Chapter 9 - SOPHIE FOUGHT BACK
“Sophie!”
I ran before anyone could stop me.
Detective Torres grabbed my coat.
“Ethan!”
Another shot.
This one hit a police vehicle.
“Dad!”
Sophie’s voice came from inside the house.
Alive.
I stopped fighting Torres.
She pushed me behind the engine block.
“Do you want to get her killed?”
“No.”
“Then listen.”
A loudspeaker came on.
“Luke Bennett! This is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Come outside with your hands visible.”
No answer.
Then Luke shouted from inside.
“Rachel comes in alone!”
Rachel stepped forward.
I grabbed her.
“No.”
She looked at me.
“This is my fault.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“He wants the key.”
“The key is here.”
She looked at the necklace in the officer’s hand.
Then smiled faintly.
“Exactly.”
Torres understood.
“You want to bluff him.”
Rachel nodded.
“I go in. Tell him I have it.”
“No,” I said.
Torres studied the house.
“Could buy us time.”
“I said no.”
Rachel turned toward me.
“You don’t get to decide everything.”
I almost laughed at the absurdity.
“You faked your death.”
“I know.”
“You abandoned Sophie.”
“I know.”
“You lied about your brother.”
“I know.”
“And now you want me to trust you?”
Her eyes filled.
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“I want you to trust that I love our daughter.”
I wanted to stay angry.
It would have been easier.
But I knew she loved Sophie.
Even through all the terrible choices.
I let go.
Rachel walked toward the house.
Hands raised.
“Luke!”
The door opened.
A man stepped into view.
Tall.
Gray at the temples.
He looked like an older, harder version of Rachel.
He held a gun against Sophie’s shoulder.
Not pointed directly at her.
Close enough.
Sophie saw Rachel.
“Mom!”
Luke pulled her back.
Rachel stopped.
“I brought it.”
Luke smiled.
“Of course you did.”
“Let Sophie walk out.”
“No.”
“You said—”
“I say many things.”
Vanessa whispered behind me, “That’s exactly what Daniel says.”
I looked at her.
She stared at the house.
“They learned from each other.”
Rachel held up an empty fist.
“The key for Sophie.”
Luke laughed.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“I think you’re tired.”
His smile disappeared.
“You always did.”
“You’ve been running for years.”
“I survived.”
“You hid.”
“I built something.”
“You stole something.”
Luke pushed Sophie toward the doorway.
She stumbled.
I moved.
Torres grabbed me again.
Luke shouted, “Tell Ethan what you did!”
Rachel froze.
“Don’t.”
“Tell him!”
“What?”
Luke’s face twisted.
“Tell your husband who put his name on the Zurich account.”
Rachel went white.
I stopped breathing.
Luke laughed.
“She never told you?”
I stared at Rachel.
“Rachel?”
She turned slowly.
“I did.”
Everything went quiet.
I thought I had misunderstood.
“You opened it?”
“I used your identity.”
My voice barely worked.
“Why?”
“To track the stolen funds.”
Luke shouted, “She framed you!”
Rachel cried, “No!”
“You put his name on twenty-two million dollars of dirty money!”
“I was trying to trace it!”
“Without telling him.”
“Yes!”
I felt physically sick.
Luke smiled at me.
“See? Everyone uses you.”
Then Sophie suddenly bit his hand.
Luke screamed.
The gun shifted away.
Sophie ran.
Rachel lunged forward.
A shot went off.
Rachel dropped.
I don’t remember crossing the distance.
One second I was behind the police vehicle.
The next I had Sophie in my arms.
Torres and two deputies rushed past me.
Luke disappeared inside.
Another shot.
Then silence.
Sophie screamed, “Mommy!”
Rachel lay on the ground.
Blood spread across the sleeve of her coat.
She looked at me.
“Get Sophie away.”
Paramedics ran forward.
I held our daughter while she sobbed.
Then an officer came out of the house.
His face was grim.
“Luke escaped through a tunnel.”
Torres cursed.
I looked at the dark cliff behind the property.
May you like
Somewhere in that darkness, Rachel’s brother was still alive.
And now he knew we had the key.
