Chapter 12 - GRACE’S SECOND SECRET
I stared at Grace.
“No.”
She stepped inside.
“Marcus.”
“No.”
Lily looked between us.
“What does he mean?”
Grace’s face tightened.
Daniel was brought into the room in handcuffs.
He had a cut over one eye.
Cole kept two agents beside him.
I looked at Grace.
“Explain.”
She took a breath.
“Years ago, after Anna got me out, I needed someone inside your organization.”
“You chose Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“He helped Raymond build a federal case against me.”
“He also copied everything Raymond gave him.”
I looked at Daniel.
He finally spoke.
“I had to make Raymond trust me.”
“So you lied to federal prosecutors.”
“Yes.”
“You accused me of murdering my father.”
“Yes.”
My hands curled.
Daniel swallowed.
“The evidence was designed to collapse when examined closely.”
“You gambled my life on prosecutors examining it closely?”
“I gambled it on buying Grace time.”
I turned to her.
“Seven years.”
“I know.”
“You had a man inside my house for seven years.”
“Yes.”
“You watched Lily grow through him.”
Grace started crying.
“Yes.”
That hurt more than anger.
“You saw pictures?”
“Yes.”
“Birthdays?”
“Yes.”
“School plays?”
“Yes.”
“And you never came home.”
“I was afraid.”
“That stopped being enough years ago.”
Grace nodded.
“I know.”
For once, she didn’t defend herself.
“I made choices for our daughters without you.”
“I made choices for you without you.”
“I thought fear gave me the right.”
“It didn’t.”
Lily quietly took my hand.
Then Emma appeared in the doorway.
Anna was behind her.
Grace turned.
Emma had clearly heard enough.
“You lied again.”
Grace closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Emma looked at Daniel.
“Did you know about me?”
Daniel nodded.
“For a long time.”
“Did Dad?”
“No.”
Emma looked at me.
Something changed in her face.
For the first time, she truly believed I hadn’t abandoned her.
She walked across the room.
Then took my other hand.
One daughter on each side.
It was such a simple thing.
It almost broke me.
Cole cleared his throat.
“There’s still a legal problem.”
I looked at him.
“Which one?”
“Raymond’s case against you is contaminated.”
“Daniel’s testimony is compromised.”
“But some financial records are real.”
I knew what he meant.
I had never pretended the Blackwell organization was clean.
My father built it in blood.
I had spent years pulling it toward legitimate business.
But not fast enough.
“There will be charges.”
“Yes.”
Grace looked at me.
“What happens?”
Cole answered carefully.
“That depends on cooperation.”
I almost laughed.
Marcus Blackwell cooperating with the federal government.
My father would have climbed out of his grave just to yell at me.
Then I looked at Lily.
Emma.
Grace.
And suddenly, the empire felt very small.
“What do you want?”
Cole placed a file on the desk.
“Everything on Raymond’s network.”
“Everything on Victor’s remaining people.”
“Everything tied to trafficking, extortion, bribery, and laundering.”
“And?”
“You step away from Blackwell operations permanently.”
Lily squeezed my hand.
Emma did too.
I looked at Cole.
“In exchange?”
“Reduced exposure.”
“No charges against Grace for the false death records if she cooperates fully.”
“Protection for Anna.”
“And your daughters remain with you while family court reviews guardianship.”
Grace looked at me.
This was the choice.
The empire.
Or the family.
For decades, Blackwell men chose the empire.
My father chose it.
His father chose it.
Raymond destroyed everyone trying to own it.
I closed the file.
“You’ll get everything.”
Raymond, still on the floor, started laughing.
“You weak bastard.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
I put an arm around Lily.
Then Emma.
“I finally figured out what winning looks like.”
Raymond’s face went hard.
But before the agents took him away, Daniel spoke.
“There’s something else.”
We all turned.
He looked at Emma.
“Anna wasn’t the only person who knew where Emma was.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who else?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Someone sent Karen the money.”
“Raymond?”
“No.”
“Victor?”
“No.”
Daniel looked at Grace.
“It came from your account.”
Grace went white.
“I never sent her anything.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I know.”
“Then who did?”
He looked directly at me.
May you like
“Someone who still has access to Grace’s identity.”
And according to the bank records, that person had made another transfer less than an hour ago.
