Chapter 6: The Youngest Brother's Secret
Jackson stared at the name until the letters blurred.
Cole Bennett.
The youngest member of their circle.
The man who had spent the last nine years fixing their motorcycles, making terrible jokes, and quietly paying the bills whenever one of them was struggling.
The man who had just been left alone with Emily.
“Tell me that's a coincidence,” Ryder said.
Marcus took the ledger and examined the entry.
“It's not a signature. It's a name beside a payment.””
“What payment?”” Ryder asked.
Marcus read the line beneath it.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars. Transferred three days before the fire.””
Jackson felt a cold weight settle in his stomach.
“Cole didn't have twenty-five thousand dollars back then.””
“Neither did any of us,” Ryder replied.
Marcus turned several pages.
There were more entries.
Cole's name appeared beside two transfers, both made through an account registered to a company that no longer existed.
Ryder slammed the ledger shut.
“I knew something was wrong with him.””
Jackson turned sharply.
“Don't start.””
“He was the last person to leave the garage before the fire.””
“So were half the men in the club.””
“And he never told us about the money.””
“We don't know what it means.””
Ryder stepped closer.
“What more do you need? Daniel's voice recording tells us someone inside the club helped Victor. Now we find Cole's name in the ledger, and you still want to protect him?””
Jackson looked at the page again.
“I want proof before I condemn another brother.””
Marcus checked his phone.
“Cole's still with Emily. If he were working with Victor, he had a perfect opportunity to take her.””
“Unless he's waiting for us to bring him the ledger,” Ryder said.
Jackson's phone buzzed.
A message from Cole.
*Emily is asking for you. She found something in her father's old drawing. Call me.*
Jackson immediately dialed.
Cole answered on the first ring.
“Jackson?””
“Where are you?””
“Still at the safe location. Emily's sitting beside me. She's upset about Denise, but she's safe.””
“Listen carefully. Did you know Daniel hid something for Emily?””
“No. Why?””
Jackson glanced at Marcus and Ryder.
“Your name is in the ledger.””
Silence.
Then Cole whispered, “Oh, God.””
Ryder leaned toward the phone.
“What did you do?””
“Nothing!””
“Twenty-five thousand dollars, Cole. Three days before the fire. Explain that.””
“I can't. Not over the phone.””
Ryder's face twisted with anger.
“You've got five seconds before I come there.””
“Ryder, please. I didn't take the money for myself.””
Jackson interrupted.
“Then who was it for?””
Cole took a shaky breath.
“My sister.””
Nobody spoke.
Cole's sister, Hannah, had been killed in a car accident when he was nineteen. At least, that was what the men believed. Cole rarely spoke about her, and none of them had questioned him.
“My sister wasn't dead,” Cole said.
Ryder stared at the phone.
“What?””
“She was alive when the fire happened. Victor had been threatening her. He said she owed money to people who wouldn't hesitate to hurt her.””
Jackson frowned.
“Why didn't you come to us?””
“Because I was ashamed. Hannah had been using drugs. She got involved with people who stole vehicles and resold parts. I thought I could help her without dragging the club into it.””
“And Victor paid you?”” Marcus asked.
“No. He offered to pay her debt if I gave him access to the garage schedules.””
Ryder's voice became dangerously quiet.
“You gave him the schedules?””
Cole began to cry.
“I thought he wanted to move some motorcycles through the property. I didn't know about the medical supplies. I didn't know he was going to hurt Daniel.””
Jackson felt the truth opening before him, ugly and complicated.
“Did you know Victor was going to the garage that night?””
“No. I swear. I gave him the schedule a week earlier. When I found out Daniel was missing, I went looking for him.””
“Why didn't you tell us?””
“Because Victor sent me a picture of Hannah tied to a chair. He said if I talked, she'd die. A week later, he told me she'd escaped and that I should stop asking questions.””
Ryder shook his head.
“You let us believe Daniel was dead while you protected yourself.””
“I was twenty-five years old!”” Cole shouted.
“I was scared, Ryder. I thought I'd gotten my sister killed. I thought if I told you, you'd throw me out, and I'd lose the only family I had left.””
His voice broke.
“I was wrong. I know that. But I never locked that door.””
Jackson closed his eyes.
The anger inside him was real, but beneath it was a painful recognition.
They had all made choices out of fear.
He had ignored Daniel's calls because he was too proud to apologize.
Cole had kept quiet because he was terrified of losing his sister.
And Victor had turned their weaknesses into weapons.
“Cole,” Jackson said, “I need you to listen to me. Is Emily with you right now?””
“Yes.””
“Good. Keep her away from the windows. Lock the doors. Don't let anyone in unless you verify their identity through Marcus.””
“What about Denise?””
“We're going to find her.””
Cole hesitated.
“Jackson, there's something else.””
“What?””
“Emily found a drawing in her bag. She says Daniel gave it to her when she was a baby. There's a key taped to the back.””
Jackson looked at the brass key on the workbench.
“Describe it.””
“Small, silver, with the number 317 engraved on it.””
Marcus's head snapped up.
“That's the storage locker.””
Jackson stared at the ledger.
“Where's the key now?””
“Emily's holding it.””
“Don't let her give it to anyone. We're coming to you.””
He ended the call.
Ryder was already walking toward the motorcycles.
“We need to get to Cole before Victor does.””
Marcus stopped him.
“Wait. If Cole's telling the truth, Victor may be using the same trick on him that he used on Denise.””
“What trick?””
“Threatening someone he loves to force him into doing something reckless.””
Jackson tucked the ledger inside his jacket.
“Then we're not giving Victor another chance to control the situation.””
They reached the safe location at 6:09 p.m.
Cole stood in the doorway with Emily beside him. The little girl clutched the silver key in one hand and Daniel's photograph in the other.
When she saw Jackson, she ran to him.
“Did you find Daddy?””
“Not yet, sweetheart.””
Her shoulders dropped.
“But we're closer.””
She looked at the ledger beneath his jacket.
“Is that the book Daddy hid?””
Jackson nodded.
Emily held up the silver key.
“Mommy taped this to the back of my drawing. She said Daddy wanted me to keep it safe.””
Marcus took out his phone and checked the storage facility's address against the records they'd gathered. The unit was registered under an old company Daniel had used before the fire.
“We can check the unit,” he said.
“But we're doing it carefully. No one goes inside until we've verified the location and secured the area.””
Ryder looked at Cole.
“You're coming with us.””
Cole nodded, his eyes red.
“I understand.””
Emily tugged Jackson's sleeve.
“Can I come?””
“No,” all four men answered at once.
She folded her arms.
“But it's my key.””
“And it's our job to keep you safe,” Jackson said.
She looked down.
“Daddy always let me help.””
Jackson knelt.
“Your daddy also knew when to let grown-ups handle the dangerous parts. You can help us by staying here with Denise's trusted friends and telling us everything you remember.””
Emily thought about it.
Then she nodded reluctantly.
“Bring Daddy home.””
Jackson touched his forehead to hers.
“I will.””
The four bikers left together.
At 6:31 p.m., they arrived at the storage facility.
The manager, an older woman named Mrs. Alvarez, verified the unit number and Daniel's old rental records. She confirmed that the unit had been paid for in advance and that the lock had never been changed.
She refused to open it until Marcus showed her the appropriate authorization and explained that they were investigating a potential crime. After checking the records and calling the facility's security contact, she agreed to accompany them.
The silver key turned smoothly.
Inside, they found an old motorcycle, several dusty boxes, and a metal filing cabinet.
Ryder opened the first box.
Photographs.
Letters.
A child's blanket.
Cole picked up the blanket, his expression softening.
“Daniel kept all this?””
Jackson nodded.
“He was sentimental.””
Marcus opened the filing cabinet.
The top drawer contained old club records. The second held medical documents and newspaper clippings about the fire.
The bottom drawer was locked.
Jackson used the brass key from his chain.
Inside lay a thick envelope marked with Daniel's name.
He opened it carefully.
The first page was a handwritten letter.
Jackson, if you've found this, then Victor's plan has failed, or I've finally run out of time.
I'm alive, but I cannot come home yet.
The evidence in this locker will prove what happened at the garage. It will also prove that someone helped Victor arrange my disappearance.
I know you will want to come looking for me. Don't.
Find the person who signed the transfer authorization. Find out who ordered the fire. And don't trust the man who tells you he has already forgiven himself.
Jackson lowered the letter.
Ryder read over his shoulder.
“Who signed the authorization?””
Marcus pulled out a second document.
The signature was clear.
Not Jackson's.
Not Cole's.
Not Ryder's.
It belonged to a man who had died six years earlier.
A retired police captain named Harold Vance.
Marcus stared at the page.
“Vance investigated the fire.””
Ryder swore.
“He told us Daniel was dead.””
“And he signed the transfer that moved the money,” Marcus said.
Jackson's phone rang.
The number was unknown.
He answered without speaking.
A woman's voice came through, shaking with fear.
“Jackson Reed?””
“Who is this?””
“My name is Hannah Bennett.””
Cole went rigid.
His sister.
The sister he believed dead.
“I need you to listen,” Hannah whispered.
“Victor knows you found the locker. He's on his way to the safe house.””
Jackson's blood ran cold.
“Emily is there.””
“I know.””
“Where are you?””
“I'm watching Victor's men from across the street. I can see the front door.””
Jackson turned toward Cole.
“Hannah, get away from there. Call emergency services and stay somewhere secure.””
“I can't. There's something you need to know about Denise.””
“What?””
Hannah's voice broke.
“She's not Victor's prisoner anymore.””
Jackson stared at the phone.
“Then where is she?””
“She went to the old garage. She thinks she's trading the ledger for Daniel.””
“That's impossible. We have the ledger.””
“I know. Victor gave her a different deadline. He told her he'd bring Daniel out if she came alone.””
Jackson's grip tightened.
“Did she believe him?””
A long silence followed.
Then Hannah whispered, “Jackson, she's not going to meet Victor.””
“Who is she meeting?””
The answer came so quietly he almost missed it.
“Your father.””
Jackson stopped breathing.
His father had been dead for eleven years.
Before he could question her, Hannah added six words.
“Your father is the man who started the fire.””
May you like
The call ended.
And somewhere across Texas, the man Jackson had buried more than a decade ago was waiting for him at the place where Daniel Carter had disappeared.
