Chapter 13 - Uncle Richard’s Confession
My father crossed the corridor before anyone could stop him.
He grabbed Richard by the coat.
“You let me believe you betrayed her.”
Richard did not fight back.
“I needed Blackthorn to believe the same thing.”
“For nineteen years?”
“Yes.”
Dad shoved him against the wall.
“You let Claire grow up believing her mother died in an accident.”
Richard’s expression hardened.
“That was your lie.”
Dad froze.
Richard straightened his coat.
“Do not put that on me.”
The words hit harder because they were true.
I stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Both men looked at me.
“I want the second key.”
Richard handed it over.
“No games?”
“No more games.”
Evelyn inserted the key into the secure reader.
The archive began decrypting.
I looked at my uncle.
“Did you know Nathan approached me because of Adrian?”
“Yes.”
My anger surged.
“You let it happen too?”
“I did not know Nathan had accepted money until after you were engaged.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I warned Charles.”
I turned to Dad.
He looked away.
Richard continued.
“We argued.”
“I wanted to pull you out.”
“Charles believed confronting Nathan would alert Adrian.”
I laughed bitterly.
“So both of you chose the investigation over me.”
Neither answered.
That silence cut deeper than any explanation.
I looked at Nathan.
He stood several feet away.
For once, he did not defend himself.
I turned back to Richard.
“Did you know Nathan was abusing me?”
“No.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
“Yes.”
“At least someone has a quick answer.”
My father flinched.
Richard looked at him.
“I told you secrecy would consume the family.”
Dad’s reply was quiet.
“And you disappeared.”
“I infiltrated an organization that killed Laura.”
“You did not know they killed her.”
Richard’s face changed.
“I do now.”
The decryption completed.
Evelyn opened CURRENT CUSTODIAN.
A photograph appeared.
Not Richard.
Not Adrian.
Not Sloan.
Not Celeste.
The face belonged to Gerald Knox.
Chairman of Ashford Global’s board.
The man who had stood in my foyer hours earlier pretending to help remove Nathan.
Nathan whispered.
“No.”
Evelyn checked another file.
“Gerald joined the board eleven years ago.”
Richard nodded.
“And chaired Bennett Sovereign’s transportation investment committee for four years before that.”
Dad stared at the screen.
“I trusted him.”
Richard gave him a sad look.
“That is why he survived.”
Everything suddenly made sense.
Gerald had known exactly when our audit committee received evidence.
He knew which accounts were freezing.
He knew about David.
He had access to Ashford Global’s internal security.
I grabbed my phone.
“Where is Gerald?”
Dad’s security chief answered immediately.
“He left Blackthorn Manor forty minutes ago.”
“Destination?”
“Unknown.”
Richard looked at Sloan.
“Where would Knox go?”
Sloan smiled.
“You think I worked for him?”
“Didn’t you?”
“I worked for the network.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It is the only one you get.”
Celeste stepped forward.
“I know where he is.”
Everyone turned.
Nathan frowned.
“How?”
She looked at him.
“Because six months ago, Gerald told me what would happen if you ever lost control of Claire.”
Nathan stared.
“What did he say?”
“That Blackthorn had a contingency location.”
“Where?”
Celeste looked at my father.
“Bennett Airfield.”
Dad’s face hardened.
“Our private aviation facility.”
Richard swore.
“Of course.”
I understood.
If Gerald controlled or compromised our airfield, he could leave the country within minutes.
Dad ordered every runway locked.
Richard shook his head.
“He has his own pilot.”
Dad turned.
“He will not get airborne.”
Richard looked toward the decrypted archive.
“You’re missing the real danger.”
“What?”
“Gerald knows Laura’s archive has been opened.”
“So?”
“So Blackthorn’s protocol requires the custodian to destroy the network’s exposure risk.”
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Richard’s face became grim.
“It means he won’t run first.”
“He’ll erase everyone who can identify him.”
Nathan looked toward Celeste.
Then toward me.
“Who is on that list?”
Evelyn scanned the files.
Her face went pale.
“Claire.”
I stepped closer.
“What?”
She turned the screen.
A document showed five priority names.
CHARLES BENNETT.
RICHARD BENNETT.
CELESTE MONROE.
PETER SLOAN.
CLAIRE ASHFORD.
My name was last.
Beside it were two words.
PRIMARY LEVERAGE.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
I had spent years believing Nathan was the greatest threat in my life.
Now I learned that to the people behind him, he had only ever been a tool used to reach me.
