Chapter 9 – A Father's Last Mistake
The wind swept across the abandoned bridge.
No one spoke.
Victor Kane's question lingered in the air like a blade.
"Which woman do you think Michael would choose... if only one of you could survive?"
Catherine looked at him steadily.
"I don't care."
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"You don't?"
"No."
She shifted Emma gently against her shoulder.
"The only choice that matters to me is whether my daughter grows up with her mother."
Victor studied her for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
"You're stronger than Amber."
Rebecca stepped forward.
"Victor, this ends today."
He chuckled.
"No."
"It ends tomorrow."
He checked his watch.
"Mr. Harrison has exactly twenty-four hours."
"And if he refuses?"
Victor's expression became cold.
"You'll read about it in the newspapers."
He turned toward his men.
"Take them."
Miles away, inside FBI headquarters, chaos erupted.
Agents filled the operations center.
Phones rang nonstop.
Maps covered every screen.
Michael stood beside Director Thomas Bennett, the senior agent now leading the operation after Rebecca disappeared.
"We've identified Victor's convoy."
"Where?"
"We lost them after they entered an abandoned industrial district."
Michael slammed his fist against the table.
"We're running out of time."
Director Bennett looked at him.
"No."
"We're running out of options."
An analyst hurried over.
"Sir."
"We've decrypted another folder from Project Legacy."
Bennett opened the report.
His face darkened.
"What is it?" Michael asked.
The director looked at him.
"Victor Kane has been laundering money through Harrison Global Logistics for nearly twelve years."
Michael nodded.
"I know."
"But there's something else."
He turned the monitor.
Several names appeared.
Corporate executives.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police officials.
People Michael recognized.
People he trusted.
Michael's blood ran cold.
"They're everywhere."
Bennett answered quietly.
"Which means we don't know who we can trust."
Meanwhile...
Catherine, Rachel, Rebecca, and Emma were taken to an abandoned estate hidden deep in the Pennsylvania countryside.
The mansion had once belonged to a wealthy steel family.
Now it served as Victor Kane's private headquarters.
Despite the circumstances, they weren't locked inside a cell.
Instead, Victor assigned two guards outside a spacious bedroom.
Rebecca frowned.
"You're treating us like guests."
Victor smiled.
"I was raised to respect women."
Rachel glared at him.
"Kidnapping us isn't exactly respectful."
Victor laughed softly.
"Perhaps not."
Then he looked at Catherine.
"I have a daughter."
"I know."
"For twenty-eight years..."
"I believed I was protecting her."
His voice grew quieter.
"Instead..."
"I taught her to become someone she hated."
For the first time...
Catherine saw regret.
Not performance.
Not manipulation.
Real regret.
"You loved Amber."
Victor nodded.
"More than anything."
"So why use her?"
His eyes lowered.
"Because I loved power more."
Silence settled between them.
Victor looked toward Emma.
"Don't make the same mistake."
Then he walked away.
Late that night...
A woman quietly entered Catherine's room.
Her blonde hair was tied back.
Her face looked pale.
Exhausted.
Amber Collins.
Rachel immediately stood.
"You've got a lot of nerve."
Amber ignored her.
She looked only at Catherine.
"I don't have much time."
Rebecca moved closer.
"What are you doing here?"
Amber answered without hesitation.
"Helping you escape."
Everyone froze.
Rachel laughed bitterly.
"This is another trick."
"No."
Amber's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm done."
Rebecca kept one hand near her weapon.
"Why?"
Amber looked toward the hallway to make sure no one was listening.
"Because my father has already decided to kill everyone."
Including me."
Victor had lied.
Amber wasn't safe.
She never had been.
"He thinks I betrayed him."
Rebecca asked,
"Did you?"
Amber nodded.
"I copied the files."
"I gave Michael access."
Catherine stared at her.
"You?"
Amber looked ashamed.
"At first..."
"I only wanted Michael to trust me."
"But after seeing what my father had done..."
Her voice broke.
"I couldn't let innocent people keep dying."
Rachel crossed her arms.
"So the affair was real."
Amber closed her eyes.
"Yes."
"I loved him."
Catherine looked at her for a long moment.
Then asked quietly,
"Did he love you?"
Amber smiled through tears.
"For a while..."
"I think he believed he did."
The honesty hurt more than another lie ever could.
Amber reached into her pocket.
She handed Rebecca a small key card.
"This opens the west gate."
Rebecca examined it.
"Why help us now?"
Amber looked at Emma sleeping peacefully.
"Because she deserves a different life."
At that exact moment...
Gunfire exploded outside.
Shouting echoed through the mansion.
Rebecca rushed to the window.
Headlights.
Armored vehicles.
FBI tactical teams.
"They found us."
Amber's face turned white.
"No..."
"They're too early."
Victor's men opened fire.
The FBI returned fire.
Glass shattered across the hallway.
Rebecca grabbed Catherine.
"We're leaving."
Amber blocked the doorway.
"No."
"You can't go this way."
"Why?"
"My father planted explosives."
Rebecca stared at her.
"Where?"
Amber whispered,
"Every exit except the west gate."
Another explosion shook the mansion.
Smoke poured through the hallway.
Victor's voice thundered from downstairs.
"AMBER!"
She closed her eyes.
"He knows."
Catherine grabbed her hand.
"Come with us."
Amber slowly shook her head.
"I can't."
"You can."
"No."
She smiled sadly.
"This is something I have to finish."
Before anyone could stop her...
Amber slammed the heavy bedroom door shut from the outside.
Locks clicked into place.
"Amber!"
Catherine pounded against the wood.
"Open the door!"
Amber's voice came through the smoke-filled hallway.
"Tell Emma..."
She paused.
"...never let anyone convince her that love requires sacrificing herself."
Then footsteps hurried away.
Seconds later...
May you like
A single gunshot echoed somewhere below.
The entire mansion fell eerily silent.
