Chapter 3: The Man in the Shadows
The parking lot suddenly felt smaller.
The empty spaces between the abandoned buildings no longer looked empty.
They looked like hiding places.
Tom slowly turned.
"Everyone stay calm.""
But nobody was calm.
Not anymore.
Because we weren't dealing with a simple family argument.
Someone had chased a little girl through the night.
Someone had followed her.
And according to her mother, Victor Hale wasn't even the biggest threat.
I looked at Emma.
She was clutching that broken pink bicycle like it was the only thing she had left.
Tom removed his leather jacket and placed it around her shoulders.
"You did good getting here.""
Emma looked up.
"Wizard told me you would help.""
Those words stopped me.
Tom froze.
"What did you say?""
Emma looked confused.
"He told me.""
"When?""
The little girl looked down.
"Before he disappeared.""
Nobody spoke.
Because Wizard had never mentioned a child.
Not once.
Tom knelt beside her.
"Emma, sweetheart, what did Wizard tell you?""
She looked around.
Like she was afraid someone was listening.
"He said there were bad people looking for my mom.""
Victor suddenly laughed.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It was bitter.
"You see?""
Everyone looked at him.
Victor shook his head.
"You think I am the villain because that's what you want to believe.""
Tom stared at him.
"You followed a scared child in an unmarked SUV.""
Victor opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He had no answer.
A loud crash came from behind the building.
Everyone turned.
A metal door moved.
Something—or someone—was there.
Jake whispered.
"Did anyone see that?""
Nobody answered.
Tom motioned.
Four riders moved toward the side entrance.
The rest stayed with Emma.
I watched the darkness.
My hand tightened around the flashlight I carried on every ride.
Then a figure stepped out.
A man.
Older.
Tall.
Wearing a gray coat.
He didn't look surprised to see us.
He looked disappointed.
"Well," he said calmly.
"Wizard really did have friends.""
Tom stepped forward.
"Who are you?""
The man smiled.
"My name doesn't matter.""
"Wrong answer," Tom said.
The man looked at Emma.
"Come here, Emma.""
The little girl immediately grabbed my arm.
"No.""
The stranger sighed.
"You don't understand what you're protecting.""
Tom moved between them.
"You have five seconds to explain why a child is afraid of you.""
The man looked at Victor.
Then back at us.
"Because she saw something she wasn't supposed to see.""
My chest tightened.
"What did she see?""
The man smiled slightly.
"Ask Victor.""
Everyone turned.
Victor's face had gone pale.
For the first time all night, he looked genuinely scared.
Tom noticed.
"What did she see?""
Victor looked away.
The stranger took one step forward.
"Your friend Wizard discovered the truth.""
Tom's voice became dangerous.
"About what?""
The man reached into his coat.
Several riders immediately moved.
But he didn't pull out a weapon.
He pulled out a photograph.
He tossed it onto the ground.
Tom picked it up.
The photo showed Wizard.
Standing beside Victor.
And beside them was Emma's mother.
But that wasn't what made everyone freeze.
It was the date printed on the bottom.
The photo was taken three days after Wizard's reported death.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody could.
Because we had buried Wizard.
We had watched the coffin disappear into the ground.
The stranger looked at us.
"Your brother didn't die when you think he did.""
Tom's face hardened.
"You're lying.""
The man shook his head.
"Am I?""
He pointed at Emma.
"Ask the girl.""
Emma looked down.
Tears rolled down her face.
Tom gently asked:
"Emma?""
The little girl whispered:
"Wizard told me he was going away.""
My heart stopped.
Tom stared.
"Why didn't you tell us?""
Emma squeezed the phone.
"Because he told me someone would come looking.""
A cold silence followed.
Then the stranger smiled.
"Now you understand.""
He turned toward the road.
"You are all standing in the middle of a war you know nothing about.""
Tom looked at him.
"And you?""
The stranger paused.
"I was the one Wizard was trying to escape from.""
Then every phone in the parking lot received the same message.
A message from an unknown number.
Tom looked at his screen.
His face changed.
I grabbed my phone.
May you like
The message contained only one sentence.
"STOP PROTECTING EMMA, OR THE NEXT FUNERAL WILL BE YOURS.""
