Chapter 12 - FIRE
Flames burst through the hallway.
Richard had rigged the estate.
Rachel grabbed the evidence.
“Move!”
Adrian ran toward Margaret.
He cut her free.
Vanessa lay bleeding near the study door.
She reached for Adrian’s ankle.
“Don’t leave me.”
He stared down at her.
Three years of lies.
Emily.
Sophie.
The pool.
Every cruel smile.
Every manipulation.
For one second, he considered walking away.
Then he grabbed her arm.
“Rachel!”
Rachel stared at him.
“You’re saving her?”
“I’m saving myself from becoming her.”
Together they dragged Vanessa down the hallway.
Richard was gone.
The staircase collapsed behind them.
Smoke filled the room.
Margaret coughed violently.
“There’s another exit.”
“Where?”
“Wine cellar.”
They reached the basement.
Vanessa was fading.
Adrian carried most of her weight.
She looked at him.
“You still care.”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Then why save me?”
“Because Sophie will know I did.”
That answer hurt her more than hatred.
In the cellar, Margaret found a hidden door.
Behind it was a tunnel leading toward the cliffs.
They ran.
Behind them, the house exploded.
The shock wave knocked Adrian to the ground.
Rachel screamed.
Debris rained behind them.
They reached the tunnel exit.
Federal agents were waiting.
So was Sophie.
“Daddy!”
She ran toward him.
Adrian dropped to his knees.
She hit him like a small missile.
He held her tight.
“I told you to stay with Mercer.”
“He said the agents were coming here.”
Mercer lifted both hands.
“She’s persuasive.”
Adrian laughed despite everything.
Then Sophie looked behind him.
Vanessa was being loaded into an ambulance.
Their eyes met.
Sophie stepped closer to Adrian.
Vanessa whispered, “Sophie.”
The girl said nothing.
“I’m sorry.”
Sophie stared at her.
“No, you’re not.”
Vanessa blinked.
“You’re sorry you got caught.”
Even Rachel looked surprised.
Sophie took Adrian’s hand.
“And Mommy was better than you.”
Vanessa turned away.
Agents searched the property.
By dawn, they recovered most of Richard’s files.
But not Richard.
He had escaped through another tunnel.
Rachel approached Adrian.
“We found something.”
“What?”
She showed him a tracking record from Richard’s private plane.
“He has an aircraft waiting outside Salinas.”
“Destination?”
Rachel stared at him.
“Canada.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“When does it leave?”
She looked at her watch.
“Twenty-six minutes.”
Sophie squeezed his hand.
“Go.”
Adrian looked down.
“I’m not leaving you again.”
She pointed toward the agents.
“I’m safe.”
“Sophie—”
“Daddy.”
Her voice sounded suddenly like Emily’s.
“Don’t let him get away.”
Adrian looked at Rachel.
“Can we make it?”
Rachel smiled without humor.
“If you drive like you did yesterday.”
They ran for the car.
But as they reached it, Adrian’s phone rang.
Richard.
Adrian answered.
His father’s voice was calm.
“You really think I’m going to Canada?”
Adrian stopped.
“What?”
Richard laughed.
“The plane is a distraction.”
Adrian looked toward Sophie.
Then his blood turned cold.
May you like
Richard whispered:
“I’m going back for my granddaughter.”
