Z

Emily woke in a church basement.

Her first thought was that the carpet smelled terrible.

Her second was that Harper would be furious.

Her third was that being afraid did not require her to become stupid.

She kept her eyes closed.

Listened.

One person breathing nearby.

Air-conditioning vent.

Traffic above.

Church bells?

No.

Train.

The building shook slightly.

Elevated tracks.

Chicago.

Good.

Her wrists were tied in front.

Plastic restraints.

An amateur mistake.

Or intentional.

Emily opened her eyes.

Nolan Voss sat across from her.

Expensive suit.

No tie.

Perfect hair.

Even during kidnapping, apparently.

“You’re awake.”

Emily looked around.

“Disappointingly.”

Nolan smiled.

“I understand why Michael disliked Harper.”

“Because women with opinions damage his delicate spirit?”

“You’re very similar.”

“We share parents.”

He leaned back.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Emily laughed.

“That sentence should come with prison time automatically.”

“I need the drive.”

“What drive?”

“Rachel’s package.”

Emily blinked.

Not too much.

“You used my employee code.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Passwords are surprisingly easy.”

“My password is sixteen characters.”

“Your former communications assistant sold it.”

That hurt.

Not emotionally.

Professionally.

Emily made a mental note to fire someone if she survived.

“The package wasn’t there,” Nolan said.

Good.

Emily knew.

She had moved it.

The moment Harper became a public target, Emily had reviewed every unusual delivery from the previous month.

Rachel’s package had no return address.

Heavy.

She had opened nothing.

Instead, following protocol, she moved it to an external evidence locker rented through Dominic’s office.

Nolan’s theft of her credentials had accessed an empty secure room.

“You kidnapped me because your burglary failed?”

His smile faded.

“There she is.”

“Who?”

“The family arrogance.”

Emily stared.

He continued.

“You think surviving one criminal network made all of you untouchable.”

“No.”

Emily smiled.

“I think men like you get repetitive.”

That hit.

His eyes hardened.

“Where is the package?”

“No.”

“Emily.”

She laughed.

“You practiced the scary voice.”

Nolan stood.

Emily’s fear increased.

She let it.

Fear was information.

Not instruction.

Harper taught that constantly.

Nolan walked closer.

“Your sister turned a private matter into a national scandal.”

“No. Michael hitting Claire did that.”

“You don’t know what happened.”

“There’s that sentence again.”

Nolan stopped.

Emily smiled.

“You guys really should have meetings about vocabulary.”

His hand struck the wall beside her head.

Emily flinched.

She hated that she flinched.

Then she remembered Harper saying something once.

A flinch is your body trying to keep you alive.

Nothing shameful about that.

Nolan leaned closer.

“Where?”

Emily looked directly at him.

“Go to hell.”

Across the city, Harper stood inside Gabriel’s federal interview room.

Agent Cho had allowed five minutes.

Dominic had argued for ten.

They got seven.

Gabriel looked at Harper’s face.

“What happened?”

“Emily.”

He stood.

“What?”

“Nolan has her.”

Every trace of emotion disappeared.

“How do we know?”

“Video from Monroe House garage.”

“Location?”

“No.”

“What does he want?”

“A package Rachel sent me.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.

“Rachel’s alive?”

“Yes.”

“You found her?”

“Yes.”

“What’s in the package?”

“Recordings.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know.”

He stared.

“You don’t know?”

“Emily moved it.”

His expression changed.

“She expected trouble.”

“Yes.”

Gabriel almost smiled.

“Your sister is irritating.”

“Focus.”

He looked toward the door.

“Cho releases me.”

“Not yet.”

“Harper.”

“No.”

He stared.

She stepped closer.

“If you walk out illegally or force anything, Nolan wins.”

“He has Emily.”

“I know.”

The words came sharper than intended.

Gabriel stopped.

Harper’s voice shook now.

“I know.”

His face softened.

“I’m sorry.”

“He wants us panicking.”

“Yes.”

“He wants the old Gabriel.”

“Yes.”

“And probably the old me.”

“What does that mean?”

“The woman who thinks saving someone requires surrender.”

Gabriel understood.

“Emily won’t want that.”

“No.”

He looked almost amused.

“She definitely won’t.”

Harper’s phone rang.

Nolan.

Agent Cho entered immediately.

Harper put the call on speaker.

“Where’s my sister?”

“Alive.”

Emily shouted faintly in the background, “Do not give him anything!”

Harper closed her eyes.

Of course.

Nolan sounded irritated.

“Your family is exhausting.”

Gabriel almost smiled.

Harper did not.

“What do you want?”

“The drive.”

“I don’t have it.”

“Find it.”

“And Emily?”

“Exchange.”

Harper looked at Cho.

Cho wrote on a pad.

KEEP TALKING.

Harper almost laughed.

Every law-enforcement movie apparently got that part right.

“How do I know she’s alive?”

Emily shouted, “Harper, his hair looks stupid!”

Gabriel covered his mouth.

Dominic looked at the ceiling.

Harper fought a hysterical laugh.

Nolan swore.

“She’s alive.”

“Yes.”

“Two hours.”

“Where?”

“I’ll call.”

“Nolan.”

Silence.

“You killed your father.”

The line went quiet.

Cho looked sharply at Harper.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.

“How do you know that?” Nolan asked.

“Rachel.”

Long silence.

Then a different voice emerged.

“You found her.”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

Harper smiled coldly.

“You don’t get to ask questions.”

His breathing changed.

“She stole from me.”

“She survived you.”

“Same thing your sister teaches all of them.”

There it was.

Hatred.

Not politics.

Not strategy.

Harper understood.

“What?”

Nolan laughed.

“You think this is about Michael?”

“Partly.”

“Michael is weak.”

“What is it about?”

“Women leaving.”

The room became still.

Nolan continued.

“My father spent his whole life keeping order. Vale kept order. Harlan keeps order. Men build something and then women like Rachel, Claire, you—”

Harper felt sick.

“You think abuse is order.”

“I think loyalty matters.”

“No.”

Her voice became calm.

“You think fear is loyalty.”

Gabriel looked at her.

Old words.

Old lessons.

New man.

Nolan said, “Bring the drive.”

Then hung up.

Cho immediately moved.

“Trace?”

An agent entered.

“Partial.”

“How partial?”

“Near the Green Line. West Side.”

Harper thought.

Church basement.

Emily had once mentioned a nonprofit gala with Nolan.

Political outreach.

Faith coalition.

She grabbed her phone.

“What?” Gabriel asked.

“Nolan’s campaign work.”

She searched public photographs.

Nolan speaking at churches.

Community centers.

Harper scrolled.

Then stopped.

A brick church appeared behind him.

Green Line tracks directly overhead.

St. Matthew Community Chapel.

Closed six months earlier.

Harper showed Cho.

“Search it.”

Cho called tactical units.

Gabriel stepped toward the door.

Cho raised one hand.

“No.”

“I am going.”

“You are detained.”

“My sister-in-law is being held.”

“I know.”

Gabriel looked ready to become a constitutional crisis.

Harper caught his hand.

He turned.

“No.”

His expression hardened.

She squeezed.

“Trust Emily.”

His jaw clenched.

“Harper.”

“Trust her.”

At St. Matthew, Emily had already begun cutting through the plastic restraint.

The metal edge of an old radiator bracket worked slowly.

Painfully.

Nolan paced near the stairs.

Phone in hand.

He did not see her wrists.

Emily kept talking.

“You know Rachel hates you.”

Nolan turned.

“Be quiet.”

“Probably always did.”

“Shut up.”

“She loved Michael more.”

Nolan crossed the room.

Good.

Closer.

Angry people made mistakes.

Emily saw the gun at his back.

She did not want the gun.

She wanted the keys clipped to his belt.

He leaned over.

“Another word—”

Emily slammed both tied fists into his throat.

Nolan staggered.

She grabbed the key ring.

Ran.

He caught her coat.

Fabric tore.

Emily hit the floor.

Nolan pulled the gun.

Then the basement windows exploded.

“FEDERAL AGENTS!”

Emily covered her head.

Nolan spun.

Gunfire cracked.

One shot.

Then silence.

Harper heard everything through Cho’s phone.

For two seconds, nobody spoke.

Then an agent’s voice.

“Suspect down. Alive.”

Harper stopped breathing.

“And hostage?”

A pause.

Then Emily shouted through someone’s radio.

“Tell my sister I saved myself!”

Harper began laughing and crying at the same time.

Gabriel closed his eyes.

Dominic smiled.

Agent Cho looked almost amused.

Harper wiped her face.

Then Emily’s voice came again.

“And tell Gabriel he owes me a new coat!”

Gabriel nodded solemnly.

“That seems fair.”