Chapter 16: The Voice Behind the Apology
Chapter 15: The Enemy Within
The emergency sirens echoed through the underground operations center.
Red backup lights flashed across the concrete walls.
One of Daniel's guards lay unconscious on the floor, a tranquilizer dart protruding from his neck.
Every weapon in the room was drawn.
No one knew where the voice had come from.
"You should have listened to Caleb."
The words lingered in the darkness.
Daniel immediately moved in front of Hannah.
"Stay behind me."
"I will," she whispered, one hand protectively resting on her stomach.
Samuel hurried to the main control panel.
"They've disabled the primary power."
"Can you restore it?"
"I'm trying."
His fingers flew across the keyboard, but nothing responded.
"They've locked me out."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"From inside?"
Samuel nodded grimly.
"Only someone with full access could do this."
Martin looked around the room.
"So the traitor really has been hiding here."
A metallic door slammed somewhere deeper inside the bunker.
Footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Daniel motioned for two guards to move left while the others covered the hallway.
The footsteps stopped.
Then the lights suddenly came back on.
Standing at the far end of the corridor was a familiar face.
Everyone froze.
It was Ethan Cross, Daniel's deputy head of security.
He had worked for the Carver family for nearly twelve years.
Daniel lowered his pistol slightly.
"Ethan?"
Ethan stood calmly with both hands visible.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to suspect me."
Martin stared in disbelief.
"It can't be."
Daniel's voice was cold.
"You've been dead for three days."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"I allowed Richard to believe that."
"So the attack on Pier 17..."
"Was my disappearance."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"You faked your death."
"I disappeared."
"There's a difference."
Hannah stepped closer.
"You knew Aaron."
Ethan looked at her with genuine sadness.
"I did."
"Were you the one who killed him?"
Silence.
Finally, Ethan shook his head.
"No."
"I couldn't."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect nothing."
Daniel never took his eyes off Ethan.
"Then explain."
Ethan slowly removed the pistol from his holster.
For one tense moment everyone prepared to fire.
Instead, he placed the weapon on the floor and kicked it away.
"I'm not here to fight you."
"Then why are you here?"
"To finish what Aaron and Caleb started."
Daniel frowned.
"Start talking."
Ethan took a deep breath.
"I was the undercover officer Caleb trusted."
The room fell silent.
Hannah blinked.
"Officer?"
Ethan nodded.
"My real name is Ethan Cross."
"I'm a federal investigator assigned to an organized crime task force."
Samuel looked stunned.
"You've been undercover all these years?"
"Twelve years."
Daniel stared at him.
"You never told me."
"I couldn't."
"My cover depended on it."
Martin slowly sat down, trying to absorb everything.
"So you've been investigating Victor."
"And Richard."
Ethan nodded.
"But six months ago..."
His expression darkened.
"...I realized we were investigating the wrong people."
Daniel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Victor built the organization."
"Richard expanded it."
"But neither one ordered Aaron's murder."
Hannah's heart pounded.
"Who did?"
Ethan looked directly at Daniel.
"Someone you trust."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Give me a name."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't have proof."
Daniel took one step forward.
"After everything that's happened..."
"You still don't know?"
"I know enough to be dangerous."
"But not enough to win."
Samuel suddenly remembered something.
"The memory card."
Daniel reached into his pocket.
It was gone.
His face turned pale.
"No..."
Hannah immediately understood.
"It was stolen."
Everyone searched the room.
Empty pockets.
Open bags.
Nothing.
Ethan quietly said,
"The lights went out for exactly eleven seconds."
"That was long enough."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"The traitor took it."
Before anyone could respond, one of the security monitors flickered back to life.
A masked figure appeared on the screen.
The face was completely hidden beneath a black hood.
Only the voice could be heard.
Distorted.
Calm.
"I've waited a long time for this."
Daniel stepped toward the monitor.
"Who are you?"
The figure chuckled.
"You've met me many times."
Hannah felt a chill run down her spine.
The voice sounded strangely familiar.
"You've spent months searching for Aaron's killer."
The masked figure paused.
"You were standing beside him."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"What?"
The figure continued.
"When Aaron discovered the final account records..."
"He called someone he believed he could trust."
"He never realized that call was being recorded."
Hannah whispered,
"No..."
The masked figure lifted a small object toward the camera.
It was Caleb's memory card.
"I'll keep this."
"You've already seen too much."
The screen went black.
Silence filled the operations center.
Daniel slowly turned toward Ethan.
"Can you identify the voice?"
Ethan closed his eyes for a moment.
"I've heard it before."
"Where?"
"I can't remember."
"But I know one thing."
"What?"
"The killer has been pretending to protect all of us."
At that moment, Samuel's computer emitted a soft beep.
One system had restarted.
A hidden surveillance file automatically opened.
The timestamp read:
October 14 — 10:42 p.m.
The night Aaron died.
The video showed Aaron running across a loading dock, clutching a black briefcase.
He wasn't alone.
Another person was running beside him.
The camera angle was poor, making the face impossible to see.
Then Aaron stopped.
He turned toward the other person.
Instead of fear...
He smiled.
He knew them.
He trusted them.
A second later, the screen filled with the flash of a gunshot.
Aaron collapsed.
The unknown figure caught him before he hit the ground.
Then leaned down and whispered something into Aaron's ear.
The audio was damaged.
Only two words could be heard clearly.
"I'm..."
Static.
"...sorry."
The figure disappeared into the darkness carrying the briefcase.
Hannah covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Aaron had not been murdered by a stranger.
May you like
He had been betrayed...
By someone he had trusted with his life.
