Chapter Thirty

Emily was confused because she needed 

more answers. But she was sure of one thing. Ryan was in trouble.

“Please call him again,” Sophia persuaded her.

Emily dialed Ryan's number right away.

It rang a single time.

Then it went directly to voicemail.

She gave it another try.

Still nothing.

Sophia turned on the car.

"We need to find somewhere safe."

Emily kept her eyes fixed on her phone.

"He said they were there."

"Who do you think he is referring to?" Emily asked.

"I have no idea."

Emily could not erase those messages from her head.

RYAN IS NOT WORKING WITH MARGARET.

HE'S TRYING TO SAVE YOU FROM HER.

Was Ryan truly attempting to protect her?

She no longer knew what to believe.

Her phone rang.

This time, it was Lucas's turn.

Emily replied right away.

"Lucas?"

"Have you heard anything from Ryan?"

"Yes. He gave me a call."

Lucas went quiet.

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me he had discovered who Daniel is really working for."

"Did he say who it was?"

"No. Someone walked into the place where he was. The call was cut off."

"I had a feeling something was wrong," Lucas said as he sighed.

Emily raised her eyebrows.

“Please explain what you mean by that?" She asked.

"After I saw that photograph of Ryan with Daniel, I went back over everything I've gathered."

"And?"

"There are a number of meetings between Ryan and people tied to Carter Holdings that simply don't make sense."

Emily felt her chest grow tight.

“Do you believe he was collaborating with them?”

“No.”

Lucas replied without hesitation.

“I believe he was looking into them.”

Emily turned her gaze to Sophia.

That fit with the message she had gotten.

“Why would Ryan look into his own company?”

“Because his financial troubles might have been larger than you realized.”

Emily recalled what Ryan had confessed earlier.

The troubles at his company had worsened once Damian's takeover started.

“What did you discover?”

“I discovered payments made through accounts tied to Carter Holdings. A number of them later passed through companies linked to people employed by Victor Knight.”

Emily gazed straight ahead.

“And Ryan was aware?”

“I believe he had some suspicion.”

Sophia said this from behind the wheel.

“Then Ryan might have been trying to uncover whoever was behind the financial troubles.”

Lucas concurred.

"That would account for why he vanished."

Emily lowered her gaze.

Ryan had betrayed her.

That would never be different.

But maybe he had spoken the truth when he claimed he wanted to keep her safe.

"Lucas," she asked softly, "was Ryan aware of my inheritance?"

"Yes."

"He knew Margaret had been controlling it?"

"He uncovered irregularities tied to your trust. That's why he handed you those documents."

Emily recalled the words from his letter.

I'm not letting you go.

Back then, she had thought he was referring only to their marriage.

Now she questioned whether he had meant something different.

Sophia turned down a quieter road.

"We have to tell Damian everything."

Emily nodded.

She gave him a call.

He picked up nearly right away.

"Emily?"

"Ryan gave me a call."

Damian went quiet.

"What were his words?"

"He told me he'd discovered who Daniel is working for. Then somebody showed up, and the call was cut off."

Damian's tone grew harder.

"Are you out of danger?"

"Yes. I'm with Sophia."

"What about Lucas?"

"He's looking into it."

Damian hesitated.

"That is nice"

Emily noticed the change in his voice.

"I know there is something you are not telling me."

"All I can tell you is that Ryan might have been looking into the same people I've been looking into."

Emily sat up.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked.

"I did not tell you because I was not sure."

"Sure of what?"

"Victor could have been exploiting people within Carter Holdings for years."

Emily gazed out the window.

"Is Margaret included in that?"

"I have no idea."

"But Lucas saw her together with Daniel."

"I'm aware."

"How did you find out?" Emily asked surprisingly.

"I have people tracking those same movements."

She stayed silent.

Then Damian said, "Emily, I want you to keep your distance from Ryan's investigation."

"Why?"

"I think thay whoever is backing Daniel already knows you are asking questions."

Emily glared at the picture on her phone.

Someone had been monitoring her.

Someone was aware of Damian.

Someone was aware of Vanessa.

And now someone was attempting to shape what she believed about Lucas and Ryan.

"I can't keep hiding," she said.

"I know,” Damian said with a soft voice.

"But you don't have to deal with this on your own," he added.

His words hit Emily more than she wanted to admit.

She spent many years depending on Ryan.

This is the first time she was starting to understand the difference between depending on someone and choosing to trust them.

And she wanted to trust Damian.

But she wasn't ready to admit that out loud.

"I'll be careful," she said.

"I'll see you soon."

The call came to an end.

Sophia looked over at Emily.

"You care about him."

Emily met her gaze.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't need to."

Emily smiled in spite of herself.

Then her phone buzzed.

A message from a number she didn't recognize.

RYAN TOLD YOU TOO MUCH.

Emily's smile vanished.

A different message showed up.

STOP SEARCHING FOR HIM.

Sophia eased off the gas.

“Emily…”

A third message came through.

OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.

Emily's heart sank.

She phoned Ryan once more right away.

There was still no answer.

Then a new notification popped up.

This time, it was a photo.

Emily opened it.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Ryan was in the image.

He was seated in a dark room, his hands bound behind a chair.

He was still alive.

But behind him stood a man whose face Emily had never seen before.

A caption showed up below the photograph.

NOW YOU OCCURS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T LISTEN.

Emily's hands began to shake.

Sophia noticed it and stopped the car.

“Who is that man?”

Emily fixed her gaze on the man in the photograph.

She had no idea who he was.

Then her attention was drawn to something hanging from his neck.

A tiny silver pendant.

She recognized it.

She had come across it in one of the old photographs at her parents' house.

Emily turned to Sophia, stunned.

“That pendant…”

Sophia moved in closer.

“What about it?”

Emily's voice shook.

“My father owned one just like it.”

The phone buzzed once more.

One last message came through.

ASK DAMIAN WHY HIS FATHER HAD ONE TOO