Chapter 3: The House Where Shawn Left His Last Message
The old Bannon property sat outside the city, hidden behind miles of forest and forgotten roads.
I remembered coming there once.
Three years earlier.
Shawn had invited us for a family barbecue.
Everyone laughed.
Everyone drank.
Everyone pretended.
I remembered thinking it was strange that a house full of wealthy people felt so empty.
Now it looked exactly how it felt.
Dead.
The car stopped behind a line of trees.
Emmett looked through the windshield.
"We go in quietly.""
I stared at him.
"You're telling me quietly?""
"I am.""
"You brought me into a criminal family's secret war.""
"No.""
He opened the door.
"I brought you into a war that started before you arrived.""
That was somehow worse.
We moved through the trees.
The cold air burned my lungs.
Every step closer to the house made my fear stronger.
Not for myself.
For Cody.
The back door was unlocked.
That terrified me.
People who wanted to hide something locked doors.
People who wanted you to find something left them open.
Inside, the house smelled like dust and old wood.
I whispered, "Cody?""
Nothing.
Then—
A sound.
A chair moving upstairs.
I ran.
"Jillian.""
I ignored Emmett.
I climbed the stairs two at a time.
"Cody!""
A door opened.
And there he was.
My boy.
Pale.
Exhausted.
But alive.
I grabbed him so tightly he groaned.
"You're okay.""
"I'm okay.""
"No, you're not.""
His eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry.""
The words confused me.
"What?""
"I should have told you.""
"Told me what?""
Cody looked past me.
At Emmett.
And his face changed.
Fear.
Recognition.
"Why is he here?""
Emmett stepped into the room.
"Cody.""
The boy backed away.
"Don't.""
I looked between them.
"You know him?""
Cody said nothing.
"Cody.""
His voice cracked.
"He's the reason Dad was scared.""
The room went silent.
I turned toward Emmett.
"What does that mean?""
Emmett didn't answer.
Cody reached into his backpack.
The same backpack he carried to school every day.
His hands shook as he pulled out a small stack of index cards.
"I found these after Dad died.""
He handed them to me.
The first card showed a drawing.
A house.
A tree.
A man standing outside.
I turned it over.
Three words were written.
*TRUST NO ONE.*
The second card showed a door.
The same door Jillian had found days earlier.
The back read:
*THE SECOND KEY IS WITH THE MAN WHO NEVER FORGOT.*
I looked at Cody.
"What is this?""
"I don't know.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because Dad told me not to.""
"When?""
"The night before he died.""
My heart stopped.
"The night before?""
Cody nodded.
"He came to my room.""
His voice broke.
"He was scared.""
A noise came from downstairs.
Footsteps.
Not one person.
Several.
Emmett immediately turned toward the door.
"We have company.""
Cody's face went white.
"No.""
I grabbed his hand.
"What?""
"They found us.""
The footsteps stopped outside.
A man's voice came through the door.
"Jillian.""
I knew that voice.
Malcolm Bannon.
"Open the door.""
Emmett stepped in front of us.
Malcolm laughed from the hallway.
"Emmett Carbone.""
The smile disappeared from Emmett's face.
"It has been a long time.""
I looked at him.
"How does he know you're here?""
Emmett didn't answer.
Because at that moment, Malcolm spoke again.
And the words that followed changed everything.
"You always did have a weakness for lost children, Emmett.""
A silence filled the room.
May you like
Then Malcolm said:
"Especially ones who are your own.""
