Chapter 6 - The Brother Taken as Payment
Elena called Mateo eleven times.
His phone went directly to voicemail.
The rehabilitation center said he had signed himself out that afternoon with a woman claiming to be his sister’s employer. Security footage showed Vanessa entering his room in a blue coat and leaving twenty minutes later while two men pushed Mateo’s wheelchair toward a private exit.
“He would never go with her willingly,” Elena said.
Adrian stood beside the nursery fireplace, speaking to investigators through an encrypted phone.
“She may have threatened him.”
“With what?”
“You.”
Elena pressed her hands against her eyes.
Julian sat at the table drawing. He had filled the page with a black house beneath a red sky. Three figures stood at a window: a tall man, a woman with dark hair, and a small boy between them.
No blonde woman appeared in the picture.
Adrian ended the call.
“The car crossed the county line.”
“And then?”
“The plates were changed.”
“You have satellites, private planes, half the police chiefs in the country calling you by your first name, and you cannot find one car?”
His expression tightened.
“Anger will not make the search faster.”
“It keeps me from collapsing.”
That silenced him.
A message arrived on Elena’s phone.
It contained a photograph of Mateo in his wheelchair inside a concrete room. His hands were tied. Blood marked the corner of his mouth.
Beneath the image was a single instruction.
Bring the recorder to the old Blackthorn textile mill at midnight. Come alone.
Elena turned the screen toward Adrian.
“No.”
“It is my brother.”
“It is a trap.”
“I know.”
“Then you are not going.”
“You don’t decide that.”
He stepped between her and the door.
“They want the recording because it connects Vanessa to Julian’s abduction. The moment you hand it over, they have no reason to keep either of you alive.”
“The moment I refuse, they hurt Mateo.”
Adrian’s phone rang.
He answered, listened, and looked at Elena.
“What?”
“The police found Vanessa’s car.”
“Was Mateo inside?”
“No.”
“Where is Vanessa?”
“The vehicle was burning.”
Elena’s stomach dropped.
“Was anyone in it?”
“One body.”
Julian looked up from his drawing.
Adrian moved into the corridor before answering.
Elena followed.
“The body is female,” he said quietly. “Identification will take time.”
“You think she staged her death.”
“I think Vanessa has staged deaths before.”
Elena stared at him.
He meant hers.
At eleven thirty, Elena changed into dark clothes.
Adrian found her near the servants’ stairs.
“You are not going alone.”
“The message was clear.”
“So am I.”
“If they see you, Mateo dies.”
“They won’t see me.”
Elena almost laughed.
“You are Adrian Blackthorn. People recognize your silhouette.”
He removed his jacket and tie. Beneath them he wore a black tactical vest.
“You hired soldiers?”
“I inherited enemies.”
They left through an underground garage in an unmarked vehicle. Adrian drove without headlights on the final road toward the abandoned mill.
Rainwater covered the cracked pavement. The old factory rose ahead, its broken windows reflecting the moon.
Elena carried the recorder.
Adrian stopped her near the entrance.
“A transmitter is sewn into your coat. Keep them talking. Do not give up the recorder until you see Mateo.”
“And if they shoot him?”
“Then I shoot them first.”
She looked at the weapon beneath his arm.
“Have you done this before?”
His eyes remained on the factory.
“My family did not build its fortune politely.”
Elena entered alone.
The mill smelled of rust, oil, and wet concrete. A single lamp burned on the upper platform.
Mateo sat beneath it.
A man with a scar stood behind him holding a pistol.
Vanessa was nowhere in sight.
“Elena,” Mateo said.
His voice shook.
“Are you hurt?”
“Not badly.”
The scarred man held out his hand.
“The recorder.”
“Let him go first.”
“You are not negotiating.”
“Then neither are you getting this.”
She raised the recorder over the railing.
“If I drop it, it breaks.”
The man smiled.
“You always were difficult.”
Elena narrowed her eyes.
“Do I know you?”
“You saw me at the hospital.”
A memory flashed.
A medical orderly standing beside the elevator. A scar hidden beneath a surgical mask. A gloved hand on the side of her bed.
“You carried my baby away.”
“I carried many babies.”
She fought the urge to run at him.
“Where is Vanessa?”
“Waiting for confirmation.”
“Confirmation of what?”
“That Adrian came with you.”
Elena’s blood turned cold.
A red laser dot appeared on Mateo’s chest.
“Tell Mr. Blackthorn to step out,” the man said, “or your brother loses his heart.”
Adrian’s voice came from the darkness.
“Let them go.”
He emerged slowly with his hands raised.
The scarred man smiled wider.
“The obedient prince.”
“Where is my wife?”
“Your wife is more ambitious than you ever understood.”
“You work for her?”
“I work for whoever understands the value of blood.”
Elena glanced at Mateo.
His right hand moved slightly against the rope.
He had loosened one knot.
The scarred man motioned toward Adrian.
“Kneel.”
Adrian did.
“Put the gun on the floor.”
Adrian placed it down.
The scarred man stepped forward.
That was his mistake.
Mateo threw himself sideways.
Elena dropped.
A gunshot exploded.
Adrian rolled, seized his weapon, and fired twice.
The scarred man collapsed against the railing.
Elena crawled to Mateo.
“Are you hit?”
“No.”
Adrian kicked the attacker’s pistol away.
The man coughed blood.
“Where is Vanessa?”
The scarred man laughed weakly.
“You still think this belongs to Vanessa?”
Adrian pressed the barrel against his shoulder wound.
“Who does it belong to?”
The man’s eyes moved toward Elena.
“Ask your father.”
“My father is dead.”
“So was she.”
His head fell back.
Elena checked his pulse.
Nothing.
Mateo began laughing in shock and relief. Elena untied him and held him.
Adrian searched the man’s pockets.
He found a key card, a burner phone, and a photograph.
The photograph showed Adrian’s father standing beside Vanessa outside St. Catherine’s Hospital.
Between them stood a doctor holding a newborn child.
May you like
On the back, someone had written:
The first replacement succeeded. Prepare the second.
