CHAPTER 3 — EMMA'S REAL NAME WAS NEVER EMMA
The motorcycle tore through the empty highway, its engine echoing into the cold night.
Nathan gripped the back of Marcus's jacket.
Questions raced through his mind faster than the speeding bike.
"My father is dead!" he shouted over the wind.
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he accelerated.
Only when the abandoned church came into view did he finally speak.
"The man buried ten years ago..."
"...wasn't your father."
Nathan's heart nearly stopped.
The motorcycle skidded to a halt outside the old stone church.
Its stained-glass windows had long been shattered.
The giant wooden doors hung open.
Someone had been here.
Recently.
Marcus drew a handgun from beneath his jacket.
"Stay behind me."
Nathan ignored him and rushed inside.
The church was empty.
Only rows of broken pews and flickering candles remained.
At the altar...
Someone had left a small wooden box.
Nathan slowly opened it.
Inside lay a silver necklace.
He recognized it instantly.
His mother had worn it every single day.
Underneath the necklace rested a folded letter.
His hands trembled as he unfolded it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
His mother's.
Nathan...
If you're reading this, Emma finally told you the truth.
That means I failed to protect both of you.
Nathan's vision blurred.
He continued reading.
Emma Parker was never her real name.
His breathing stopped.
Her real name is Isabella Whitmore.
Nathan looked up in disbelief.
Whitmore?
His family's name?
Marcus quietly closed the church doors.
"I hoped you'd never have to read that."
Nathan turned the page.
She is not your servant.
She is your sister.
The letter slipped from Nathan's fingers.
"No..."
His voice cracked.
"No... that's impossible."
Marcus slowly nodded.
"It's true."
Nathan grabbed him by the collar.
"You lied to me for twenty years!"
"I was protecting her."
"From who?"
Marcus looked toward the church entrance.
"From the Whitmore family."
Nathan released him.
"That makes no sense."
Marcus sighed.
"Because you still believe the Whitmores were victims."
"They weren't."
"They were the hunters."
Thunder exploded outside.
Rain poured against the church roof.
Marcus picked up the letter.
"Your mother discovered something before she died."
"What?"
"Your father built his fortune by stealing companies."
Nathan frowned.
"So?"
Marcus looked him directly in the eyes.
"He also stole children."
Silence.
"What... did you say?"
"He bought newborn babies from criminal networks."
"He erased their identities."
"He sold some."
"He raised others."
Nathan stumbled backward.
"No."
"You're lying."
Marcus reached into his pocket and handed Nathan an old newspaper clipping.
MISSING CHILDREN.
Seven photographs.
One face caught Nathan's attention immediately.
A little girl.
About four years old.
Underneath her picture was one name.
Isabella Whitmore.
Nathan stared at it.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
Emma.
She wasn't hired by his family.
She had been stolen by it.
His mother had secretly rescued the little girl.
Then changed her name to Emma Parker.
She raised her inside the mansion where no one would ever think to look.
Nathan's knees weakened.
"My mother..."
Marcus nodded.
"She sacrificed her own life to keep Emma hidden."
Before Nathan could speak—
BANG!
A bullet shattered the church window.
Glass exploded across the floor.
"DOWN!" Marcus shouted.
More gunfire erupted outside.
Several black SUVs surrounded the church.
Masked men poured out carrying rifles.
Nathan crawled behind a stone pillar.
Marcus fired twice.
Two attackers fell.
"They found us!"
Nathan looked toward the back exit.
"There!"
Marcus shook his head.
"It's a trap."
Another explosion ripped through the building.
The ceiling began collapsing.
Suddenly...
A familiar voice echoed through the church.
"Nathan!"
He froze.
Emma stood in the rear doorway.
Rain soaked her clothes.
Blood trickled down one side of her face.
She was breathing heavily.
"You have to come with me!"
Nathan ran toward her.
Before he reached her—
A laser sight appeared on Emma's forehead.
Nathan's eyes widened.
"EMMA!"
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
A single shot rang out.
Emma collapsed into Nathan's arms.
Blood spread across her white shirt.
"No..."
Nathan pressed both hands against the wound.
"Stay with me!"
Emma smiled weakly.
"There isn't much time..."
She slipped something into his hand.
A small brass key.
"The basement..."
"What basement?"
"Our house..."
"There was always another floor..."
Nathan stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
Emma coughed violently.
Then whispered the words that shattered everything Nathan thought he knew.
"The mansion..."
"...was built on top of your father's prison."
Her eyes slowly closed.
Nathan shook her desperately.
"Emma!"
She didn't respond.
Behind them...
The masked gunmen entered the church.
Marcus grabbed Nathan by the shoulder.
"We have to leave!"
Nathan refused to move.
"They killed her!"
Marcus looked down at Emma's motionless body.
Then something caught his attention.
"No..."
He whispered.
"That's impossible."
Nathan looked up.
"What?"
Marcus pointed toward Emma's hand.
Her fingers...
Had just moved.
At the same moment—
Every attacker inside the church suddenly stopped.
Each of them received the same message through their earpieces.
The leader slowly lowered his rifle.
He smiled beneath his mask.
"Change of orders."
"Don't kill the girl."
"The Boss wants her alive."
Nathan's heart pounded.
Alive?
He looked back at Emma.
Then at Marcus.
Marcus whispered only four words.
May you like
"They know who she is."
END OF CHAPTER 3...
