CHAPTER 6 – The Kidnapping Was Never the Real Plan
The emergency lights cast long red shadows across the courtroom.
People screamed.
Police officers rushed toward the exits.
Margaret Harrington...
Was gone.
So was James.
Ethan ignored the chaos.
He dropped to one knee.
A single drop of blood stained the marble floor.
"Grandma..."
His voice barely escaped his lips.
Lily grabbed his arm.
"Look."
On the judge's bench lay a folded piece of paper.
It hadn't been there before.
Ethan opened it with trembling hands.
Only six words were written inside.
"Meet me where it all began."
No signature.
No explanation.
Only a small symbol burned into the corner of the page.
An old Harrington crest.
One that had disappeared decades ago.
Three hours later...
Under heavy police escort...
Ethan and Lily arrived at the abandoned Harrington Manor.
The mansion stood hidden behind rusted gates and overgrown trees.
It had been empty for twenty years.
Or so everyone believed.
As Ethan pushed open the front door...
The lights suddenly turned on.
Someone had restored the entire house.
The grandfather clock ticked.
Fresh flowers sat on the table.
A fire burned in the fireplace.
It was as if someone had been living there all along.
Then...
A familiar voice echoed through the hallway.
"I knew you'd come."
Margaret stepped out of the shadows.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Lily ran toward her.
"We thought you were kidnapped!"
Margaret shook her head.
"No."
"I left willingly."
Ethan stared at her.
"Why?"
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Because James was never the leader."
Silence filled the room.
Margaret slowly reached beneath an old wooden desk.
She pressed a hidden switch.
The floor trembled.
A secret passage opened beneath the library.
Cold air rushed upward.
Ethan and Lily exchanged nervous glances before following her underground.
The tunnel stretched farther than either of them expected.
Finally...
They entered a massive chamber.
Rows of steel shelves filled the room.
Boxes.
Documents.
Hard drives.
Gold bars.
Billions of dollars in forgotten assets.
At the center stood an enormous wall covered with photographs.
Every Harrington family member.
Every business partner.
Every board member.
Some faces were marked with green circles.
Others...
With red X's.
Lily whispered,
"What is this?"
Margaret answered quietly.
"This..."
"...is the list of everyone who betrayed our family."
Then she pointed to one photograph.
Ethan felt the blood drain from his face.
It wasn't James.
It wasn't Richard.
It wasn't anyone from the Board.
It was...
Lily.
A fresh red X had just been painted across her photograph.
Before Ethan could react—
A loud metallic click echoed behind them.
The vault door slammed shut.
The lights went out.
A distorted voice filled the chamber.
"Welcome home, Ethan."
"You've finally brought us the last piece we needed."
"And now..."
May you like
"...neither of you will ever leave."
TO BE CONTINUED...
