Chapter 6 - THE FILE THAT NEVER DISAPPEARED
Emma cut Rachel’s restraints with surgical scissors from a tray.
“Where is the file?”
Rachel pointed toward a locked cabinet.
“Julian has the physical copy.”
“Then what did you find?”
“Backups.”
Rachel struggled to stand.
“Sarah wasn’t the only one.”
Emma felt sick.
“How many?”
“I found seven names.”
The number hung between them.
Rachel continued.
“Women Julian dated.”
“Seven?”
“Some were girlfriends.”
Rachel wiped her face.
“Some were employees.”
“What happened to them?”
“Two were committed.”
Her voice cracked.
“One died.”
Emma’s face went still.
“My sister.”
Rachel nodded.
“Three signed nondisclosure settlements.”
“And the seventh?”
Rachel looked terrified.
“She disappeared.”
Emma forced herself to stay focused.
“Where are the backups?”
“Hidden server.”
“Where?”
“Cole Tower.”
Emma almost laughed from disbelief.
“His corporate headquarters?”
“He stores everything in a private server room because he trusts his own system more than cloud storage.”
Rachel reached into her dress.
She pulled out a small black key card.
“This accesses the executive archive.”
Emma took it.
“Why did he bring you here?”
“He caught me downloading files yesterday.”
“And he kept you in a hidden room during his wedding?”
Rachel’s mouth twisted.
“He was going to have Dr. Warren evaluate me too.”
Emma looked at the medical equipment.
The same plan.
Same machine.
Different woman.
Julian wasn’t improvising.
This was a system.
Emma touched the broken remains of her gown.
“We need a phone.”
“All cellular signals are blocked.”
“Landline?”
“Controlled by security.”
“Fire alarm?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Private system.”
Emma looked around.
“There’s always another way.”
A speaker clicked overhead.
Julian’s voice filled the room.
“Emma.”
Rachel froze.
Julian chuckled.
“I’m disappointed.”
Emma looked toward the ceiling camera.
“You should be.”
“You spent two years studying me, and you still don’t understand the difference between us.”
“What difference?”
“I prepare for betrayal.”
Emma stared into the camera.
“So do I.”
Julian laughed.
Then his voice hardened.
“You have five minutes to come to the lower level.”
“What happens in five minutes?”
“I start dealing with Rachel.”
Rachel went pale.
Emma stepped toward the camera.
“You touch her, the case against you gets worse.”
“What case?”
“You confessed.”
“To my wife.”
“To a microphone.”
“A microphone that is now broken.”
Emma said nothing.
Julian knew that silence meant he was right.
His voice softened.
“They don’t have enough.”
Maybe he was right.
That was the terrifying part.
“Come downstairs.”
“No.”
“Then Rachel pays for your courage.”
The speaker clicked off.
Rachel whispered, “There’s something else.”
“What?”
“I heard Dr. Warren talking to Julian.”
Emma waited.
Rachel’s lips trembled.
“They aren’t planning to keep you alive at the hospital.”
Emma’s blood went cold.
Rachel continued.
“They were going to admit you under a false name.”
“And then?”
Rachel met her eyes.
“Three days later, you were supposed to have an ‘accident.’”
Emma closed her eyes.
Exactly what happened to Sarah.
But Rachel wasn’t finished.
“Emma…”
“What?”
“The order was already signed.”
“By Julian?”
Rachel shook her head.
“No.”
“Then by who?”
May you like
Rachel swallowed.
“His mother.”
