Chapter 4: The Father’s Shadow
As the sirens began to wail in the distance, cutting through the silence of the estate, Elias turned his attention back to his daughter. He pulled a chair over and sat so he was eye-level with her.
"I didn't die, Emily," he said softly, brushing a stray hair from her forehead. "I was compromised. If I had come home, they would have used you as leverage. I had to disappear to keep you safe. I spent every day for five years preparing for the moment I could come back and bring you home."
Emily wept, the tears finally flowing freely. She wasn't weeping out of fear anymore; she was weeping because the nightmare was over. "They said you were gone," she sobbed.
"I was gone for the world," Elias said, reaching into his tactical vest and pulling out a small, encrypted key fob. "But I was never gone from you. Every time you felt like someone was watching over you—in the dark, when you were scared—it was me. I’ve been closer than you ever knew."
He stood up as the heavy oak front door of the mansion was kicked open by federal agents.
May you like
"Marcus Blackwood!" an officer shouted, entering the room. "You are under arrest!"
Marcus didn't fight. He didn't even look up. He looked defeated, small, and pathetic. Beatrice was led out in handcuffs, still ranting about her lawyers, but her voice was muffled by the reality of the situation.
