Chapter 6 The Face From The Past

• "That's the man who attended my parents' funeral."
• The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Silence followed. Heavy and uncomfortable. Marcus stared at me, Adrian did the same. Neither looked convinced, neither looked relaxed. My hands shook around the tablet.
• "I know him."
• Marcus frowned.
• "Elena, you were four."
• "I know."
• My voice cracked.
• "I know how crazy it sounds."
• Because it did. It sounded impossible. A four-year-old shouldn't remember faces, shouldn't remember strangers standing near a grave, shouldn't remember anything but I did. Not everything, only pieces, small fragments, broken memories yet that face wasn't one of them. That face stayed for years. For some reason, I never forgot. Adrian took the tablet from my hands. His expression darkened.
• "You've seen him before?"
• I nodded.
• Fear settled inside my chest.
• "At the funeral."
• Marcus rubbed his forehead.
• "This changes things."
• My stomach tightened.
• "What things?"
• Neither answered again. Always silence, always secrets. Anger flared inside me.
• "Stop doing that."
• Marcus looked up.
• "What?"
• "Acting like everyone knows what's happening except me."
• My voice rose.
• "My parents are dead."
• I pointed toward the screen.
• "That man somehow connects to them."
• My breathing became uneven.
• "And nobody is telling me anything."
• The guilt on Marcus' face confirmed everything. Adrian looked away. That hurt more because he always looked away when he didn't want to answer.
• "We traced the video."
• Everyone turned immediately. Hope flickered inside me. Maybe finally, maybe now we'd get answers. The officer continued.
• "It came from an abandoned warehouse outside the city."
• Adrian's jaw tightened.
• "Can we pinpoint the exact location?"
• The officer nodded.
• "Yes."
• Relief rushed through me then disappointed because the officer's expression changed. Something was wrong, very wrong.
• "What is it?"
• The officer hesitated then sighed.
• "The signal stopped ten minutes ago."
• My stomach dropped. Meaning the kidnappers had moved again. The room filled with frustration. Marcus cursed quietly. Adrian looked ready to punch something. Nobody liked that answer. The officer continued.
• "We have another problem."
• The tension increased immediately.
• "What now?"
• The officer looked directly at Adrian.
• "They sent another message."
• Fear crawled through me.
• "What does it say?"
• Nobody answered. The officer handed Adrian his phone. I watched his face carefully. Every trace of color disappeared instantly. My pulse quickened.
• "What happened?"
• Adrian stared at the screen then slowly handed the phone to Marcus. Marcus read it then swore loudly. My heart started racing.
• "What is it?"
• Marcus looked at me. His face was grim.
• "They changed the deal."
• A cold chill ran through me. The deal, the ransom, the kidnapping, everything suddenly felt worse.
• "How?"
• Marcus swallowed.
• "They don't want money anymore."
• The world seemed to stop. If they didn't want money then this wasn't about Vivian. Not really. Fear settled deeper inside my chest.
• "What do they want?"
• Neither man answered immediately. That terrified me. Finally Adrian spoke.
• "You."
• My blood turned cold. No! No!! No!!! I stared at him, certain I heard wrong.
• "What?"
• His expression remained serious.
• "They want you."
• My heartbeat thundered. The harbor suddenly felt smaller, colder and dangerous.
• "Why?"
• Nobody knew or maybe somebody did. At this point, i wasn't sure. Marcus stepped closer.
• "It doesn't matter."
• "It matters to me."
• My voice cracked.
• "They kidnapped a woman."
• I pointed toward the screen.
• "They threatened to kill her."
• Fear spread through every part of me.
• "And now they're asking for me."
• My stomach twisted.
• "That matters."
• Nobody argued because I was right. A ringtone suddenly shattered the silence. Everyone froze. Adrian checked his phone. Unknown number. The air instantly changed. The call had to be connected. It had to be. Adrian answered immediately.
• "Who is this?"
• Silence then whoever was on the other end started talking. I couldn't hear the words but I could see Adrian's reaction. His face darkened then hardened, then became completely unreadable.
• A few seconds later, he ended the call. Nobody moved, nobody breathed.
• "What did they say?"
• Marcus asked first. Adrian's jaw tightened.
• "They want a meeting."
• My stomach dropped.
• "When?"
• "Tonight."
• Fear gripped my chest. Everything was happening too fast. Way too fast. Marcus folded his arms.
• "No."
• Adrian looked at him.
• "They have Vivian."
• "I don't care."
• The answer shocked everyone including me. Marcus rarely sounded cruel. Tonight he did.
• "They don't get Elena."
• My pulse quickened. Part of me wanted to agree, the other part wanted answers. Real answers. For the first time in years, I looked at Adrian.
• "What if I go?"
• Both men turned toward me immediately.
• "No."
• The answer came from both, at the same time. I almost laughed. Almost instead frustration exploded.
• "You don't own me."
• Marcus ran a hand across his face.
• "This isn't a game."
• "I know."
• My voice shook.
• "But I'm tired."
• The confession slipped out before I could stop it. Silence followed. I continued anyway.
• "I'm tired of lies."
• My eyes burned.
• "I'm tired of people making decisions for me."
• I looked directly at Adrian.
• "I'm tired of secrets."
• His expression changed. Guilt, regret, something painful. I didn't care enough to identify it. For years I begged for honesty now I demanded it.
• A black SUV suddenly pulled into the harbor. Everyone turned. The vehicle stopped several feet away. The engine died then the driver's door opened. A man stepped out. The second I saw him, every muscle in my body locked. No! It couldn't be. The face, the same face from the video, the same face from the funeral, the same man, standing right in front of us. My breathing stopped.
• Police officers immediately reached for their weapons. The man ignored them completely. Instead, he looked directly at me. Like nobody else existed then he smiled, a calm smile. That kind that made my skin crawl.
• Marcus immediately stepped in front of me, Adrian did the same. Neither trusted him, neither wanted him close. The stranger stopped walking a few feet away then raised both hands.
• "I'm not here to fight."
• Nobody believed him, especially me because kidnappers didn't show up peacefully unless they wanted something. His gaze never left mine not once then he reached into his coat. Several officers raised their guns instantly.
• "Don't move!"
• The stranger ignored them. Slowly and carefully, he pulled out an old photograph. My heart skipped because even from a distance, i recognized the picture. A family photograph. One I hadn't seen in years, one I thought was lost forever. The picture of me, my mother, my father and Marcus. The stranger held it up then said words that destroyed everything.
• "Elena..."
• My stomach dropped, my pulse roared, fear swallowed me whole because the way he said my name sounded familiar. Far too familiar then he smiled sadly and delivered the truth.
• "I was there the night your parents died."