Then he saw Daniel.
“You.”
Daniel froze.
“You know me?”
Mr. Harris stared at him.
“I knew your brother.”
Daniel's face went pale.
“What?”
Mr. Harris stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Inside, the house smelled of old books and coffee.
Mr. Harris sat down.
“Michael came to me five years ago.”
“Why?”
“He was investigating the property deals.”
Daniel sat forward.
“What did he find?”
Mr. Harris looked at Naomi.
“He found names.”
“What names?”
“People who didn't officially exist.”
Daniel frowned.
“Shell companies?”
“No.”
Mr. Harris lowered his voice.
“People.”
Naomi felt a chill.
“What does that mean?”
“They created companies using dead people's identities.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Why?”
“To hide ownership.”
Mr. Harris reached for a drawer.
He removed a small flash drive.
“This belonged to Michael.”
Daniel stared at it.
“Why didn't you give it to me?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid of Victor?”
Mr. Harris shook his head.
“Afraid of what Victor would do if he knew I still had it.”
Naomi looked toward the window.
Something moved outside.
She stood.
“Someone's here.”
Daniel immediately turned off the lights.
The room went dark.
A vehicle stopped outside.
Doors opened.
Three shadows appeared behind the curtains.
Daniel whispered:
“Stay here.”
Naomi shook her head.
“No.”
He looked at her.
“I know another way out.”
Mr. Harris stood.
“I can't run.”
“You don't have to.”
Naomi pointed toward the basement door.
“There's a second exit.”
They moved quickly.
Footsteps approached the front door.
Then came a knock.
Three slow knocks.
Victor's voice came through the darkness.
“Mr. Harris.”
Naomi's blood ran cold.
Victor knew.
The Man Who Made the Bet
The basement exit led into the woods.
They escaped through the trees.
Naomi ran until her lungs burned.
Daniel stayed beside her.
Mr. Harris followed as quickly as he could.
Behind them, Victor's men searched the house.
Eventually they reached an abandoned barn.
They hid inside.
Daniel held the flash drive.
“He knew where we were.”
Naomi nodded.
“Because someone told him.”
Mr. Harris looked ashamed.
“I didn't.”
“We know,” Daniel said.
Naomi sat against the wall.
“Who else knew?”
Daniel didn't answer.
The answer was obvious.
Someone inside the restaurant.
The manager.
A server.
One of Victor's friends.
Someone.
Naomi suddenly remembered something.
“The private dining room.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“Victor knew exactly where you were sitting.”
“So?”
“He knew when you arrived.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“He had someone watching.”
“No.”
Naomi shook her head.
“Not watching.”
She remembered the security camera.
“Recording.”
They returned to the restaurant the next morning.
The manager was there.
Naomi confronted him.
“Show me the security footage.”
He hesitated.
“Why?”
“Because Victor Langley was here last night.”
The manager's face changed.
“What happened?”
“Just show me.”
They reviewed the recordings.
At 7:45 p.m., Victor arrived.
At 8:17, Daniel entered.
At 8:25, Victor's assistant entered through the back.
At 8:31, the assistant placed something beneath the table.
Naomi paused the video.
“What is that?”
Daniel leaned closer.
“A microphone.”
Naomi's stomach dropped.
“They were recording us.”
The manager stepped backward.
“I didn't know.”
“We believe you,” Daniel said.
They continued.
The footage showed Victor meeting someone after closing.
A man Naomi didn't recognize.
Daniel did.
“That's Elliot Crane.”
“Who?”
“Victor's attorney.”
The two men spoke quietly.
The audio wasn't clear.
But then Elliot handed Victor an envelope.
Victor opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Daniel leaned closer to the screen.
Then he stopped breathing.
The photograph showed Michael Cross.
Alive.
Daniel's face went white.
Naomi touched his arm.
“Daniel?”
He stared at the screen.
“That was taken two weeks ago.”
The room went silent.
Michael was alive.
After five years.
Daniel's entire body shook.
“Where?”
They froze the image.
Behind Michael was a building.
A sign.
Naomi zoomed in.
“That's the Langley warehouse.”
Daniel stood.
“We're going there.”
“No,” Naomi said.
He looked at her.
“It's a trap.”
“I don't care.”
“You should.”
“He's my brother.”
“I know.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You don't understand.”
Naomi's voice softened.
“I understand more than you think.”
She told him about her father.
About how he had lost his business when she was seventeen.
About how powerful people had taken advantage of his debts.
About how he died believing he had failed his family.
Daniel listened.
“That was Victor?”
“No.”
Naomi shook her head.
“But people like him.”
She looked at the screen.
“I know what happens when ordinary people believe they can't fight back.”
Daniel nodded.
“Then we don't fight him alone.”
They called a journalist.
Then a lawyer.
Then the authorities.
But before they could leave, Naomi's phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Victor spoke.
“You're getting very close.”
Naomi remained silent.
“You want to know why I made the bet?”
“Yes.”
“Because I wanted to see what kind of person you were.”
“And?”
“You surprised me.”
Naomi frowned.
“How?”
“You didn't run.”
Victor paused.
“That's unfortunate.”
The call ended.
Daniel looked at her.
“What did he say?”
“He said I'm unfortunate.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“He's scared.”
Naomi shook her head.
“No.”
She looked toward the warehouse footage.
“He's not scared.”
She remembered Victor's calm face.