Chapter 7 - LOCKER 417
We escaped through a tunnel I had built years earlier for emergencies.
I had never imagined I'd use it with four children, a grieving mother, my son, and the man I'd just discovered had lied to me for twelve years.
Chicago's rain poured into the alley when we emerged.
A black SUV waited.
Marcus held the door.
"Go."
I didn't trust him.
But I needed him.
That was the worst part.
We drove toward Union Station with the girls hidden beneath blankets in the rear compartment.
Ethan sat beside me.
Claire held Lily against her chest.
"Are we going to die?" Lily asked.
"No."
I answered too quickly.
She looked at me.
"Promise?"
I met her eyes.
"Promise."
This time, I meant it.
At the station, Marcus stayed with the vehicle.
I took Ethan and Claire inside.
The station was nearly empty.
Locker 417 was on the lower level.
My brass key slid into the lock.
It opened with a click.
Inside was a black metal case.
No combination.
No electronic lock.
Just a handwritten note.
ALEXANDER — IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I TRUST YOU MORE THAN I TRUST THE LIVING.
It was Daniel's handwriting.
I opened the case.
Inside were passports.
Bank records.
A USB drive.
And a small red envelope.
Claire recognized it.
"That's Daniel's handwriting."
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph of four children.
Not Claire's girls.
Four boys.
On the back were four names.
One was Ethan.
One was Nathan.
One was a boy named Michael.
The fourth name had been crossed out.
I looked at Claire.
"Why is Ethan in this?"
"I don't know."
Then Ethan spoke.
"I do."
I turned.
He was staring at the photograph.
"I've seen them."
"Where?"
"In Mom's old album."
Claire's face drained.
"What album?"
"The one you threw away."
I looked at her.
"You threw away Nora's album?"
"After she died, I couldn't look at it."
Ethan shook his head.
"I kept one picture."
He pulled out his phone.
There was an old scanned photograph.
Nora stood beside three women and four boys.
One of the boys was Ethan.
But he was only four years old.
I stared.
"I don't remember this."
"You weren't supposed to."
A voice came from behind us.
We turned.
Julian Cross stood at the end of the corridor.
No cane this time.
No disguise.
He looked directly at Ethan.
"Hello, son."
Ethan stepped backward.
"What did you call me?"
Claire grabbed him.
I moved between them.
"You have five seconds."
Julian smiled sadly.
"Daniel was not the father of those girls."
Claire's face went white.
"What?"
"Their biological father was Michael Cross."
I looked at the photograph.
Michael.
The third name.
Julian's son.
"You expect me to believe you?"
"No."
He pulled out a document.
"Believe the DNA results."
Claire took it.
Her hands shook.
She read.
Then she looked at her daughters' names.
"No."
Julian continued.
"Daniel married Claire to protect them after Michael died."
I looked at Claire.
"Is that true?"
She was crying.
"I thought Michael was dead."
"Where?"
"Afghanistan."
Julian shook his head.
"He survived."
Claire's breath caught.
"He returned to Chicago."
"Why didn't he find us?"
"Because Mercer killed him."
The pieces began moving.
Daniel hadn't simply inherited a family.
He had protected one.
Mercer wasn't trying to marry Claire for money.
He was trying to control the daughters of a man whose bloodline connected directly to Julian Cross.
And Ethan?
Why was my son in the photograph?
Julian answered without my asking.
"Nora discovered that Michael and Ethan shared a biological connection."
My body went cold.
"What are you saying?"
"Ethan's mother had a secret."
I looked at my son.
He stared back at me, confused.
Julian continued.
"Nora had been investigating a genetic condition that affected several children connected to the network. Ethan was tested without your knowledge."
I stepped toward him.
"You stay away from my son."
Julian didn't move.
"Alexander, your wife didn't betray you."
"Then what did she do?"
"She protected him."
A gunshot cracked through the corridor.
Julian dropped.
Claire screamed.
I pulled Ethan down.
Marcus appeared from the stairwell, weapon drawn.
"Move!"
Another bullet hit the wall.
We ran.
Julian was on the floor.
I stopped.
"He's bleeding."
Marcus grabbed my shoulder.
"Leave him."
"He's our only lead."
"He's also bait."
I looked back.
Julian's eyes opened.
He whispered something.
I couldn't hear.
I crouched.
"What?"
His lips moved again.
"Not Mercer."
Then he went still.
I looked at Marcus.
"Who shot him?"
Marcus scanned the corridor.
"Someone who wanted us to think Mercer did."
I stood.
A security alarm began screaming.
Then every television screen in the station changed.
A photograph appeared.
It was Claire.
Then the four girls.
Then Ethan.
Then me.
A message appeared beneath them.
THE HAYES FAMILY WILL PAY FOR WHAT NORA STOLE.
Claire grabbed my arm.
"Alexander."
I stared at the screen.
"That's not Mercer."
"How do you know?"
"Because Mercer wants the trust."
I looked at the message.
"This person wants revenge."
The screen went black.
My phone rang.
I answered.
A woman's voice whispered.
"You have one hour."
"Who is this?"
"The woman who knew Nora better than you ever did."
The call ended.
Claire looked at me.
"Who was it?"
I stared into the darkness.
"I don't know."
But I knew one thing.
She had just promised to kill my family.
And she had an hour to do it.
The station's alarm continued to echo after Julian disappeared.
I stood beside the locker, staring at the photograph.
Ethan was still beside me.
"Do you believe him?"
"I believe pieces of him."
"Which pieces?"
"The ones that hurt."
He looked at me.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only honest one I have."
Claire held the DNA report.
Her hands were shaking.
"I don't understand."
"Neither do I."
She looked at the photograph of Michael.
"He told me his name was Michael Cross."
"Maybe it was."
Julian had a talent for making truth and lies look identical.
Then Lily stepped forward.
She touched the photograph.
"That's Daddy."
I knelt.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"He sang when he cooked."
Claire began crying again.
"What song?"
Lily hummed a few notes.
Claire covered her mouth.
"I know that."
"What?"
"Daniel used to sing it."
I looked at her.
"The same song?"
She nodded.
"Michael taught him."
The connection was deeper than we knew.
I examined the photograph.
Michael was wearing a small silver ring.
Claire saw it too.
"He wore that."
"Where is it?"
"I thought it was buried with him."
Marcus took the photograph.
"Then someone has been moving pieces around."
My phone vibrated.
A location appeared.
NOON. RIVERFRONT WAREHOUSE.
Then a message.
BRING THE GIRLS.
I deleted it.
Claire looked at me.
"What did it say?"
"Nothing we need to obey."
She nodded.
I looked at Ethan.
"Take them home."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to the warehouse."
"I'm coming."
"No."
"Dad."
"You're staying."
He looked angry.
"I'm tired of everyone deciding what I can handle."
I softened.
"I know."
"But?"
"But you're my son."
He sighed.
"That doesn't make me weak."
"No."
I put a hand on his shoulder.
"It makes me responsible for you."
He nodded reluctantly.
As we walked outside, I noticed a woman standing across the street.
Red coat.
Evelyn.
She lifted one hand.
I crossed toward her.
"Why are you here?"
"To warn you."
"About?"
"Claire."
I frowned.
"She isn't who you think she is."
"Neither am I, apparently."
Evelyn looked past me toward Claire.
"Daniel didn't marry her by accident."
"What does that mean?"
"Ask her what happened the night Michael disappeared."
Before I could answer, she walked away.
I returned to the SUV.
Claire looked at me.
"What did she say?"
I studied her face.
"Nothing."
It was the first lie I had ever told her.
And I hated how natural it felt.
I tucked the photograph into my coat.
Ethan looked at me.
"Are we leaving?"
"Yes."
"Without Julian?"
"He's alive."
"How do you know?"
"Because men like him don't die when they're supposed to."
He almost smiled.
"Sounds like someone else I know."
I looked at him.
"Who?"
"You."
I shook my head.
"You've been spending too much time around Lily."
"Probably."
We walked toward the station exit.
Behind us, locker 417 remained open.
The secret had finally come into the light.
But I knew secrets had a way of creating new enemies.
As we reached the doors, a woman in a red coat appeared outside.
Evelyn.
She looked directly at me.
Then she mouthed two words.
TRUST NOBODY.
Claire looked at the photograph again.
"Michael was younger than I remembered."
"He was your husband."
"I know."
She touched the image.
"I keep thinking about the last time I saw him."
"What happened?"
"He kissed the girls."
She swallowed.
"Then he told me he had to leave for a few days."
"Did he say goodbye?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because he didn't want me to know it might be forever."
She closed her eyes.
May you like
I understood.
Sometimes the cruelest lies were the ones people told because they loved you.
