Chapter 4 - Gideon Mercer’s Secret
Dominic finally spoke.
“Your empire.”
Gideon’s face hardened.
“What?”
“You stole the Mercer empire.”
“From whom?”
“My father.”
Gideon stared at him.
“Your father nearly destroyed it.”
“He was supposed to inherit everything.”
“He gambled away three companies and sold information to our rivals.”
Dominic’s voice rose.
“So Grandfather chose you.”
“Yes.”
“And my family got scraps.”
“You received twelve million dollars.”
Dominic laughed bitterly.
“You got Savannah.”
Gideon stepped closer.
“And you threw Noah into a river because you wanted buildings?”
“I didn’t touch Noah.”
“But you know who did.”
Dominic looked away.
Marcus said, “We found a second phone in his car.”
Dominic’s shoulders dropped.
Gideon’s voice became quieter.
“Who?”
Dominic hesitated.
“Thomas contacted me months ago.”
“Why?”
“He hated you.”
“Apparently.”
“He said security around Noah was your weakness.”
I felt sick hearing Noah discussed like a business asset.
Gideon did too.
“You helped him.”
“I gave him schedules.”
Gideon’s fists tightened.
“School schedules?”
“Yes.”
“Tutoring?”
“Yes.”
“Medical appointments?”
Dominic didn’t answer.
Gideon moved toward him.
I stepped between them.
“Gideon.”
“Move.”
“No.”
“Hannah.”
“If you hurt him, you lose whatever else he knows.”
Dominic stared at me like I was insane.
Maybe I was.
But Gideon stopped.
“Where’s Thomas?” I asked.
Dominic swallowed.
“I don’t know.”
“Who does?”
“There’s another man.”
“Name.”
“Caleb Ross.”
Marcus reacted immediately.
Gideon noticed.
“You know him?”
“Former dock supervisor.”
“Why former?”
“You fired him three years ago.”
Gideon remembered.
“Smuggling.”
Marcus nodded.
Dominic continued.
“Ross wanted revenge. Thomas wanted money. I wanted Gideon frightened enough to give me control of the waterfront companies.”
I stared at him.
“You were going to terrorize an eight-year-old to negotiate real estate?”
Dominic looked ashamed for the first time.
“Noah was never supposed to go into the river.”
Gideon’s voice was almost a whisper.
“But he did.”
“Ross went too far.”
“Where is Ross?”
“I don’t know.”
Marcus’s phone buzzed.
He checked it.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“We have Thomas.”
Everyone turned.
“He walked into a police station twenty minutes ago.”
“Why?”
“He says Ross is planning another attempt.”
Gideon immediately asked, “Where?”
“He doesn’t know.”
I looked toward the hallway.
“Noah.”
We ran upstairs.
His room was empty.
Gideon stopped breathing.
“Noah?”
Nothing.
Marcus shouted into his radio.
“Lock the estate!”
Then I noticed the open bathroom window.
“No.”
Gideon looked at me.
“What?”
“He didn’t climb out.”
“How do you know?”
“Because his shoes are still here.”
I pointed toward the closet.
“He’s barefoot.”
Marcus checked the window.
“It’s staged.”
A guard’s voice came over the radio.
“Mr. Mercer, we found something in the service corridor.”
We ran downstairs.
Noah’s pajama top lay on the floor.
Beside it was a staff access badge.
Marcus picked it up.
“Kitchen supervisor.”
Gideon looked toward him.
“Where does that corridor lead?”
Marcus went pale.
“Underground garage.”
We reached it seconds later.
One SUV was missing.
The gate camera showed it leaving six minutes earlier.
Gideon stared at the screen.
“Track it.”
“Vehicle GPS has been disabled.”
I looked at the footage.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Go back.”
Marcus rewound.
The SUV passed the camera.
I pointed toward the rear window.
Something reflected behind it.
A sign.
RIVERSTONE STORAGE.
“I know that place.”
Gideon turned.
“How?”
“I clean their corporate offices twice a month.”
“Where?”
“West Savannah.”
Marcus was already moving.
Gideon looked at me.
“You stay here.”
I grabbed my coat.
“No.”
“This time, Hannah—”
“Your son trusts me.”
“And I’m not risking your life again.”
I stepped closer.
“Then bring me back alive.”
For several seconds, he stared at me.
May you like
Then he opened the SUV door.
“Get in.”
