Chapter 11
The world went silent.
I sat there, holding the phone, unable to speak.
"What did you say?" I whispered.
"David, I'm sorry," Harold said. His voice was gentle. "The file contains medical records. DNA test results. Ethan... he's not biologically yours."
I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.
"That's impossible," I said. "Sarah and I were together. He was born while we were married."
"I know," Harold said. "But the DNA test doesn't lie. It was taken three years ago. Sarah had it done secretly."
"Then who... who is his father?"
Harold hesitated.
"Vincent," he said.
The phone slipped from my hand.
It clattered to the floor.
Vincent.
The loan shark. The mastermind. The monster.
He was Ethan's biological father.
Everything made sense now.
Why Vincent was so obsessed with Ethan.
Why Sarah had been so scared of him.
Why this whole thing had happened.
Vincent had gotten Sarah pregnant. Then he'd disappeared. Sarah had married me, thinking I'd never know. She'd let me raise Ethan as my own.
And then Vincent had come back.
He'd found out about Ethan.
And he'd wanted him.
The insurance money was just a bonus.
The real prize was Ethan.
His son.
I picked up the phone. My hands were shaking.
"David?" Harold said. "You still there?"
"Yeah," I said. My voice was barely a whisper.
"I know this is a shock," he said. "But it doesn't change anything. You're the only father Ethan has ever known. You're the one who loves him. Who protects him. Biology doesn't make a father. Love does."
He was right.
He was absolutely right.
Ethan was my son.
Not because of DNA.
But because I'd been there. Because I'd loved him. Because I'd held him when he was scared. Because I'd fought for him.
Nothing would ever change that.
"Okay," I said. "What do we do now?"
"First, I'm getting you out of here," Harold said. "I'm presenting this evidence to the DA. They'll drop the charges against you. And Sarah, if she cooperates."
"And Vincent?"
"We'll arrest him. The evidence on that drive is overwhelming. He'll go away for a very long time."
"Good," I said.
"But David," Harold said. "There's a problem."
"What now?"
"Vincent knows we have the drive," he said. "Sarah told me she thinks he has a mole in the police department. Someone who's been feeding him information."
"So he knows I'm getting out."
"Yes. And he knows we know about Ethan. David, he's going to make a move. Soon. He's going to try to take Ethan."
I stood up. My fear was gone. Replaced by pure, burning determination.
"Then we need to get to Ethan first," I said.
Harold was true to his word.
By the end of the day, I was released.
The charges against me were dropped. The DA apologized. They issued a warrant for Vincent's arrest.
Sarah was released too, but she had to wear an ankle monitor. She was cooperating fully. She was going to testify against Vincent and Richard.
I didn't have time to talk to her.
I had to get to Ethan.
I drove to my apartment as fast as I could.
Mike was there. He opened the door, looking relieved.
"Thank God you're back," he said. "Ethan has been asking for you nonstop."
I ran inside.
Ethan was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up when he saw me.
His face lit up like the sun.
"Dad!"
He ran to me. I dropped to my knees and caught him in my arms. I held him so tight I thought I might never let go.
"I missed you," he said. "I thought you were never coming back."
"I'm here," I said. "I'm here now. And I'm never leaving you again."
I held him for a long time.
Then I pulled back and looked at him.
He had my eyes. My smile.
He might not have had my DNA.
But he was my son.
More than anything.
"We have to go," I said.
"Go where?"
"Somewhere safe," I said. "Just for a little while."
I packed a bag. Clothes for both of us. Toothbrushes. Ethan's favorite stuffed animal.
Mike helped me.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To my cabin," I said. "Up in the mountains. No one knows about it. No cell service. No one can find us."
"Good idea," Mike said. "I'll stay here. If anyone comes looking, I'll lead them astray."
"Thanks, Mike. For everything."
"Anytime, brother."
I took Ethan's hand. "Come on, buddy. We're going on an adventure."
He looked excited. Scared, but excited.
We left.
I drove north. Toward the mountains.
The cabin was small. Rustic. But it was safe.
My parents had built it years ago. I'd spent every summer there as a kid. No one knew about it except my family. And they were all gone now.
We arrived as the sun was setting.
The cabin was just as I remembered it. Wooden walls. A fireplace. A porch with rocking chairs.
Ethan looked around, wide-eyed.
"This is cool," he said.
"Yeah," I said. "It is."
We made a fire. I cooked hot dogs on sticks. We sat on the porch and watched the stars come out.
For the first time in months, I felt like we were safe.
Ethan fell asleep on my lap. I carried him inside and put him to bed.
I sat by the fireplace, thinking.
Vincent was still out there.
He knew Ethan was his son.
And he wouldn't stop until he had him.
I had to end this.
Once and for all.
I pulled out my phone. I had one bar of service. Just enough to make a call.
I called Harold.
"I'm going to make a deal with Vincent," I said.
"What? David, no—"
"Listen to me," I said. "I'm going to offer him a trade. Me for Ethan. He lets Ethan go, and I'll give myself up."
"That's suicide."
"Maybe," I said. "But it's the only way to draw him out. To get him where we can arrest him."
Harold was quiet.
"I'll set it up," he said. "But I'm not letting you do this alone. We'll have SWAT teams nearby. We'll take him down the second he shows up."
"Okay," I said.
"David?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
"I will."
I hung up.
I looked at Ethan, sleeping peacefully.
I was going to protect him.
No matter what.
Even if it cost me my life.
The next morning, I got a call.
It was Vincent.
"I hear you want to make a trade," he said. His voice was cold. Amused.
"That's right," I said. "Me for Ethan. You let him go, and I'll come with you. No fighting. No tricks."
Vincent laughed.
"You really love that boy, don't you?" he said.
"More than anything."
"Good," Vincent said. "Because I love him too. He's my son. And I'm going to give him the life he deserves."
"The life he deserves is with me," I said.
"We'll see about that," Vincent said. "Here's the deal. You come alone to the old sawmill on Pine Ridge Road. Tomorrow at noon. Bring Ethan. You give yourself up, and I let him walk away."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I find you," he said. "And I take him. And I kill you. Slowly."
"Tomorrow at noon," I said. "I'll be there."
I hung up.
I looked at Ethan, who was eating cereal at the kitchen table.
He smiled at me.
I smiled back.
May you like
Tomorrow, this would all be over.
One way or another.
