Chapter 15 - NOAH RUNS
Dominic did not ask why Noah was there.
Natalie reached the hallway at the same time.
"Noah!"
Her son disappeared through the rain toward the east cottage.
Gabriel's team followed.
The power outage had disabled the main gate cameras for forty seconds.
Someone used that window to bring Noah back onto the estate.
A federal transport driver was missing.
At the cottage, the front door stood open.
Noah stood in Catherine's sewing room holding a red metal box.
Across from him was Preston Hale.
Gun in hand.
"Put it down," Preston said.
"Grandma said this is Mom's."
"Noah, come to me."
"You want the box? Take it from me."
"You still think you're the dangerous person in every room."
Older.
"Your father taught me what power really is. Not guns. Paper. Signatures. People signing because they trust the folder in front of them."
Dominic glanced at Noah.
The boy understood.
He slowly slid the red box across the floor toward Dominic.
Preston's eyes followed it.
Gabriel fired one shot into the ceiling from the side doorway.
Dominic tackled him.
The gun skidded away.
Federal agents rushed in.
Preston was arrested.
Noah buried his face in Natalie's coat.
"I'm sorry."
"Why did you come here?"
A text had been sent from Emma's number.
GRANDMA'S BOX IS IN DANGER. COME HELP.
Emma's phone had been cloned.
Someone wanted Noah at the cottage.
Preston looked toward the door and smiled through blood on his lip.
"You think I planned that?"
"Brooke did."
Brooke was gone again.
So was Malcolm.
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And the wedding trust system had just received a manual override request from Catherine Mercer's old accountant.
The accountant everyone thought died five years ago.
