid from the folder and landed near my shoe.
It was a hotel receipt.
Two names were handwritten at the top.
MARGARET HALE.
And NATALIE PIERCE.
The small fire blackened the edge of Daniel's desk before the extinguisher killed it. White powder hung in the air and settled on the family photographs along the wall. One picture showed Daniel and Evan as boys, both grinning with Richard's arms around them. Daniel stared at it for half a second, then turned the frame facedown.
May you like
My doctor.
—
