Chapter 6: The Child They Chose as Bait
Chapter 6: The Child They Chose as Bait
The fire was finally under control just before three o'clock in the morning.
The greenhouse had been reduced to blackened steel and broken glass.
The scent of smoke still lingered over the Carver estate as firefighters packed away their equipment.
Daniel stood silently, watching the ruins.
"They knew exactly where to strike," he said.
Martin nodded grimly.
"The greenhouse wasn't visible from the main road. Whoever planned this knew the property."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Someone on the inside helped them."
Those words sent a chill through everyone standing nearby.
Hannah instinctively looked toward the servants gathered on the lawn.
Some were frightened.
Some were exhausted.
One of them was a traitor.
Inside the mansion, Daniel immediately ordered every entrance locked.
"No one leaves," he told his security chief.
"I want every employee accounted for."
"Yes, sir."
"And check every security camera from the last twenty-four hours."
"We're already reviewing them."
Daniel glanced toward Hannah.
"Stay with Martin."
"I can help."
"You've helped enough tonight."
"I'm not helpless."
"I know."
His voice softened.
"That's exactly why they're trying to eliminate you."
Hannah looked away.
She hated feeling protected.
It reminded her too much of the day Aaron had told her to stay home while he "handled one last job."
He had kissed her forehead.
Promised he would be back for dinner.
She had never seen him alive again.
On the second floor, Ben Carter slept peacefully, unaware of the danger surrounding him.
His bedroom door opened without a sound.
A shadow slipped inside.
Gloved hands.
A black hood.
No flashlight.
The intruder already knew the room's layout.
Ben stirred slightly.
Before he could wake, a cloth soaked in sweet-smelling chemicals covered his nose.
Within seconds, he fell unconscious.
The kidnapper wrapped him carefully in a blanket.
No noise.
No struggle.
Just before leaving, the intruder noticed a child's drawing lying on the bedside table.
It showed Hannah.
The baby.
Ben.
And Daniel.
The kidnapper stared at it for a moment before quietly slipping out the window using a rope ladder.
Downstairs, Martin suddenly frowned.
"Where's Ben?"
Hannah looked around.
"He should be asleep."
"I checked his room before the fire."
Martin's face turned pale.
"I need to see him."
They hurried upstairs.
Martin knocked softly.
"Ben?"
No answer.
He opened the door.
The bed was empty.
The blanket lay on the floor.
The window was wide open.
Cold night air rushed into the room.
Martin froze.
"No..."
Hannah felt her heart sink.
"No..."
Martin rushed to the window.
"The security lights are off."
Hannah gasped.
"They cut the power."
Martin immediately shouted into the hallway.
"Mr. Carver!"
Daniel appeared seconds later.
"What happened?"
Martin pointed toward the empty bed.
"Ben is gone."
For the first time that night...
Daniel's composure cracked.
"What?"
"He was taken."
Daniel crossed the room in two strides.
He examined the window.
The rope marks.
The muddy footprints.
The sleeping medicine bottle left beneath the bed.
Professional.
Clean.
Planned.
His jaw tightened.
"They came during the fire."
Hannah covered her mouth.
"The fire was a distraction."
Daniel nodded.
"They never cared about the greenhouse."
"They wanted Ben."
Across the city...
An abandoned warehouse overlooked the dark harbor.
Ben slowly opened his eyes.
His head hurt.
His wrists were tied loosely to a wooden chair.
A single light bulb hung from the ceiling.
He looked around, frightened.
"Mr. Martin?"
No answer.
"Miss Hannah?"
Silence.
Then footsteps echoed through the warehouse.
Richard Whitlock stepped into the light.
Ben had never seen him before.
Richard smiled politely.
"Hello, Benjamin."
Ben didn't answer.
Richard crouched until they were eye level.
"You don't need to be afraid."
Ben stared at him.
"I want to go home."
"So do I."
Richard smiled again.
"But first..."
He gently straightened Ben's collar.
"...I need Hannah Brooks to tell me where something is."
"I don't know anything."
"I believe you."
Richard stood.
"But she does."
He nodded toward one of his men.
"Make sure the boy is comfortable."
"No unnecessary harm."
The guard looked surprised.
"You want him alive?"
Richard's eyes turned cold.
"For now."
Back at the mansion, every available guard searched the estate.
Dogs tracked scent trails.
Drones scanned nearby woods.
Police roadblocks surrounded the area.
Nothing.
Daniel entered the security room.
"Report."
The technician rewound surveillance footage frame by frame.
"There."
A blurry figure crossed the west garden moments after the greenhouse exploded.
"Zoom in."
The image sharpened.
Still unclear.
But one detail stood out.
The kidnapper wore a maintenance uniform.
Martin frowned.
"We don't employ anyone that size."
Daniel looked closer.
"No."
"He changed clothes after entering the estate."
Another technician spoke.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"We found something else."
He switched to another camera.
The footage showed the servants' hallway.
At 11:47 p.m...
Evelyn Pierce stepped into a storage closet.
Three minutes later...
She came out without the basket of towels she had been carrying.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"What was inside that basket?"
No one knew.
Martin looked troubled.
"Evelyn has worked here for years."
Daniel turned toward the screen.
"Find her."
A guard hurried from the room.
Five minutes later he returned.
"Sir..."
Daniel already knew.
"She's gone."
Her room was empty.
Her uniform had been left neatly folded on the bed.
The window was open.
On her pillow rested a single envelope addressed to Daniel Carver.
Inside was one typed sentence.
If you want the boy alive, bring Elizabeth Carver's letter to Pier 17 before sunrise. Come alone.
Hannah stared at the message.
"They're lying."
Daniel looked at her.
"They don't want the letter."
"They want you."
Daniel folded the paper.
"I know."
Martin stepped forward.
"You can't go."
"I have no choice."
Hannah grabbed Daniel's arm.
"You said Aaron trusted you."
He looked into her eyes.
"He did."
"Then don't make the same mistake that cost him his life."
Daniel remained silent.
For several long seconds, no one spoke.
Finally, he reached into his coat and removed Aaron's sealed envelope.
He placed it in Hannah's hands.
"If I don't come back..."
Hannah immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Listen to me."
She refused.
"No."
"Take the envelope."
"I won't."
Their eyes met.
Daniel gave the faintest smile.
"The stubbornness."
"It really is contagious."
Before Hannah could stop him, Daniel turned and walked out of the room.
Outside, the first hint of dawn appeared over Providence Harbor.
Waiting at Pier 17...
Richard Whitlock smiled as he watched the sun begin to rise.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
Or so he believed.
Because hidden on the roof of the warehouse across the street, an unseen figure adjusted the scope of a sniper rifle.
The crosshairs settled...
Not on Daniel.
May you like
Not on Ben.
But directly on Richard Whitlock.
