Chapter 3 - HER SISTER’S NAME
Emma had imagined this moment hundreds of times.
She had imagined screaming.
Hitting him.
Demanding answers.
Instead she tilted her head.
“Who’s Sarah?”
Julian studied her.
The silence lasted too long.
Then he smiled.
“A former employee.”
Emma gave him a small, uncertain nod.
“Did she work for you?”
“Briefly.”
That lie almost broke her.
Sarah had loved him.
Had planned a future with him.
Had called Emma from Manhattan saying she had finally found someone who made her feel safe.
Julian finished his bourbon.
“Sit down.”
Emma sat.
Not because he ordered her.
Because the microphone worked best when he stayed close.
Julian paced.
“People become obsessed with powerful families.”
Emma said nothing.
“They invent stories.”
Still nothing.
“They steal documents.”
He looked at her.
“Sometimes they pretend to be people they aren’t.”
The words landed hard.
Emma kept her expression blank.
Julian moved closer.
“When we met, where exactly did you say you grew up?”
“Outside Berea.”
“Your parents?”
“Dead.”
“Names?”
She answered instantly.
“Thomas and Mary Whitaker.”
Fake identities created legally through an undercover cooperation agreement and sealed investigative records.
Julian had checked them before.
But suspicion made people recheck everything.
He pulled out his phone.
Emma knew Ortiz’s team could hear them.
She also knew they could not enter yet.
Not unless she gave the emergency phrase.
Blue candle.
Two words.
Say them, and the tactical team moved.
But doing that now might destroy two years of work.
Julian needed to confess more.
He called someone.
“Run Emma again.”
A voice responded.
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
Julian looked at her.
“Childhood.”
His stare sharpened.
“Schools.”
Another pause.
“Medical history.”
Emma folded her hands.
Julian ended the call.
“You look nervous.”
“It’s my wedding night.”
He smiled.
“That’s better.”
He walked behind her.
His hands rested on her shoulders.
Emma could smell bourbon.
“You know what I love about you?”
She stared straight ahead.
“What?”
“You never challenge me.”
His fingers tightened.
“Sarah challenged me.”
Emma almost stopped breathing.
Julian continued before he realized his mistake.
“She thought threatening me would make me afraid.”
Emma whispered, “The employee?”
Julian’s hands stopped.
Then he laughed softly.
“Yes.”
“What happened to her?”
“She got sick.”
“What kind of sick?”
“The kind where people stop trusting what comes out of your mouth.”
Emma’s nails pressed into her palms.
Julian walked around and crouched in front of her.
“That’s the thing about credibility.”
He tapped her forehead.
“Once people think something is wrong in here, you can tell the truth all day.”
His smile returned.
“No one hears it.”
The words were perfect.
Clear.
Damning.
Emma silently prayed the transmitter was still working.
Across Manhattan, Detective Ortiz was listening.
And she wasn’t alone.
Inside the surveillance van, Ortiz turned to ADA Bell.
“We just moved from conspiracy to pattern.”
Bell shook his head.
“Not enough.”
Ortiz stared at him.
“He practically admitted what he did to Sarah.”
“Practically doesn’t put Julian Cole away.”
Back upstairs, Julian’s phone buzzed.
He checked the message.
His smile disappeared.
Emma saw only the first line.
BACKGROUND CHECK COMPLETE.
Julian read the rest.
Then slowly lifted his eyes.
“You went to Eastern Kentucky University?”
“Yes.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Emma’s heart slammed against her ribs.
Julian stood.
He walked to the bedroom door and locked it manually.
Then he pulled out the remote controlling the penthouse elevators.
“Who are you?”
Emma remained seated.
Julian raised his voice.
“WHO ARE YOU?”
She looked at the whip on the bed.
Then at the locked door.
Then at the man who had destroyed her sister.
Her two-year performance was collapsing.
Julian reached inside a cabinet.
When his hand came out, he was holding a syringe.
Emma stared at it.
Julian’s face had changed completely.
“No more games.”
May you like
He uncapped the needle.
“You’re going to tell me who sent you.”
