Chapter 8: The Friend Who Sold Him Twice
The address led to an abandoned warehouse near the river.
Ethan read the message again.
Daniel stood beside him in the hallway.
“Absolutely not.””
Ethan looked up.
“You don't even know what I'm considering.””
“I know exactly what you're considering. You're planning to walk into a trap.””
“Someone knows what happened to my mother.””
“And someone has already entered your house, stolen documents, and threatened you.””
Ethan slipped his phone into his jacket.
“Then I'll bring someone who knows how to handle traps.””
Martin shook his head.
“I'm contacting the police.””
“Do that. But don't let anyone know where we're going.””
Daniel frowned.
“Ethan, please.””
Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You protected my family for years. I won't forget that. But this is something I need to face.””
Two hours later, Ethan arrived near the warehouse in a black SUV.
He wasn't alone.
Two security officers waited in a second vehicle. Martin monitored the area from a nearby street, and the police had been given the location without revealing their presence.
Ethan stepped out.
The warehouse door stood half-open.
Inside, a single light illuminated an old wooden table.
Nathan Brooks sat beside it.
He looked almost exactly as Ethan remembered.
Same dark hair. Same expensive watch. Same confident smile.
Only his eyes had changed.
“Ethan.””
Nathan stood.
“You came.””
Ethan walked toward him.
“You sent me an address.””
Nathan glanced at the security officers outside.
“I said come alone.””
“I stopped believing you a long time ago.””
Nathan laughed.
“Did you?””
Ethan stopped across the table.
“You were in my mother's house.””
“I visited.””
“You accessed the sealed office.””
“I was looking for something.””
“What?””
Nathan looked at him.
“The original agreement.””
Ethan placed his hands on the table.
“Why?””
“Because your mother made a mistake hiding it.””
“She was afraid of you.””
Nathan's smile faded.
“She should have been.””
Ethan stared at him.
For years, Nathan had been more than a friend.
They had grown up together. Played baseball in the same neighborhood. Attended the same college.
When Ethan's father died, Nathan had stayed with him for weeks.
When Ethan got engaged to Brooke, Nathan had been the first person he called.
And after the accident, Nathan had visited the hospital every day.
Ethan remembered him bringing coffee, arranging transportation, and reassuring him that everything would be okay.
Now he was standing across from the man who might have helped destroy his family.
“Why?”” Ethan asked.
Nathan pulled out a chair.
“Sit down.””
“I'm fine standing.””
Nathan smiled faintly.
“You always were stubborn.””
“Answer the question.””
Nathan looked toward the warehouse ceiling.
“Your father was going to change everything. He wanted to dissolve the old partnership and move the family assets into a trust controlled entirely by your mother.””
Ethan nodded.
“I know about the partnership.””
“No, you don't. The partnership was never just about money. It was about control.””
Nathan opened a folder.
“Your father trusted Robert. Robert trusted Victoria. Victoria trusted my father. Everyone had an arrangement.””
“And you?””
“I inherited my father's responsibilities.””
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
“You inherited a business?””
“I inherited a position.””
Nathan pushed the folder across the table.
Inside were old contracts, account summaries, and a list of names.
Ethan recognized several.
Victoria Reynolds.
Robert Cole.
Chad Reynolds.
And Nathan Brooks.
“What am I looking at?””
“The original financial structure. Your family controlled the assets. The Reynolds family managed several operations. My family handled the accounts.””
Ethan turned a page.
“And someone started moving money.””
Nathan nodded.
“Your mother discovered it.””
“Who?””
Nathan leaned forward.
“Robert.””
Ethan froze.
“Then why did you threaten me?””
“Because Robert wasn't working alone.””
Nathan pointed to another name.
Victoria Reynolds.
Ethan shook his head.
“I already know about Victoria.””
Nathan's voice dropped.
“Then you should know she wasn't the one who arranged your accident.””
The warehouse seemed to grow colder.
Ethan slowly raised his eyes.
“What?””
Nathan looked directly at him.
“Your accident wasn't random.””
Ethan felt his heartbeat pounding.
“The police investigated it.””
“The police investigated a collision. They never investigated what happened before the collision.””
Nathan removed a photograph.
It showed Ethan's car parked outside a restaurant on the night of the accident.
A man stood beside the driver's door.
Ethan recognized the face.
Robert Cole.
His supposedly dead uncle.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the security archive.””
Ethan stared at the photograph.
“What did he do?””
Nathan shrugged.
“He arranged for someone to interfere with your vehicle.””
Ethan took a step back.
“You knew?””
Nathan didn't answer.
“YOU KNEW?””
The shout echoed through the warehouse.
Nathan remained seated.
“I found out afterward.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I was protecting myself.””
Ethan looked at him in disbelief.
“You stood beside my hospital bed.””
Nathan nodded.
“I did.””
“You told me Brooke was the only person who betrayed me.””
“She was involved.””
“You watched me struggle to walk.””
Nathan looked away.
“I never wanted you dead.””
Ethan laughed bitterly.
“That's supposed to make me feel better?””
Nathan stood.
“Listen to me. I didn't arrange the accident. I didn't poison your mother. I didn't steal your company.””
“But you helped cover it up.””
Nathan said nothing.
Ethan approached him.
“How much were you paid?””
Nathan looked at the floor.
“Enough.””
“Enough to betray me?””
“Enough to keep my family safe.””
Ethan stared at him.
Then he noticed something.
A small recording device beneath the edge of the table.
Nathan followed his gaze.
His expression changed.
“You recorded this?””
Ethan said nothing.
Nathan reached toward the device.
One of the security officers appeared in the doorway.
“Don't move.””
Nathan stepped back.
“Ethan, listen. You don't understand what you're doing.””
“I understand perfectly.””
Nathan laughed nervously.
“You think the police will protect you? Robert has people everywhere.””
“Then perhaps they should meet him.””
Nathan's face went pale.
Ethan picked up the folder.
“Where is he?””
Nathan swallowed.
“I don't know.””
“Don't lie.””
“He changes locations. I haven't seen him in months.””
“Then give me the last place you know.””
Nathan looked toward the warehouse doors.
Finally, he spoke.
“An old private clinic outside the city.””
Ethan frowned.
“What clinic?””
“St. Matthew's.””
The name meant nothing to him.
Nathan continued.
“Your uncle used it to meet people without appearing on official records.””
Ethan took out his phone.
“Send me the address.””
Nathan hesitated.
“There's something else.””
“What?””
Nathan looked directly at him.
“Robert has the original medical report from your mother's death.””
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“Why?””
“Because it doesn't say what you think it says.””
Before Ethan could respond, the warehouse lights went out.
A loud crash echoed behind them.
The security officers shouted.
Someone had entered through the rear loading door.
“Ethan, get down!””
A gunshot rang out.
Glass shattered.
Ethan dropped behind the table as the officers rushed toward the sound.
Nathan grabbed the folder and ran.
“STOP!”” Ethan shouted.
One officer pursued him.
The warehouse door slammed.
When the emergency lights flickered on, Nathan was gone.
Ethan stood slowly.
His phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
You should have listened to Nathan.
Another message appeared.
Your uncle is already at St. Matthew's.
Ethan looked toward the security officer.
“Call the police.””
“Sir?””
“Tell them we're going to St. Matthew's.””
The officer stared at him.
“Mr. Cole, it's not safe.””
Ethan looked at the photograph of his uncle.
“No. It hasn't been safe since the night my mother died.””
He walked toward the exit.
Behind him, the recording device remained on the table.
Still running.
Still capturing every word Nathan had said.
But the most important evidence was already in Ethan's hands.
The photograph of his father, Robert, and Victoria.
On its back, a handwritten note had been partially covered by a torn label.
Ethan removed the label.
May you like
The hidden words made his breath catch.
The fourth partner must never learn that he is the heir.
