Chapter 3 - The Little Girl Who Danced
Delaney did the one thing Emmett had ordered her not to do.
She followed him.
The snow outside reached above the soles of her thin work shoes almost immediately.
Wind cut through her maid uniform.
She should have stopped.
She was pregnant.
Unarmed.
Completely unfamiliar with the property.
But Lily's pink ribbon was still clutched in her fist, and the image of the child dancing beneath the chandelier refused to leave her.
Delaney had spent six months learning what it felt like when somebody disappeared.
She would not stand inside another warm house while it happened again.
Emmett was twenty yards ahead, moving toward the side gardens.
Two security men emerged from a separate building near the garage.
"North gate!" Emmett shouted.
One ran.
The other drew a weapon.
Delaney's stomach turned.
This wasn't the world she belonged to.
She reminded herself she wasn't trying to belong.
She was trying to find Nolan.
Then she saw movement near the hedge.
Pink.
"Lily!"
Emmett spun.
Delaney ran toward the color.
Behind a stone bench sat Lily, crouched beneath an evergreen, cardigan covered in snow.
She was crying silently.
Delaney dropped to her knees.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Lily threw herself into her arms.
Emmett reached them seconds later.
He knelt beside his daughter.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
"Who brought you out here?"
Lily's breath hitched.
"Mrs. Bell told me you wanted me."
Emmett went still.
"Mrs. Bell?"
"She said Daddy was waiting in the garden."
"Where is she now?"
Lily pointed toward the trees.
"She left."
One of the security men spoke into his radio.
Emmett lifted Lily into his arms.
Delaney noticed how tightly he held her.
Not like a distant rich father.
Like a terrified one.
They returned to the mansion.
Within fifteen minutes, doors were locked.
Security doubled.
The entire household staff was gathered in the downstairs dining room.
Mrs. Bell was missing.
So was her car.
Emmett stood at the head of the table.
Delaney remained near the wall beside Lily, who refused to leave her.
"Nobody leaves," Emmett said.
A cook protested.
Emmett silenced him with one look.
Phone calls began.
Security footage was reviewed.
Delaney sat beside Lily and wrapped a blanket around her.
"Was she angry?" Delaney asked softly.
"Mrs. Bell?"
Lily nodded.
"No. She was weird."
"Weird how?"
"She kept asking about you."
Delaney felt cold.
"What did she ask?"
"Whether you brought anything."
The memory card.
Delaney's eyes lifted toward Emmett across the room.
He saw her expression and came over.
"What?"
"Lily says Mrs. Bell asked whether I brought something."
Emmett crouched.
"What exactly did she say?"
Lily rubbed her eyes.
"She asked if the new maid had bags. Then she asked if the maid had things from home."
Delaney looked at him.
"Gus."
"Maybe."
Lily frowned.
"She took your microphone."
Delaney's pulse jumped.
"When?"
"Before."
"Before what?"
"Before I went outside."
Emmett stood.
That explained how Gus had moved.
Mrs. Bell had taken it, discovered or suspected something, and left it outside the library.
"Why didn't she keep the card?" Delaney asked.
"Maybe she didn't know it was there."
"Then why take the duster?"
"Because she recognized it."
Delaney stared.
"From Nolan?"
"Possibly."
Emmett turned to one of his men.
"Find Bell."
"Already checking traffic cameras."
"Find her faster."
The man left.
Lily reached for Delaney's hand.
"Are you going away?"
Delaney looked down.
"I don't know."
"I don't want you to."
Emmett heard.
Their eyes met.
For a strange second, the man in the black suit looked almost uncomfortable.
Delaney squeezed Lily's fingers.
"I'm not going anywhere today."
Lily seemed satisfied.
Emmett wasn't.
"You can't stay."
Delaney's temper returned instantly.
"We're doing this again?"
"You were brought into the house deliberately."
"And somebody just tried to use your daughter to draw attention away from something."
"Exactly."
"So maybe firing the only person who recognizes what Nolan left behind isn't your smartest plan."
His eyes narrowed.
"You don't understand the danger."
"I've understood danger every morning since my husband disappeared."
Emmett lowered his voice.
"You are pregnant."
"So?"
"So you have two lives to consider."
Delaney's face hardened.
"Don't use my child to make decisions for me."
He went silent.
She regretted the sharpness immediately—but not enough to apologize.
Lily looked between them.
"Are you fighting?"
"No," Delaney said.
"Yes," Emmett said.
They looked at each other.
Lily giggled.
For one absurd moment, tension cracked.
Then Emmett's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"Where?"
He walked away.
Delaney watched him.
Thirty seconds later he ended the call and approached her.
"They found Mrs. Bell's car."
"Where?"
"Near the Charles River."
"And her?"
"No."
Delaney's chest tightened.
"Was there blood?"
"No."
"Then she ran."
"Maybe."
"Or someone took her too."
Emmett didn't reply.
He turned toward the staircase.
"Come."
"Where?"
"My office."
Lily protested.
"I want to come."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because grown-ups need to talk."
Lily crossed her arms.
"That's what people say before saying interesting things."
Delaney had to look away to hide a smile.
Emmett called another nanny.
Lily hugged Delaney before leaving.
"Don't get fired."
"I'll negotiate aggressively."
Once upstairs, Emmett led Delaney into a smaller office at the back of the mansion.
No windows.
No staff.
Two men stood outside.
He placed Nolan's memory card into an isolated laptop.
"You're sure this can't be tracked?"
"No."
"Wonderful."
The card opened.
One folder.
Encrypted.
Emmett typed several passwords.
Nothing.
Delaney leaned closer.
"Try Gus."
He looked at her.
"What?"
"Nolan named the duster."
"You said you named it."
"No. He did."
"When?"
"Years ago. We bought it at a yard sale when we moved into our first apartment. Nolan said anything that ugly deserved a dignified name."
Emmett typed GUS.
Incorrect.
"Try Gustav."
Incorrect.
"Gustavo."
Incorrect.
Delaney thought.
Nolan loved numbers.
Dates.
Private jokes.
Her eyes filled suddenly.
"Our first dance."
Emmett looked at her.
"The song at our wedding. Nolan always called Gus our backup singer because I used to sing into it while cooking."
"Title?"
She told him.
Emmett typed it without spaces.
The folder opened.
Hundreds of documents appeared.
Payment logs.
Shipping schedules.
Names.
Photographs.
Scanned signatures.
Delaney didn't understand most of it.
Emmett did.
The blood drained from his face.
"How bad?"
He scrolled.
"Worse than I thought."
"What is it?"
"Evidence."
"Against who?"
"Against my entire organization."
Delaney stopped.
"You mean against you."
"Some of it."
Her eyes moved to him.
"What have you done?"
"Enough."
The blunt answer frightened her.
He continued scrolling.
Then froze.
A folder had Nolan's name.
Emmett clicked it.
Inside were photographs of Delaney.
Leaving work.
Buying groceries.
Entering her apartment.
A photograph from outside an obstetric clinic.
Delaney felt sick.
"They know."
Emmett looked at the date.
Three weeks earlier.
"Someone knows you're pregnant."
She covered her stomach.
There was another image.
Nolan.
Tied to a chair.
Alive.
A timestamp from twelve days ago.
Delaney made a broken sound.
She grabbed the laptop.
"Nolan."
Emmett enlarged the photograph.
Behind Nolan was a concrete wall.
A red industrial sign.
Partially visible.
Emmett stared.
"I know that place."
"Where?"
His phone rang.
He ignored it.
"Where?"
"It's one of my old shipping facilities."
"Then we go."
"No."
"Emmett—"
"No."
Delaney's voice rose.
"My husband is there!"
"Or was there twelve days ago."
"Then sitting here isn't helping."
He stood.
"You are not going."
"You don't get to decide."
"I do if the location belongs to men who would kill you for the card you carried into this house."
Before she could answer, his phone rang again.
This time he looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
He answered on speaker.
Silence.
Then a distorted male voice spoke.
"Mr. Ror."
Emmett's eyes sharpened.
"We were wondering when the Cross woman would finally bring you your accountant's little insurance policy."
Delaney stopped breathing.
The voice continued.
"Now that she has, we should discuss an exchange."
Emmett's hand tightened around the phone.
"What exchange?"
A laugh.
Then—
Nolan's voice.
Weak.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
"Delaney?"
Her knees nearly gave out.
"Nolan!"
"Del—"
The call cut.
Delaney stared at Emmett with tears streaming down her face.
"He's alive."
Emmett said nothing.
"He is alive."
Her voice broke.
Then a text appeared on the phone.
One address.
One time.
Midnight.
And one instruction:
May you like
Bring the memory card—or Nolan Cross will not see sunrise.
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