Chapter 5 - The Little Girl Richard Wanted
Penny was not supposed to be at risk.
That had been the entire purpose of every safe house, every guard, every encrypted phone, every sleepless night.
But Richard Ashford knew his family.
He knew Kendrick.
And worse, he knew how Kendrick would react if his daughter disappeared.
I found Gabriel in Kendrick’s office.
Blood stained the side of his shirt.
“What happened?”
“Convoy ambush.”
“Where?”
“Westchester.”
“How did Richard know the route?”
“We don’t know.”
“Kendrick?”
“Went after her.”
“Alone?”
Gabriel looked away.
I cursed.
“Where?”
“Elena—”
“Tell me.”
“You can’t go.”
I stepped closer.
“Everyone keeps saying that to me, and somehow I keep becoming involved anyway.”
Gabriel almost smiled.
Then he gave me a location.
An abandoned summer estate near Lake Placid.
Owned through one of Richard’s shell corporations.
Kendrick had left forty minutes earlier.
I grabbed the archive drive.
Gabriel frowned.
“Why?”
“Because Richard wants leverage.”
“You are leverage.”
“Exactly.”
Six hours later we reached the Adirondacks.
Snow had begun falling.
The estate sat beside a frozen lake surrounded by pine trees.
No lights except one upstairs window.
Gabriel’s team spread through the woods.
I remained in the SUV.
For approximately thirty seconds.
Then I got out.
Gabriel grabbed my arm.
“No.”
“I’m not sitting here.”
“Yes, you are.”
Then Titan jumped from the vehicle.
He looked toward the house.
Growled.
And ran.
“Titan!”
I followed.
Gabriel cursed and followed me.
The dog led us to a side entrance.
Unlocked.
Too easy.
Inside, the house was silent.
We moved through a dark kitchen.
Then we heard Penny.
“Daddy!”
Gunshot.
My blood froze.
Titan sprinted.
We ran after him.
The main room opened ahead.
Kendrick stood near the fireplace.
A gun lay on the floor several feet away.
Richard stood behind Penny with one hand on her shoulder and a weapon pressed against Kendrick.
Barrett was there too.
I stopped.
“You’re supposed to be in custody.”
Barrett looked ashamed.
Richard laughed.
“Everyone has a price.”
Kendrick stared at me.
“Elena, leave.”
Richard smiled.
“No. She finally arrived.”
Penny saw me.
“Elena!”
Titan growled.
Richard tightened his grip.
“Control the dog.”
I placed one hand on Titan’s collar.
“Easy.”
He trembled beneath my fingers.
Richard looked at me.
“The drive.”
I held it up.
“This?”
Kendrick’s face hardened.
“Don’t.”
Richard smiled.
“See? She understands.”
“No,” I said. “I understand something you don’t.”
“And what is that?”
“The drive doesn’t matter anymore.”
His smile faded.
“We distributed the archive.”
“To whom?”
“Everyone.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Federal investigators. Journalists. attorneys. foreign servers.”
I shrugged.
“My mother taught me to make copies.”
Richard stared.
Then his gun moved toward me.
Kendrick lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Penny screamed.
Titan broke free.
Barrett grabbed Richard’s arm.
The gun fired.
The bullet hit the ceiling.
Kendrick tackled Richard.
Gabriel’s team flooded the room.
Titan stood over Penny.
I grabbed her and pulled her against me.
“It’s okay.”
She buried her face in my coat.
“I knew you’d come.”
Those words broke something inside me.
Across the room, Richard was restrained.
Barrett sat against the wall holding his bleeding hand.
Kendrick stood.
Alive.
He looked at Penny.
Then at me.
Relief crossed his face.
We had won.
Or thought we had.
Then Richard started laughing.
“You think this ends because you have me?”
Kendrick approached.
“It ends because you have nothing left.”
Richard looked toward me.
“She hasn’t told you.”
I frowned.
“Told him what?”
Richard smiled.
“Ask Anna’s daughter why Titan recognized her beyond lavender.”
The room went silent.
I stared.
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No.”
Richard tilted his head.
“Your mother never told you who your father was?”
My stomach dropped.
Kendrick looked at me.
My father had supposedly died before I was born.
My mother had never discussed him.
Richard continued.
“Anna worked for me long before Isabelle.”
“Stop.”
“She had a relationship with one of the Ashford men.”
Kendrick’s face tightened.
Richard smiled.
“My brother.”
Silence.
Kendrick’s father.
“No,” I whispered.
Richard laughed.
“Anna was pregnant when she left.”
I looked at Kendrick.
If Richard was telling the truth—
No.
Impossible.
Kendrick and I would—
My stomach twisted.
Richard enjoyed the horror.
“Relax,” he said. “Kendrick’s father wasn’t Elena’s father.”
I wanted to kill him myself.
“Then who?”
Richard’s smile vanished.
“Mine.”
The room froze.
I stared at him.
“No.”
“Anna discovered what I was becoming and left before you were born.”
“No.”
“She told me you died as an infant.”
My hands shook.
Richard looked almost emotional.
Almost.
“You are my daughter.”
Kendrick stared at him.
Then me.
Penny clung tighter.
I felt sick.
“You murdered my mother.”
Richard’s expression hardened.
“She betrayed me.”
“You killed the woman who raised your child.”
“She kept you from me.”
“Thank God.”
His eyes went cold.
And in that instant, whatever biological connection existed meant nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“You think blood makes you my father?”
Richard didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“My mother was my family.”
I pointed toward Penny.
“She is family.”
Toward Noah.
“He is family.”
Toward Titan.
“Apparently even that ridiculous giant dog is family.”
Titan huffed.
A few men almost smiled.
Then my eyes met Kendrick’s.
“And people become family because of what they protect. Not what they own.”
Richard’s face twisted.
“You sound like Anna.”
“Good.”
Federal agents arrived before sunrise.
This time, actual ones.
Ones not bought by Richard.
Because the archive had reached Washington.
Richard was taken away in handcuffs.
Barrett agreed to cooperate fully.
Kendrick stood outside as snow covered the driveway.
Penny slept inside.
I joined him.
“You knew?” he asked.
“No.”
“About Richard.”
“No.”
He nodded.
Then silence.
Finally I said, “You should have told me about my mother sooner.”
“I know.”
“I’m still angry.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get forgiven because Penny needed us tonight.”
“I know.”
I looked at him.
“That’s irritating.”
“I know.”
Despite myself, I laughed.
Then I stopped.
“Kendrick.”
“Yes?”
“If Richard is my biological father…”
“You are not responsible for him.”
“I know.”
“He doesn’t define you.”
“I know.”
Now he almost smiled.
Snow collected on his shoulders.
I looked at the man who had terrified half the East Coast.
He looked exhausted.
Human.
“You should go inside.”
“So should you.”
Neither of us moved.
Then Titan came through the open door.
He walked between us.
Sat.
And pushed his giant head against both our legs.
I laughed.
Kendrick looked down.
“Subtle.”
Titan wagged his tail.
That should have been the beginning of peace.
Instead, two weeks later, Richard escaped federal transport.
And this time he wasn’t trying to recover evidence.
He had one goal left.
Destroy Kendrick Ashford’s family.
May you like
Including me.
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