Chapter 16 - LILY’S SECOND RECORDING
Lily’s smartwatch was gone.
Sloan had removed it during the kidnapping.
He did not know she had activated a voice recorder inside the medical bracelet attached at the hospital.
Detective Collins had placed it there after Evelyn’s threat.
Every word spoken since Lily left the secure facility had been transmitted to police storage.
Sloan’s confession was already preserved.
The false banking portal was also recording him.
He had described Lily as an asset.
He had threatened to inject her.
He had ordered me to surrender the trust.
Sloan glanced toward the camera.
For the first time, he realized the transfer office was a trap.
He grabbed Lily and backed toward the boathouse tunnel.
Rachel followed with the injector.
Detective Collins stepped into the room.
“Put it down.”
Rachel’s hand shook.
“Sloan said I would go to prison if I helped you.”
“You are going to prison if you touch that child.”
Sloan shouted at her.
“Do it.”
Rachel looked at Lily.
Then she looked at the device.
She dropped it.
Sloan fired at her.
The bullet struck her shoulder.
Collins returned fire.
Sloan disappeared into the tunnel with Lily.
I followed before anyone could stop me.
The tunnel opened beneath the boathouse.
Sloan dragged Lily onto the dock.
The motorboat engine was still running.
He pulled her aboard.
I jumped onto the rear platform as the boat moved away.
Sloan kicked me.
I fell against the railing but held on.
Lily bit his hand.
He released her.
I pulled her behind me.
Sloan raised his gun.
Before he could fire, another boat struck ours from the side.
Michael stood behind the controls.
He had left the ambulance before paramedics could transport him.
Blood soaked through his bandage.
The collision threw Sloan into the lake.
His gun disappeared beneath the water.
The boats spun apart.
Michael collapsed across the controls.
His boat accelerated toward the rocky shore.
I jumped onto it and reached the throttle.
The engine stopped seconds before impact.
Detective Collins’s team pulled Sloan from the water.
He fought until officers handcuffed him.
Lily climbed beside Michael.
“Uncle Michael.”
He opened his eyes.
“I am sorry.”
She did not tell him everything was fine.
It was not.
She held his hand until the rescue boat reached the dock.
May you like
That was more forgiveness than he deserved.
It was also more mercy than Evelyn or Sloan had ever shown anyone.
