CHAPTER 3 — The Chase Through the Terminal
CHAPTER 3 — The Chase Through the Terminal
"Don't let him get away!"
Desmond's voice echoed across the terminal as the stranger disappeared through the restricted security doors.
Without thinking, he sprinted after him.
"Sir!" an airport security officer shouted. "You can't go in there!"
Desmond flashed his executive airport access card. Years of investing in airport commercial properties had earned him privileges few people knew existed.
"Emergency," he barked.
The officer hesitated for only a second before unlocking the gate.
Meanwhile, I could barely breathe.
The triplets clung to my legs, frightened by the shouting.
Oliver buried his face against me.
"Mommy... I don't like this."
"I know, sweetheart."
I hugged all three of them tightly while watching Desmond disappear into the restricted hallway.
Katherine remained strangely calm.
Too calm.
Almost... amused.
"You won't find him," she said quietly.
I stared at her.
"You knew he was there."
She smiled.
"I know many things."
Before I could answer, the attorney beside her looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Miss Sterling," he whispered, "this wasn't part of our agreement."
She ignored him.
The lawyer turned toward me instead.
"Ms. Carter... I suggest you leave immediately."
"Why?"
His face turned pale.
"Because whoever hired that man..."
"...wasn't working for our law firm."
A chill raced down my spine.
"What are you talking about?"
Before he could answer, someone grabbed his shoulder.
Two men in black suits.
Neither wore airport identification.
One leaned close enough that only he could hear.
The attorney's expression changed instantly.
Fear.
Real fear.
"I'm... sorry," he muttered before walking away without another word.
Katherine watched them leave without surprise.
She had expected it.
That meant she wasn't in control anymore.
She was following someone else's orders.
Inside the restricted corridor, Desmond spotted the stranger rushing toward an underground service elevator.
"Stop!"
The man glanced back.
For just a split second.
Long enough for Desmond to recognize him.
Ethan Vale.
Former head of security for Frost Developments.
The same employee who had vanished nearly two years earlier after millions of dollars disappeared from one of the company's private investment accounts.
"Ethan!"
The man cursed under his breath.
"So you recognized me."
The elevator doors began closing.
Desmond lunged forward.
His hand caught the metal frame just before it sealed shut.
The doors bounced back open.
Ethan threw a punch.
Desmond ducked.
The folder containing Maya's documents flew across the elevator floor.
Birth certificates.
Medical records.
DNA test results.
Everything scattered like falling snow.
Desmond grabbed the nearest file.
His own name stared back at him.
Father: Desmond Alexander Frost.
His hands shook.
They really were his children.
Every one of them.
Ethan used the distraction to slam the emergency stop button.
The lights flickered.
Then the elevator dropped.
Only one floor.
But it was enough.
When the doors reopened, two waiting SUVs were parked inside an underground loading bay.
Several armed men stepped out.
Not police.
Private security.
One of them spoke into an earpiece.
"We have the documents."
Another looked directly at Desmond.
"Mr. Frost."
"Our employer requests that you stop asking questions."
Desmond slowly stood.
"And if I refuse?"
The man smiled.
"Then your children won't live long enough to know the answers."
Back upstairs, my phone suddenly vibrated.
Unknown number.
With trembling fingers, I answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
"Listen carefully, Maya."
"If you want your children to survive..."
"...never let Desmond Frost take custody of them."
The line went dead.
I looked around frantically.
Someone was watching us.
From somewhere inside the airport.
Then my phone buzzed again.
A single photograph appeared.
Taken only seconds earlier.
It showed me...
holding the triplets...
from the second floor balcony overlooking the terminal.
Whoever they were...
they were still here.
May you like
Watching every move.
And they wanted me to know it.
