Chapter 7 - THE HOUSE LOCKED DOWN
Adrian grabbed Noah and pushed Emma behind the nursery wall.
Gabriel moved toward the hall.
"Shaw!"
The intercom answered with a calm laugh.
"You were supposed to stay dead, Gabriel."
"He knows you."
"Apparently better than you do."
Victoria stood in the darkness gripping the banister.
"Martin, open these doors."
Shaw's voice changed.
"Mrs. Walker, you should have destroyed the key when you had the chance."
"You two were working together."
"Not anymore," Victoria whispered.
That was almost worse.
Gabriel kicked open the old service stairwell.
"Kitchen exit."
Emma followed with the brass key pressed into her fist.
At the bottom of the stairs, a shadow moved.
Gabriel tackled the man before Adrian could react.
It was one of Shaw's guards.
Emma pulled Noah behind the pantry door.
Adrian grabbed the weapon and pointed it at the guard.
"Where is Shaw?"
"Already gone."
"Gone where?"
"Locker 314."
Adrian's stomach dropped.
They forced the side exit open manually and raced to Gabriel's truck.
"Adrian!"
For the first time, his mother looked desperate rather than powerful.
"If Shaw gets that case, everything your father tried to protect disappears."
"Protect? You spent years burying it."
"I buried it because men like Shaw do not care who dies."
Emma snapped, "Neither did you when it was Celeste."
Victoria flinched.
"Stay here."
Victoria grabbed the door.
"No."
"You are not coming with us."
"Then you will never open what is inside that case."
"The key opens the locker."
"The case itself requires a code."
"Only three people ever knew it."
Adrian looked at her.
"My father?"
"Yes."
"Celeste?"
"And you?"
Victoria's eyes shifted toward Noah.
"No."
May you like
She swallowed.
"The third person was your two-year-old son."
