Chapter 7 - FIRE IN THE EAST WING
“Move!”
Marcus kicked open the passage door.
Smoke rolled through the corridor.
Christopher covered Emma’s face with his wet shirt.
“Hold onto me.”
“What’s happening?”
“Just stay with me.”
The alarm system should have screamed.
It didn’t.
No bells.
No sprinklers.
Nothing.
Someone had disabled them.
They reached the nursery.
Smoke had already filled the upper hallway.
Yvette appeared through the haze.
“This way!”
“Where’s my mother?”
“I don’t know.”
They headed for the west staircase.
A security guard came running up.
“Fire’s in the east office.”
Christopher stopped.
“My study?”
“Yes.”
He knew instantly.
The remaining evidence.
Rachel’s copies.
Trust papers.
Hard drives.
Someone was burning it all.
Christopher handed Emma to Yvette.
“Get her outside.”
Emma grabbed him.
“No!”
“Emma—”
“You promised!”
Christopher looked at the fire rolling across the ceiling thirty feet away.
She was right.
He had promised.
He picked her up.
“Then you stay with me.”
Marcus led them through the west corridor.
When they reached the main staircase, they found Estelle standing below.
Beside her was Daniel Ross.
Gray jacket.
Red tie.
Emma pointed.
“That’s him!”
Ross looked up.
His face went pale.
Christopher started down.
“Don’t move.”
Ross ran.
Marcus chased him.
Estelle stayed exactly where she was.
Christopher carried Emma down the stairs.
“You locked my daughter in a wall.”
Estelle’s face hardened.
“I moved her somewhere safe.”
“From what?”
“From you.”
Christopher laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“Me?”
“You are emotional. Reckless. You always have been.”
“You tried to steal guardianship.”
“I tried to protect a child from a father who has spent seven years lying about her existence.”
The words hit harder than Christopher expected.
Emma heard them.
She looked at him.
“Lying?”
Christopher’s chest tightened.
“Not now.”
Estelle saw the wound she had created and pressed harder.
“He was ashamed of you, darling.”
Christopher’s face changed.
“Stop.”
“That’s why nobody knew he was your father.”
“STOP.”
Emma’s eyes filled with tears.
“Daddy?”
Christopher crouched.
“I was never ashamed of you.”
“Then why was I a secret?”
Smoke thickened around them.
Christopher had no good answer.
Before he could try, Marcus shouted from the front hall.
“I’ve got Ross!”
A gunshot exploded.
Emma screamed.
Christopher pulled her down.
A second shot followed.
Then Marcus cried out.
Christopher looked toward the doorway.
May you like
Daniel Ross stood there holding a pistol.
And the barrel was pointed straight at Emma.
