Chapter 12 - THOMAS BENNETT RETURNS
Daniel pressed the phone against his ear.
“Where are you?”
“There’s no time.”
“You let us believe you were dead.”
“I know.”
Daniel heard guilt in his father’s voice.
It did nothing to soften his anger.
“The black SUV will turn right in ten seconds.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m controlling its navigation system.”
The SUV ahead suddenly swerved toward an exit.
The driver fought the steering wheel.
Noah accelerated past it.
The second vehicle remained behind them.
Thomas spoke again.
“Take the tunnel entrance on Harbor Road.”
Noah followed the instruction.
The van entered a narrow service tunnel beneath the old rail yard.
A metal gate dropped behind them.
The pursuing car struck the barrier and stopped.
Lights appeared farther inside the tunnel.
A man stepped from the shadows.
Thomas Bennett looked older than the man Daniel remembered.
A scar ran from his temple to his jaw.
He leaned heavily on a cane.
Margaret opened the van door.
For several seconds, husband and wife simply stared at each other.
Then Margaret slapped him.
The sound echoed through the tunnel.
Thomas accepted it without moving.
“You left me with two children and a grave,” she said.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t get to apologize once.”
“I know.”
Daniel climbed from the van.
Thomas looked at him.
“You’ve become stronger than I hoped.”
“You don’t know what I’ve become.”
“You’re right.”
Thomas lowered his eyes.
Daniel wanted to embrace him.
He also wanted to demand answers until the man had none left to give.
Instead, he held up the bank document.
“Did you authorize this transfer?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To pull Mercer’s money into an account I control.”
“You made it look like Emma stole it.”
“No.”
Thomas looked toward Noah.
“Someone copied my old authorization key.”
“Olivia?”
“Olivia is not the architect.”
“Her father?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Richard Mercer believes he controls the plan.”
“Then who does?”
Thomas reached inside his coat and removed a small photograph.
It showed Olivia at seventeen years old standing beside another teenage girl.
Daniel recognized the second girl.
She was Olivia’s maid of honor, Serena Vale.
On the back of the photograph, someone had written two words.
Bennett daughters.
Emma read them aloud.
Thomas looked at Margaret.
The color drained from her face.
Daniel turned between his parents.
“What does that mean?”
Thomas answered quietly.
“Olivia Mercer is not Richard Mercer’s biological daughter.”
May you like
Daniel stared at him.
“She is mine.”
