Chapter 3: The Men In The Shadows
Miles away, in a rundown motel at the edge of the city, a man smashed a glass against the wall.
His name was Marcus.
A long, jagged scar ran down the left side of his face.
On the small, static-filled television in the corner of the room, the news was playing on a loop.
"MIRACLE RETURN: HEIR TO THE CARTER FORTUNE FOUND ALIVE."
Beside Marcus, a taller, heavily tattooed man named Kane was frantically packing a duffel bag with weapons and cash.
“We need to leave the country tonight,” Kane said, his voice shaking. “Sophia is in jail. She’s going to talk. That rich family will send an army of mercenaries after us.”
Marcus stared at the television screen.
He watched the footage of the little boy walking into the ballroom.
He remembered the night Sophia handed them the child, a bag containing two million dollars, and a simple instruction: "Make sure he is never found."
They were supposed to kill him.
But Marcus couldn't do it. Instead, they kept the boy locked in a basement for years, planning to eventually use him to extort the Carters for more money.
Now, the boy had escaped.
And their golden ticket was gone.
“We aren’t running,” Marcus said slowly, a dark smile spreading across his scarred face.
Kane stopped packing. “Are you insane? The police are hunting us!”
Marcus pulled out the burner phone.
The same phone Sophia had called from the precinct.
“Sophia’s husband, Richard, owes us another five million. He was the one who originally hired us. Sophia just took the fall.”
Kane’s eyes went wide.
“Richard contacted me this morning,” Marcus continued. “He’s terrified the boy will recognize us and testify. If the boy testifies, Richard goes to prison for life.”
“So what’s the plan?” Kane asked.
Marcus loaded a heavy black pistol and slammed the magazine into place.
“Richard is going to leave the back gates of the Carter Manor unlocked tomorrow night. We go in. We finish the job we were paid to do five years ago. And we walk away rich.”
Back at the mansion, Victoria was sitting with Lucas in the garden.
The boy was finally smiling, eating a bowl of ice cream in the sunlight.
For a brief moment, it felt like peace.
But inside the mansion, Richard was looking out the window, staring down at his sister and the boy.
His hands were sweating.
May you like
He pulled out his phone and typed a single, chilling text message to an unknown number.
"Tomorrow at midnight. No mistakes this time."
