I REFUSE TO SHAKE

The FBI building looks like a prison with better lighting.

Vanessa walks ahead of me. Heels clicking on marble. Hair perfect. Suit expensive. She looks like she owns the place instead of being a witness in a federal investigation.

"Stop staring," she says without turning around.

"Stop looking like you're about to betray us."

"If I was going to betray you, I would have done it in the mountains. Alone. With a shovel."

"Charming."

"I'm not here to be charming. I'm here to put my father in prison."

We stop at a metal detector. A guard checks my bag. My phone. My recorder.

"No electronics beyond this point."

"I'm a journalist."

"You're a visitor. Leave it here."

I hand over my phone. My recorder. My dignity.

Vanessa smirks. "First time?"

"Shut up."

---

The conference room is small. Gray walls. Gray table. Gray faces.

Two agents sit across from us. Agent Morrison — fifty, grey hair, grey suit, grey eyes. Agent Park — thirty, sharp, watching everything.

"Miss Thompson." Morrison doesn't stand. "Thank you for coming."

"I didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice."

"Not when your son has been kidnapped."

Morrison's expression doesn't change. "Let's start at the beginning."

"The beginning of what?"

"The beginning of your relationship with Ethan Hayes."

I look at Vanessa. She nods.

"We met three years ago. At a charity event. I was covering it for the Seattle Chronicle. He was the guest of honor."

"You interviewed him?"

"I tried. He wasn't interested."

"But something changed."

"Something changed." I swallow. "He asked me to dinner. I said no. He asked again. I said maybe. He asked a third time. I said yes."

"You fell in love."

"I fell into trouble."

Morrison flips a page. "When did you become pregnant?"

"Two months into the relationship."

"Did Ethan know?"

"I was going to tell him. The night of the accident."

"Tell me about the accident."

"I was driving home from his apartment. It was raining. A car ran a red light. Hit me on the driver's side."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"I remember waking up in the hospital. I remember a doctor telling me my baby didn't survive. I remember signing papers. I remember nothing else."

"Someone signed your discharge papers."

"I don't remember signing them."

"Because you didn't." Morrison slides a document across the table. "This is your signature from the hospital intake form. And this is the signature on your discharge form."

They don't match.

"Someone forged your signature, Miss Thompson. Someone kept you sedated while they moved your son."

"Who?"

"We were hoping you could tell us."

---

The door opens. Mason walks in. Pale. Shaking.

Agent Park stands. "Mr. Reed. Thank you for coming."

"I didn't have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice."

Mason looks at me. "Some choices are harder than others."

He sits across from me. Won't meet my eyes.

"Mr. Reed, you were present at the hospital the night of the accident. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"You were present when the infant was removed from the facility. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Who instructed you to be there?"

"Darius Hayes."

"Did he tell you why?"

"He said the baby was being moved to a specialized care facility. He said it was temporary. He said the mother had agreed."

"Did you believe him?"

"I wanted to." Mason's voice cracks. "He was Ethan's father. I trusted him."

"And when did you stop trusting him?"

"When the specialized care facility didn't exist. When the baby didn't come back. When I realized what I'd done."

"Which was?"

"I helped kidnap a child." Mason looks at me. Tears in his eyes. "I helped kidnap your son."

The room is silent.

Agent Morrison flips another page. "Mr. Reed, are you willing to testify to this in court?"

"Yes."

"Are you willing to accept the consequences of your actions?"

"I'm willing to go to prison if it means Darius goes too."

"That's not how this works."

"It's how it works for me."

---

Vanessa's turn.

She sits straight. Shoulders back. Face blank.

"Miss Cole, you've been in a relationship with Darius Hayes for twelve years. Is that correct?"

"I've been employed by Darius Hayes for twelve years. There's a difference."

"What is your role in his organization?"

"Officially? I'm his son's fiancée. Unofficially? I'm a fixer. I make problems disappear."

"What kind of problems?"

"The kind that involve money. Or threats. Or both."

"And the adoption of Noah Thompson? Were you involved?"

"I facilitated the transfer. I found the Reynolds. I vetted them. I made sure they would never ask questions."

"You kidnapped a child."

"I followed orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Darius Hayes. And my father. Marcus Cole."

"Your father is a military contractor. What was his role?"

"He planned the operation. He hired the driver for the accident. He arranged the false adoption papers."

"Why?"

"Because Darius paid him. Two million dollars. To make sure the baby disappeared."

"Disappeared where?"

"Into a new life. With new parents. Where no one would ever find him."

"Except you."

"Except me." Vanessa's voice drops. "I kept tabs on Noah. For twelve years. I made sure he was safe. I made sure he was healthy. I made sure he was happy."

"Why?"

"Because someone had to."

"You could have come forward sooner."

"I was scared."

"You're not scared now?"

"I'm terrified." Vanessa looks at me. "But I'm more terrified of what happens if I don't speak."

---

The interview ends. Agents shake hands. Promise to be in touch.

Mason leaves first. Head down. Shoulders hunched.

Vanessa follows. Heels clicking. Back straight.

I'm last.

"Miss Thompson." Agent Morrison stops me at the door. "One more question."

"Okay."

"Do you love Ethan Hayes?"

"That's not relevant."

"It's the only thing that's relevant."

"Why?"

"Because love makes people do stupid things. Lie. Cheat. Cover up evidence." He looks at me. "I need to know if you're capable of that."

"I'm capable of a lot of things."

"Are you capable of lying to protect him?"

I think about Ethan. His hands. His eyes. The way he said my name.

"No," I say. "I'm done lying."

"Good." Morrison opens the door. "Because if you lie to me again, I'll know. And I'll put you in a cell next to Darius."

---

Ethan is waiting in the car. Engine running. Hands tight on the wheel.

"How did it go?"

"They believe us."

"They believe you."

"They believe the evidence."

He pulls away from the curb. Drives too fast. "Where to?"

"Back to the house."

"Vanessa's mother's house?"

"It's safe."

"Nowhere is safe."

"Then we make it safe."

---

The house is empty when we return. Vanessa is gone. Mason is gone.

Just us.

"I hate this," Ethan says.

"Hate what?"

"Waiting. Hiding. Not knowing what's happening."

"Welcome to my life for the past three years."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Be patient."

"I'm not good at patient."

"I know."

He paces. Runs his hands through his hair. "What if the FBI doesn't move fast enough? What if Darius finds out we talked to them? What if he moves Noah again?"

"Then we find him again."

"How? We barely found him this time."

"We have Vanessa now. We have Mason. We have evidence. We have the FBI."

"We have a lot of people who could betray us."

"We have each other."

He stops pacing. Looks at me. "That's enough?"

"It has to be."

---

My phone buzzes.

Unknown number.

I answer.

"Is this Ava Thompson?"

"Who's asking?"

"This is Diane Reynolds. Noah's foster mother."

My heart stops.

"Hello?"

"I'm here." My voice shakes. "I'm here."

"I need to talk to you. About Noah."

"Is he okay?"

"He's confused. He's scared. He's asking questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"He saw you. At the park. He saw you watching him." A pause. "He wants to know who you are."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him the truth. That his birth parents are looking for him. That they love him. That they never wanted to give him up."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm scared. I'm scared of losing him. I'm scared of what happens next."

"We don't want to take him from you."

"You don't?"

"We want to know him. We want him to know us. We want to be part of his life."

"And if he doesn't want that?"

"Then we wait."

Diane is quiet for a long time.

"He asked about you," she finally says. "After you left. He asked if you were his real mom."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes."

Tears run down my face.

"What did he say?"

"He said you were pretty." Diane's voice cracks. "He said he hoped you would come back."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Not yet. He's not ready. But soon."

"Soon?"

"I'll call you. When he's ready."

"Thank you, Diane."

"Don't thank me. Just don't break his heart."

She hangs up.

Ethan is staring at me. "What happened?"

"He knows."

"Knows what?"

"That I'm his mother."

Ethan sits down. Hard. Like his legs gave out.

"He knows?"

"He saw us at the park. He asked questions. Diane told him the truth."

"What else did she say?"

"She said he thinks I'm pretty." I laugh through tears. "He thinks I'm pretty."

Ethan pulls me into his arms. Holds me tight.

"He's going to love you," he says.

"You don't know that."

"I know him. He's half you. Half me. He doesn't have a choice."

We sit on the floor. Back against the wall. His arms around me. My head on his chest.

"I never thought I'd hear his voice," I whisper.

"You didn't hear his voice."

"I heard about his voice. That's enough. For now."

"He called you pretty."

"He called me pretty."

"Wait until he sees you in red."

I laugh. "You and that dress."

"You and everything about you."

He tilts my chin up. Kisses me. Soft. Slow.

"We're going to get him," he says.

"I know."

"And when we do, we're going to be a family."

"I know."

"And I'm going to marry you."

I pull back. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Ethan—"

"I'm not asking. Not yet. I'm telling you what's going to happen." His thumb traces my jaw. "We're going to find Noah. We're going to bring him home. And then I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt that you're loved."

"That's a lot of promises."

"I'm good at keeping promises."

"You broke one before."

"I was wrong." His forehead presses against mine. "I'll spend forever making it right."

"Forever's a long time."

"Not long enough."

He kisses me again. Deeper.

And for a moment, the world disappears.

No FBI. No Darius. No missing son.

Just him.

Just me.

Just this.