Chapter 4
Marcus arrived in Charleston three hours later.
He found Ethan sitting on the curb outside the motel, staring at the street.
The two men stared at each other for a long moment.
Then Marcus closed the distance and pulled Ethan into a hug.
Ethan's body stiffened at first, then relaxed. For the first time since waking up, he felt something like safety.
“You look like hell,” Marcus said, pulling back to look at him.
“Feel like it too.”
Marcus had always been the steady one. Calm. Rational. The man who thought things through when everyone else was reacting. Now his eyes were wide with shock and concern.
“Everyone thinks you're dead,” Marcus said. “The funeral. The memorials. Claire... God, Ethan. Claire.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“I saw her today.”
Marcus's eyes widened further.
“You saw her? Where? Is she okay?”
“She's selling bread at the market. Pregnant. Living in a tiny apartment in North Charleston.”
“Pregnant?” Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “I knew she was going through something, but she wouldn't talk to anyone. She shut everyone out after Margaret threw her out.”
“Tell me everything,” Ethan said. “From the beginning.”
They went inside the motel room. Marcus sat on the only chair while Ethan perched on the edge of the bed.
And Marcus told him everything.
About the day the plane disappeared. About the chaos. About Margaret showing up at the house with lawyers before the sun had even set.
“Claire called me that night,” Marcus said. “She was hysterical. Said Margaret had accused her of all kinds of things. Said they were taking everything. I tried to get there, but by the time I arrived, she was gone.”
“Gone where?”
“Nobody knew. She vanished. Margaret told everyone she had run off with another man. That she had been having an affair before the crash.”
Ethan's hands curled into fists.
“Did you believe it?”
Marcus looked him in the eye.
“Never. Not for a second. Claire loved you more than anything. But Margaret is convincing, Ethan. She had the whole family believing it. Most of your friends too. I argued with her until I was blue in the face, but she had already painted the picture. Claire as the gold-digging wife who couldn't wait to be free of her husband.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“And the company?”
“Margaret took control. Said it was what you would have wanted. That she was protecting your legacy. She brought Vanessa in as a vice president. They've been making decisions left and right. Selling off assets. Taking on new partners.”
“New partners?”
“Richard Hale.”
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
Richard Hale.
His biggest competitor. The man who had spent years trying to destroy Parker Construction. Who had undercut him on contracts. Who had spread rumors about him.
“Hale is working with my mother?”
“Merger talks,” Marcus said. “Almost complete. From what I hear, Margaret stands to make a fortune. And Hale gets control of your company.”
Ethan stood. The room spun. He gripped the edge of the dresser for support.
This wasn't just about Claire.
This was about everything.
His company. His legacy. His life's work.
Margaret had planned this.
All of it.
The plane crash.
Ethan froze.
The plane crash.
It had happened right after he landed the biggest contract in the company's history. Right when Parker Construction was poised to become a major player.
Richard Hale would have done anything to stop that.
And Margaret...
Margaret had always wanted control. Had always resented Ethan's success, resented that he had built something without her help, resented that Claire was the woman at his side instead of someone Margaret had chosen.
Had they worked together?
Had they arranged the crash?
Ethan's blood ran cold.
“Marcus,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “The plane crash. Was it really an accident?”
Marcus hesitated.
“The official investigation said engine failure. But there were rumors. Unidentified debris. Witnesses who saw something that didn't match the official story. Nothing concrete. Nothing that would hold up in court.”
“But you have doubts.”
Marcus looked at him.
“I've always had doubts. Too many things didn't add up. And now? Now that you're alive? Now that I know what Margaret did to Claire? Yeah, Ethan. I have serious doubts.”
Ethan thought about the briefcase he had been carrying.
Documents.
The Charlotte contract.
But also...
He had been investigating Hale. Had found evidence of bid-rigging. Of connections to organized crime. Of money laundering through construction projects.
He had planned to turn it over to the authorities when he returned from Charlotte.
If Hale had found out...
If Margaret had found out...
They would have had every reason to want him dead.
Ethan looked at Marcus.
“I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to find out everything you can about the plane crash. The investigation. The witnesses. The debris. Everything. And I need you to look into Margaret and Hale. Their communications. Their meetings. The merger.”
Marcus nodded.
“Consider it done.”
“And Marcus?”
“Yeah?”
“Don't tell anyone I'm alive. Not yet. Not until I know who I can trust.”
Marcus hesitated.
“Claire?”
Ethan's chest tightened.
He thought about her. Pregnant. Struggling. Selling bread on the street.
He wanted to go to her. Wanted to hold her. Wanted to tell her he was alive and everything would be okay.
But if Margaret and Hale had tried to kill him once, they would try again.
And this time, they would know to target Claire too.
May you like
And the babies.
“Not yet,” Ethan said. “Not until I can keep her safe.”
