CHAPTER 5 – THE KEY HIDDEN INSIDE A TEDDY BEAR
CHAPTER 5 – THE KEY HIDDEN INSIDE A TEDDY BEAR
The gunfire stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
Silence settled over the underground bunker.
No one spoke.
Ryker checked the security monitor connected to the estate's backup system.
Marco's voice came through the encrypted radio.
"The attackers are retreating."
"They left three men behind."
"Two alive."
Ryker wasn't relieved.
Professionals never failed twice.
They simply learned.
He looked down at Owen, who still refused to let go of his old teddy bear.
The bear had survived years of hugs, tears, and neglect.
Its faded brown fur was nearly gray.
One eye had been replaced with a black button.
Ryker noticed something odd.
The stitching along the bear's back was newer than the rest of the fabric.
"Who fixed your bear?" he asked.
Owen shrugged.
"Daddy."
"When?"
"The night before he went away."
Ryker's heartbeat slowed.
"What did your father say?"
Owen frowned, trying to remember.
"He smiled."
"And he said..."
"If anyone ever tries to take Mr. Buttons from you..."
"...don't let them."
Lily suddenly gasped.
"I remember!"
"Daddy said Mr. Buttons was our secret keeper."
Ryker exchanged a look with Marco.
Without another word, he carefully examined the bear.
Hidden beneath the stitching...
His fingers found something solid.
A tiny waterproof capsule.
Marco carefully opened it.
Inside was a miniature encrypted flash drive.
No larger than a thumbnail.
Everyone stared.
Harold Bennett's warning echoed in Ryker's mind.
Protect the children.
Now he understood why.
The attackers hadn't come for Lily and Owen.
They had come for what the twins had unknowingly carried for three years.
An hour later...
Ryker's cybersecurity team decrypted the drive.
The first video appeared.
Daniel Carter.
Alive.
Exhausted.
Looking directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this..."
"I've already been murdered."
Ryker's jaw tightened.
Daniel continued.
"There are seven people involved."
"I only know five names."
Faces appeared beside him.
Executives.
Lawyers.
Investors.
Then...
One final photograph filled the screen.
Marco leaned forward.
"No..."
Ryker didn't move.
Because staring back at him...
Was someone he had known for almost twenty years.
Someone he had trusted.
Someone who had just helped defend the mansion.
May you like
One of Ryker's own senior executives.
The betrayal had been inside his company all along.
