Chapter 1 - The Spark in the Dark
Adrian felt the marble floor shift beneath his expensive leather shoes.
He slowly knelt down so that he was eye-level with the little girl named Lily.
His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird desperately trying to escape.
"What else did Matthew say about the dog?" he asked, his voice trembling for the first time in a decade.
Lily blinked, her small hands still clutching the silver locket around her neck.
"He said the dog had a white patch on its chest that looked like a star," she whispered.
Adrian felt all the air completely vanish from his lungs.
Buddy had a white patch shaped exactly like a jagged star on his chest, a detail the police had never released to the public.
"Where is St. Jude's?" Adrian demanded, rising to his feet with a sudden, terrifying energy.
Grace, the maid, stepped in front of her daughter protectively, her face pale with absolute fear.
"It is an orphanage three hours north of here, up near the state line," Grace answered quickly.
"We left there two months ago when I finally saved enough money to get an apartment and this job."
Adrian pulled his cell phone from his tailored suit pocket, his fingers moving furiously across the screen.
He dialed a number that he only used for extreme emergencies.
"Marcus," Adrian barked into the phone the second the line connected.
Marcus was the head of Caldwell security, a former military operative who handled all of Adrian's darkest problems.
"Bring the helicopter to the front lawn right now," Adrian ordered, ignoring the rain lashing against the windows.
"We are going to an orphanage called St. Jude's, and we are leaving in five minutes."
He hung up the phone and turned his intense gaze back to the terrified maid.
"You and your daughter are going to stay right here in this house," Adrian told her.
"My security team will bring you food, water, and anything you need."
"If you are telling the truth, you will never have to work another day in your life."
May you like
Grace nodded frantically, pulling Lily close to her side.
For the first time in ten agonizing years, Adrian Caldwell allowed himself to feel a dangerous spark of hope.
