Chapter 5 - The Betrayal Inside Calder House
Vincent moved the twins to a secured hospital suite near Emma’s floor.
Then he turned Calder House upside down.
Martin Shaw disappeared before security could detain him.
His office did not.
Inside were photographs, schedules, gate codes and financial records.
Aaron dropped a folder onto Vincent’s desk.
“He sold access.”
“To Elias?”
“Eventually.”
“How long?”
“Eight months.”
Vincent stared at him.
Eight months.
Emma had been inside the house three weeks.
And Vincent had suspected her.
The realization tasted bitter.
His phone rang.
Hospital.
Vincent answered immediately.
“Calder.”
Emma’s voice came through.
“You took my children.”
He almost smiled.
“They’re my children.”
“They were coloring in my room.”
“You need rest.”
“I need Noah to stop putting dinosaur stickers on medical equipment.”
“He says it improves the machines.”
“It doesn’t.”
Vincent sat back.
“You sound better.”
“I feel terrible.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“It means you’re alive.”
Silence.
Then Emma spoke more softly.
“Did you find him?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Martin.”
She remembered him immediately.
“The security chief?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Money. Revenge. Possibly both.”
Emma hesitated.
“Vincent?”
“What?”
“Don’t become the thing your children are afraid of.”
His expression hardened.
“You don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“No.”
“You don’t know what Martin did.”
“He helped someone shoot at your children. I know enough.”
“Then why are you defending him?”
“I’m not.”
Her voice strengthened.
“I’m defending Noah and Lily from having a father who disappears into revenge.”
Vincent said nothing.
“You told Lily you’d be back tonight,” Emma continued.
His eyes moved to the clock.
8:43.
He had promised bedtime.
“You remember everything?”
“Occupational hazard.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Go read to your children.”
The line went dead.
Aaron stood across the desk.
“She hung up on you?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive.”
Vincent stood.
“Find Martin.”
“And you?”
“I have somewhere to be.”
At 9:06, Vincent walked into the hospital suite.
Lily was awake.
“You came back.”
He sat beside her.
“I said I would.”
Noah handed him a book.
“Emma does voices.”
“I’m not doing voices.”
Twenty minutes later, Vincent was doing voices.
From the doorway, Emma watched from a wheelchair.
Vincent stopped reading.
“What are you doing out of bed?”
“Witnessing history.”
“You should be resting.”
“You sound like a nurse.”
“You sound annoying.”
Noah smiled.
“You like Emma.”
Vincent went silent.
Emma nearly choked.
“Noah.”
“What?”
Lily nodded.
“He does.”
Vincent slowly closed the book.
“Bed.”
Noah laughed.
The moment was interrupted when Aaron’s phone rang.
He stepped into the hallway.
Thirty seconds later, he returned.
“We found Martin.”
Vincent stood.
Emma saw the change immediately.
The father disappeared.
The feared man returned.
“Where?”
“Train yard outside Chester.”
Vincent walked toward the door.
“Vincent.”
Emma’s voice stopped him.
He turned.
She held his gaze.
“Come back.”
Two words.
Nothing more.
Vincent nodded.
“I will.”
That night, Martin Shaw was arrested after evidence connecting him to the greenhouse attack was anonymously delivered to federal investigators.
Elias Vane was captured the following morning trying to cross into Canada.
Aaron stared at Vincent after receiving the news.
“Ten years ago, you would have handled that differently.”
Vincent looked through the hospital window at Emma helping Lily braid a doll’s hair.
“Ten years ago, I didn’t have anything worth coming home to.”
Aaron followed his gaze.
“Things changing?”
Vincent answered quietly.
May you like
“Everything.”
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