Chapter 9 – The Fire
Smoke entered beneath the door.
“They’re burning the house.”
Hale fired twice at the lock.
The door remained shut.
Adrian grabbed a chair.
“Move.”
He smashed it against the window.
Once.
Twice.
The glass cracked.
Smoke thickened.
Emma began screaming.
“Give her to me.”
Rachel held out her arms.
I hesitated.
“Claire!”
I handed Emma to her.
Adrian struck the window again.
It shattered.
Fresh air rushed inside.
Hale looked down.
“Too high.”
The study was on the second floor.
Thomas pulled curtains from the wall.
“Make a rope.”
We tied them together.
Rachel climbed first with Emma strapped against her chest.
I watched every inch.
When her feet touched the ground, I almost collapsed with relief.
Thomas followed.
Then Hale.
I started climbing.
A hand grabbed my ankle.
I screamed.
Dr. Reed stood in the smoke.
His face looked almost peaceful.
“Where is the drive?”
I kicked him.
He pulled harder.
“Claire!”
Adrian lunged.
The two men crashed into the desk.
I dropped through the window.
Hale caught me below.
“Adrian!”
I turned.
Flames rolled across the study ceiling.
Adrian appeared at the broken window.
Then Malcolm attacked him from behind.
They disappeared.
“No!”
I ran toward the house.
Hale grabbed me.
“You can’t.”
“He’s Emma’s father!”
The words came out before I could stop them.
I hated Adrian.
But I did not want him burned alive.
A second later, Adrian jumped from the window.
He hit the grass hard.
Malcolm did not follow.
Police surrounded the house.
Fire crews arrived.
By dawn, Malcolm Reed was gone.
Again.
A tunnel was discovered beneath the basement.
My father had never known it existed.
But the Blackwoods had.
Because their company had renovated the house six years earlier.
The USB drive survived.
Thomas had put it in his pocket before climbing down.
Federal agents arrived that morning.
This time, everything changed.
Blackwood offices were raided.
Victor Lang was arrested.
Six warehouses were sealed.
Three judges recused themselves from Blackwood-related cases.
Two city officials resigned before lunch.
Margaret disappeared.
Adrian surrendered voluntarily.
Before they took him away again, he asked to speak to me.
I stood ten feet away.
“That’s close enough.”
He nodded.
“I deserve that.”
“What do you want?”
“To tell you something before my mother finds you.”
“What?”
He looked at Emma.
Then at me.
“My mother doesn’t want custody because she loves Emma.”
“I know.”
“No.”
His voice broke.
“You don’t.”
He stepped closer until an officer stopped him.
“Emma is the beneficiary of Daniel’s controlling shares.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Your father changed his trust before he died.”
“If anything happened to you, control of Whitmore Logistics would eventually pass to Emma.”
My stomach twisted.
“That’s why Margaret wanted guardianship.”
“Yes.”
“She wanted the company.”
“Yes.”
I looked at my daughter.
Then another thought came.
“If I died…”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“Margaret believed she could control Emma’s inheritance.”
My skin went cold.
“So the papers weren’t the end of the plan.”
“No.”
“What was?”
May you like
Adrian looked at me.
“You were.”
