Chapter 14 - ATLAS FINDS THE WAY
Claire had not gone willingly.
A man dressed as a utility worker had come to the door claiming there was a gas leak. When the officer checked his identification, another man attacked from behind. Claire grabbed Lily and tried the back door. It was blocked.
Atlas drove one man away from them, but a second held a leash loop out in front of him and threatened to hurt Lily if he moved.
Claire made a choice she hated. She took Lily’s hand and got into their van. Atlas was forced in after them.
They stopped at a vacant house near the river. Dominic Rourke waited inside.
He looked older than Claire expected. His calm voice frightened her more than the men who had dragged them there.
“I don’t want your daughter,” he said. “I want Grant to tell the police those records are false.”
“He already gave them the originals.”
“He can still say he made them up.”
“And you think anyone will believe that?”
“They might, if the witness who signed the statement says she lied.”
Claire understood. Victor had forged her signature years ago. Now Rourke wanted her to make the forgery real.
“No.”
Rourke sighed. “Think about Lily.”
“I am.”
He left them in a room with one boarded window and a guard outside. Atlas paced, favoring his injured leg. Lily sat on Claire’s lap and whispered into the dog’s ear.
“He’s scared too.”
“I know.”
Atlas stopped at the wall beneath the window. He sniffed a narrow gap between the boards and scratched once. Claire looked closer. A board had loosened near the floor.
Outside, Ellis had tracked the van through traffic cameras. It disappeared near the river. Grant knew the area; several properties there had once belonged to Rourke’s companies. He gave Ellis the addresses.
At the house, Claire pulled at the loose board until it came free. The opening was too small for her. It was large enough for Atlas if he squeezed.
She tore a strip from her shirt and tied it around his collar. On it she wrote the house number printed on a utility bill lying in the room.
“Find Grant,” she whispered.
Atlas looked back at Lily.
“Go,” Lily told him.
He pushed through the opening and vanished into the dark.
Minutes later, Claire heard a car stop outside. She expected police.
May you like
Instead, Victor’s voice came through the front door.
“Rourke, we need to talk about Owen.”
