CHAPTER 11 — THE MAN VINCENT REFUSED TO KILL
The gunfire stopped.
For three seconds, there was nothing.
No shouting.
No footsteps.
Only the sound of my own breathing.
Vincent was bleeding beside me.
I pressed my hand against his shoulder.
"You've been shot."
"It's a graze."
"You're bleeding."
"I've had worse."
"That doesn't make this better."
He looked at me.
Even wounded, he somehow remained calm.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Good."
"You should be asking yourself that."
A faint smile appeared.
"I already know the answer."
Then a voice came from the darkness.
"Still protecting her, Vincent?"
Everything inside me froze.
Elias.
His footsteps echoed slowly through the warehouse.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then he stepped into the light.
He was older than the photograph.
Gray hair.
Sharp cheekbones.
A scar ran across his left hand.
And on his finger was the black ring.
He looked at me.
Not Vincent.
Me.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then he smiled.
"Emily."
I felt Vincent move in front of me.
Elias laughed.
"Exactly like her father."
"You don't say her name."
Vincent's voice was ice.
Elias tilted his head.
"You still obeying his last request?"
"You should have stayed gone."
"I tried."
"Try harder."
Elias smiled.
"You've become sentimental."
Vincent raised his weapon.
I grabbed his wrist.
"No."
He looked at me.
"He killed your father."
"I know."
"I can end this."
"Then why haven't you?"
His eyes changed.
That question hit something inside him.
Elias laughed softly.
"Ah."
He looked between us.
"She finally asked."
Vincent's jaw tightened.
Elias took another step.
"Tell her."
"Leave."
"Tell her why I'm alive."
Vincent said nothing.
Elias looked at me.
"Seven years ago, Vincent had a chance to kill me."
I stared at Vincent.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you?"
Vincent lowered his weapon.
"Because your father was alive."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Elias smiled.
"Now you understand."
Vincent continued.
"Your father had evidence against Elias."
"Then why not kill him after?"
"Because Elias had hidden the evidence."
I looked at Elias.
"Where?"
He smiled.
"Your father never told him."
I turned toward Vincent.
"Then what happened?"
Vincent's eyes remained fixed on Elias.
"I found Elias."
He took a slow breath.
"Your father had disappeared."
"I thought you said he survived."
"He did."
My heart raced.
"Where?"
Vincent's voice became quieter.
"Underground."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"Elias had him moved."
"Where?"
"I found the location."
"And?"
Vincent looked away.
"I arrived too late."
Silence.
I whispered:
"Was he dead?"
Vincent didn't answer.
Elias did.
"No."
My entire body went cold.
"He wasn't dead."
I looked at Elias.
"You know where he is."
"I knew."
"Where?"
Elias smiled.
"That's the question you've been asking for twenty years."
Vincent stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
"Her."
"No."
"I want the key."
"You don't know where it leads."
Elias laughed.
"Neither do you."
He looked at me.
"But she does."
I shook my head.
"I don't."
"You will."
He reached into his coat.
Vincent raised his weapon.
"Don't."
Elias stopped.
Then slowly removed an envelope.
He tossed it onto the floor.
It landed near my feet.
"My father's handwriting?"
I recognized it immediately.
Elias nodded.
"Your father left something for you."
Vincent's face hardened.
"You never had that."
"I found it after you left."
I picked up the envelope.
My hands shook.
Inside was one photograph.
My father.
Alive.
Older.
Exhausted.
Standing in front of an unfamiliar building.
On the back:
IF EMILY EVER FINDS THIS, TELL HER I NEVER STOPPED LOOKING FOR HER.
I couldn't breathe.
"He was alive."
"Yes."
"When?"
"Three years ago."
Vincent looked at Elias.
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Elias smiled.
"Ask Vincent where he was three years ago."
I turned.
Vincent said nothing.
My heart sank.
"You knew."
"I suspected."
"That's not the same thing."
"I didn't know where he was."
"But you knew he might be alive."
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me."
Vincent's face tightened.
"I couldn't."
"You couldn't?"
"Because every time I got close to your father, someone died."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Elias wasn't working alone."
Vincent looked at Elias.
"There were others."
Elias smiled.
"Always."
Then suddenly, a phone rang.
Not mine.
Not Vincent's.
Elias's.
He answered.
"Yes."
He listened.
Then looked at me.
"Tyler has her mother."
My blood turned to ice.
"What?"
Vincent immediately raised his weapon.
"Where?"
Elias smiled.
"You're too late."
He dropped the phone.
Vincent's men moved toward him.
Elias didn't resist.
Instead, he looked directly at me.
"Your ex-boyfriend isn't as useless as you thought."
I turned to Vincent.
"My mother..."
"We're going."
Vincent grabbed my hand.
Elias laughed behind us.
"Vincent."
He stopped.
"You know what happens if you save her."
Vincent turned.
Elias's smile disappeared.
"You lose everything."
Vincent answered without hesitation.
"Then I'll lose everything."
We ran.
And somewhere in Chicago, Tyler had my mother.
May you like
But he didn't know one thing.
He had just declared war on the wrong man.
