Chapter 3 - THE DEAD MAN’S VOICE
A soft laugh came through the speaker.
“Still dramatic, Roman.”
Roman gripped the phone so hard his knuckles whitened.
“I buried you.”
“You buried somebody.”
Sophia froze beside the bassinet.
Gabriel slept through it all.
Roman’s voice turned deadly calm.
“Where are you?”
“Not a useful question.”
“You have ten seconds before I start tearing this city apart.”
“Still making threats before asking why.”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“Why is a newborn carrying your DNA?”
Silence.
Then Vincent said, “Because somebody made a mistake.”
Sophia stepped closer.
“What does that mean?”
The voice paused.
“Is Sophia there?”
Roman’s eyes sharpened.
“You know her.”
Sophia’s face drained.
“Daniel?”
No answer.
“Daniel, is that you?”
A breath came through the speaker.
Then:
“I’m sorry, Soph.”
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Roman looked between the phone and Sophia.
The man continued.
“You were never supposed to find Roman.”
Sophia’s shock turned instantly into anger.
“You disappeared when I was eight months pregnant!”
“I know.”
“You changed your number. You emptied the apartment. You left me with a note that said I’d be safer without you.”
“You were.”
“Safer?” Her voice cracked. “Someone walked into my hospital room asking for my baby!”
Vincent went quiet.
Roman stepped toward the window.
“Who is after Gabriel?”
“People who think he can prove something.”
“Prove what?”
“That I’m alive.”
Roman laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“You’re doing a pretty good job proving that yourself.”
“They don’t need my voice. They need blood.”
Sophia looked down at Gabriel.
Roman understood first.
“A DNA match.”
“Yes.”
“To the Callaway family.”
“Yes.”
Roman’s eyes hardened.
“Why does that matter?”
Vincent hesitated.
“Because I wasn’t supposed to survive eleven years ago.”
Roman went still.
“Who tried to kill you?”
The line crackled.
Then Vincent said, “Ask our father.”
Roman’s face changed.
“Our father is dead.”
Another pause.
“No, Roman.”
A cold feeling crawled through Roman’s stomach.
“What?”
“Our father died three years ago.”
“I know.”
“No. You know the man buried three years ago.”
Roman looked at the phone.
Vincent’s voice dropped.
“You need to stop trusting funerals.”
The line went dead.
Sophia stared at Roman.
“What did he mean?”
Roman didn’t answer.
Marcus rushed into the apartment.
“We found the photographer.”
Roman turned.
“Where?”
Marcus’s expression was grim.
“Across the street.”
“Alive?”
Marcus hesitated.
“No.”
Roman’s eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
“He fell from the roof.”
Sophia covered Gabriel instinctively.
Marcus handed Roman a phone sealed in a plastic evidence bag.
“One thing was open on the screen.”
Roman looked.
A text draft.
Unsent.
May you like
Five words.
THE BABY IS NOT THE TARGET.
