Chapter 17 - What Rachel Died For
Lily dove under the gate.
Metal slammed down behind her.
Mercer disappeared around the bend.
The tunnel shook with moving water.
"Stop!"
She chased him into a control chamber filled with old pipes and modern monitors.
On one screen she saw live feeds from flood gates across the county.
On another, property maps.
Red dots marked neighborhoods scheduled for "emergency acquisition."
Mercer grabbed a hard drive from the console.
Lily blocked the exit.
"You killed my mother for this?"
"Your mother was one nurse with a hero complex."
"And my father?"
"He ran."
The words landed harder than she expected.
Mercer smiled.
"People always think courage is loud. Most of the time, fear wins quietly."
Lily stepped closer.
"Not today."
He swung the hard drive at her.
She ducked and drove her shoulder into him.
They crashed into the console.
A siren began screaming.
Mercer reached for her throat.
Then someone hit him from behind.
Daniel.
Father and daughter stared at each other for one stunned second.
"You shouldn't have followed me," Lily said.
"I already missed too much."
Mercer recovered and shoved Daniel toward the open maintenance channel.
Lily caught her father's jacket.
Daniel hung above rushing water.
Mercer ran.
Lily had a choice.
Chase the man who killed her mother.
Or save the father who abandoned her.
She grabbed Daniel with both hands.
Mercer escaped through the far door.
Then Ethan's voice came over the radio.
"Lily, don't move. Vega has him."
Seconds later, handcuffs clicked outside the chamber.
Daniel climbed to safety.
He looked at Lily.
"You chose me."
She stared at him.
"Don't make me regret it."
May you like
Then Vega entered holding Mercer's hard drive.
"You won't," she said. "Because this has the payment order for Rachel Monroe's murder."
