Chapter 7 - THE WAREHOUSE
Rain hammered the windshield as Daniel, Marcus, Noah, and two detectives reached the abandoned textile warehouse.
Police lights painted the brick walls red and blue.
Noah tried to run inside.
A detective caught him. "You stay behind us."
"My son is in there."
"Which is exactly why you stay behind us."
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, the building smelled of rust, river water, and old oil.
A child's sneaker lay near the stairs.
Noah made a sound Daniel would never forget.
"That's Eli's."
They followed faint crying to an office on the second floor.
The door was wired shut.
Marcus cut it.
Noah shoved past everyone when it opened.
Eli sat under a desk, wrists loosely bound with plastic ties, terrified but alive.
"Daddy!"
Noah dropped to his knees.
Daniel turned away, giving them one second of privacy.
Then Marcus called from the adjoining room.
"Daniel. You need to see this."
The room contained a folding table, two laptops, stacks of printed documents, and photographs.
Photographs of Daniel.
His mother.
His younger sister Claire.
Board members of Mercer Holdings.
And Vivian.
On a whiteboard, someone had written:
WEDDING - 8:00 PM
SIGNATURES - 9:30 PM
TRUST TRANSFER - MONDAY
Daniel stared.
"What signatures?"
One detective opened a folder.
Inside was a copy of Daniel and Vivian's prenuptial agreement.
Attached to it was a second document he had never seen.
SPOUSAL VOTING AUTHORIZATION.
His name was already signed.
The signature looked perfect.
Noah came in holding Eli.
"What's that?"
Daniel didn't answer.
Marcus picked up another page.
It listed emergency procedures if Daniel became "temporarily unavailable" after the wedding.
At the bottom, beside a handwritten note, were three words:
Celia controls Vivian.
Daniel's phone rang.
Vivian.
He answered.
Her voice was barely audible.
"Daniel, don't go back to the hotel."
"Why?"
May you like
A door slammed on her end.
Then Vivian whispered, "My mother knows you found the warehouse."
