Chapter 1 - The Name He Should Not Have Known
Nathaniel Graves remained crouched in front of me while every door in the enormous lobby locked behind steel barriers.
His question still hung between us.
“Ruby, who is your mother?”
I tightened both hands around the straps of my backpack.
“My mom’s name is Elena Carter.”
For the first time since Nathaniel Graves had stepped out of the elevator, the most powerful man in the building completely lost control of his expression.
His face went white.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Terrified.
Behind him, one of the bodyguards shifted his hand beneath his jacket.
Nathaniel stood so quickly that I took a frightened step backward.
“What did you say?”
“Elena Carter.”
The receptionist stared between us.
Nathaniel seemed to forget that anyone else existed.
“How old are you?”
“Eight.”
“When is your birthday?”
“October seventeenth.”
His eyes closed.
Only for a second.
But I saw pain move across his face.
Then he looked at the silver bracelet around my wrist again.
Inside the bracelet were three tiny engraved letters.
E.
N.
G.
My mother had once told me the letters were meaningless.
Nathaniel clearly knew otherwise.
He turned toward the tall man standing nearest him.
“Dante.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get the car.”
Dante glanced toward me.
Nathaniel lowered his voice.
“Armored convoy.”
The nervous whispers around the lobby disappeared.
I swallowed.
“I have to go home.”
Nathaniel looked at me.
“You are going home.”
Something about the way he said it made my stomach tighten.
“With me.”
I shook my head immediately.
“My mom says I’m not allowed to go anywhere with strangers.”
A strange expression appeared on his face.
It almost looked like sadness.
“That sounds exactly like something Elena would say.”
I stared at him.
“You know my mom?”
Nathaniel did not answer.
Instead, he looked down at the eviction notice.
The building listed at the top belonged to a company called Meridian Property Holdings.
His expression hardened.
“Who owns Meridian now?”
A man with glasses stepped forward from the security line.
“We acquired the controlling portfolio six months ago, sir.”
Nathaniel slowly turned toward him.
“So my company owns the building?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is an eight-year-old carrying an eviction notice from a building I own?”
Nobody answered.
Nathaniel’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“Find out.”
Phones appeared instantly.
Men began moving.
I had never seen adults obey another person so quickly.
Then Nathaniel looked at me again.
“Ruby, has anyone been coming to your apartment?”
I thought about it.
“There’s a man.”
Nathaniel froze.
“What man?”
“He comes sometimes when Mom is working.”
“What does he want?”
“I don’t know.”
I hesitated.
“He asks neighbors questions about us.”
Dante stepped closer.
“What does he look like?”
“He has a scar here.”
I touched the left side of my chin.
Nathaniel and Dante exchanged a look.
It scared me more than the guards.
Nathaniel whispered one name.
“Calder.”
Dante’s face turned grim.
“I thought he disappeared twelve years ago.”
“So did I.”
Nathaniel pulled out his phone.
“Send men to Elena’s apartment immediately.”
I stepped forward.
“Why?”
Nathaniel looked down at me.
“Because if Marcus Calder knows where you live, your mother is already in danger.”
My heart seemed to stop.
Nathaniel began walking toward the private garage.
Then every light in Graves Tower suddenly went black.
Someone screamed.
A gunshot cracked somewhere near the entrance.
May you like
And in the darkness, a man shouted one terrifying sentence.
“Grab the girl.”
