Chapter 8
I asked Victor for the names.
He laughed.
“Now who needs whom?”
There it was.
Information withheld like food.
Just like Lily’s cake.
Control was hereditary in that family.
“I don’t need them from you.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
I looked at Noah.
“Do you have more recordings?”
Ethan exploded.
“He is my son.”
Noah recoiled.
I stepped forward.
“And you used his livestream.”
“He belongs with me.”
Noah whispered:
“I don’t want to.”
Ethan stared.
The room changed.
“What did you say?”
Noah swallowed.
“I don’t want to go with you.”
His father laughed cruelly.
“Because Uncle Sebastian lets you play hero?”
Noah’s eyes filled.
“You told me to film him.”
“I told you to hold a phone.”
“You said if I turned it off, I’d sleep in the garage.”
Silence.
Ethan’s face hardened.
“That was a joke.”
Noah shook his head.
“You put my blanket there.”
I felt something cold move through me.
Victor rolled his eyes.
“Boys need fear.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“It teaches consequence.”
Noah whispered:
“Grandpa said Dad slept outside too.”
Ethan looked away.
There it was.
Another generation.
Victor had not invented cruelty for this plan.
He had simply taught it forward.
I looked at Noah.
“Play whatever you want.”
He opened another clip.
Garage.
Victor and Ethan.
Victor said:
“Mercer has three Whitmore men ready.”
Ethan:
“Only three?”
Victor:
“Three is enough if Sebastian hits you first.”
Victor laughed.
“He won’t.”
“Then make him think Natalie’s in danger.”
Ethan:
“And Lily?”
Victor:
“She gets removed before he can use her to calm down.”
I stopped the recording.
Three men.
Inside my organization.
Waiting to see a clip that made me look unstable.
Victor smiled.
“Still don’t need my names?”
I looked toward my captain.
“Lock the house.”
Victor’s smile faded.
“No phones out.”
Ethan stood.
“You can’t hold everyone here.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
Pause.
“But the three men waiting for a signal are about to identify themselves.”
May you like
Because the livestream had ended early.
And whoever expected the next step would come looking for it.
