Chapter 12: The Man Ethan Trusted Most
Chapter 12: The Man Ethan Trusted Most
The courtroom fell into complete silence.
On the projector screen, the decrypted file remained frozen.
SUBJECT: ETHAN BENNETT
STATUS: Memory recovery no longer acceptable.
DIRECTIVE: Terminate immediately.
No one spoke.
Even the reporters forgot to write.
Judge Eleanor Hayes slowly removed her glasses.
"Captain Brooks..."
"...is this authentic?"
Brooks turned to the cyber-forensics expert.
"Can you verify the metadata?"
The expert nodded after several seconds of checking.
"The file was created eight years ago."
He paused.
"But..."
Brooks frowned.
"What?"
"It was updated yesterday."
A wave of whispers swept through the courtroom.
Someone was still accessing Project Echo.
Someone was still watching Ethan.
The hearing was immediately suspended.
Federal agents escorted Ethan and Lily into a secure room beneath the courthouse.
The room had no windows.
Only one reinforced steel door.
Two armed deputies guarded the entrance.
Lily sat quietly beside Ethan.
She noticed his hands trembling.
"Are you scared?"
Ethan looked at her and forced a smile.
"A little."
She reached over and held his hand.
"I'm scared too."
For a brief moment, he forgot about conspiracies, hidden fortunes, and missing memories.
All he saw was a frightened little girl who trusted him completely.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
She nodded.
"I know."
Captain Brooks convened an emergency meeting.
Around the table sat only the people he trusted.
Officer Ramirez.
Laura Kim.
Judge Hayes.
Two FBI agents.
Father Michael.
Brooks placed the flash drive in the center.
"We have a leak."
Everyone nodded.
"No one outside this room receives information without my approval."
Ramirez spoke first.
"How could the file be updated yesterday?"
Laura answered quietly.
"Someone inside the organization is still active."
Brooks shook his head.
"No."
"It's worse than that."
Everyone looked at him.
"They know every move we've made."
Silence.
"They knew we searched the cemetery."
"They knew we found the journal."
"They knew we opened the safe-deposit box."
He looked around the room.
"Someone close to Ethan is feeding them information."
Meanwhile...
Ethan sat alone in the courthouse library.
He needed space to think.
Rows of old legal books surrounded him.
For the first time in days...
The silence felt comforting.
A familiar voice interrupted him.
"You look exhausted."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"David."
David Lawson had been Ethan's personal attorney for nearly fifteen years.
More than a lawyer.
A friend.
The man had helped build Bennett Holdings from a small investment company into an international corporation.
If Ethan trusted anyone...
It was David.
David sat across from him.
"I heard about the hearing."
"It's a mess."
"You'll get through it."
"I hope so."
David noticed the bruises on Ethan's face.
"You should rest."
"I can't."
David poured two cups of coffee.
"I've already started protecting your assets."
Ethan looked up.
"I didn't ask you to."
"I know."
"I did it anyway."
He slid several legal documents across the table.
"Power of attorney."
"Emergency trust protection."
"Temporary corporate control."
Ethan barely glanced at them.
"Later."
David smiled.
"I figured."
Outside the library, Officer Ramirez happened to walk past.
Through the glass doors, he saw David handing Ethan paperwork.
Nothing unusual.
Except...
Something caught his eye.
The ring on David's right hand.
A black signet ring engraved with a small raven.
Ramirez froze.
He had seen that symbol before.
Where?
His mind raced.
Then he remembered.
One of the Project Echo files.
The organization's emblem.
A raven.
Ramirez immediately photographed the ring through the glass.
He hurried to Captain Brooks.
"Sir."
"What is it?"
"I think..."
He showed Brooks the photograph.
"...we've missed someone."
Brooks compared the image with the Project Echo files.
His expression hardened.
"The raven."
Ramirez nodded.
"It's identical."
Brooks refused to act immediately.
"I need proof."
Laura Kim spoke quietly.
"I may have it."
She opened another financial report.
"Blackwood Holdings received legal representation for years."
Brooks leaned closer.
"Which law firm?"
Laura swallowed.
"Lawson & Pierce."
Silence.
David Lawson's firm.
Brooks immediately requested confidential banking records.
Within minutes, federal agents returned.
One agent placed a folder on the table.
"You'll want to see this."
Inside were wire transfers.
Millions of dollars.
Transferred over the last decade.
Recipient:
David Lawson.
Source:
Blackwood Holdings.
Brooks felt sick.
"No..."
Father Michael closed his eyes.
"I warned Ethan."
"He trusted the wrong man."
Inside the library, Ethan was signing routine paperwork without reading every page.
David watched calmly.
"You've always trusted me."
Ethan smiled tiredly.
"I still do."
Those words seemed to affect David more than expected.
For the first time...
He looked away.
Almost guilty.
Almost.
His phone vibrated.
A single encrypted message appeared.
MEMORIES RETURNING TOO FAST.
COMPLETE THE ORDER.
David stared at the screen.
His jaw tightened.
He slowly slipped the phone back into his pocket.
At that exact moment...
Captain Brooks burst through the library doors.
"Ethan!"
David stood.
"Captain."
Brooks drew his weapon.
"Step away from him."
The room froze.
Ethan looked back and forth between them.
"What are you doing?"
Brooks never took his eyes off David.
"Don't move."
David sighed softly.
"I was hoping it wouldn't happen like this."
Ethan frowned.
"What is he talking about?"
Brooks threw the financial records onto the table.
"Ask your friend."
Ethan looked down.
His face turned pale.
The wire transfers.
Blackwood Holdings.
David's name.
"This..."
He looked at David.
"...tell me this isn't true."
David remained silent.
Ethan stepped closer.
"David."
"You've worked with my family since I was twenty-four."
Silence.
"You were best man at my wedding."
Nothing.
"You helped bury my parents."
Still nothing.
Finally...
David looked into Ethan's eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Those two words shattered Ethan more than any bullet could have.
"You..."
His voice broke.
"...you knew."
David nodded.
"Yes."
"You knew about Anna."
"Yes."
"You knew about Lily."
"Yes."
"You knew they erased my memories."
Another nod.
Ethan staggered backward.
"Why?"
David closed his eyes.
"Because I thought I was protecting you."
"By lying?"
"By keeping you alive."
"You destroyed my life!"
David's composure finally cracked.
"You think I had a choice?"
Brooks ordered,
"Hands where I can see them."
Instead...
David slowly reached inside his jacket.
Three agents raised their weapons.
"Don't!"
Brooks shouted.
David stopped.
He smiled sadly at Ethan.
"You once told me..."
"...that family was worth dying for."
Ethan's breathing became uneven.
"I remember saying that."
"I never forgot."
Instead of pulling out a weapon...
David removed a small envelope.
He placed it on the table.
"For Lily."
Brooks kicked it away before anyone could touch it.
The bomb squad was immediately called.
Minutes later...
The envelope was declared safe.
Inside was only a single keycard.
And a handwritten note.
Brooks unfolded it.
It read:
Sublevel Three.
Room 317.
The truth about Grace is waiting.
I'm sorry, Ethan.
I was never strong enough to fight them.
Before Brooks could ask another question...
A loud explosion echoed outside the courthouse.
The building shook violently.
Car alarms screamed.
Smoke rose into the air.
An officer ran inside.
"Captain!"
"What happened?"
"Mr. Lawson's car..."
He looked toward David.
"...just exploded."
Everyone turned.
David stared through the shattered courthouse window.
His face went white.
"My car?"
The officer nodded.
"It was remotely detonated."
David whispered,
"They've started cleaning up."
He slowly looked at Brooks.
"They know I've talked."
Brooks frowned.
"Who?"
David answered with genuine fear.
"The new Director."
Then his expression suddenly changed.
His eyes widened.
"No..."
Before anyone understood why...
A sharp crack echoed through the library.
The window shattered.
A sniper's bullet tore through the room.
David shoved Ethan sideways.
The bullet struck David squarely in the chest.
He collapsed into Ethan's arms.
Blood spread rapidly across his shirt.
Ethan pressed his hands against the wound.
"No!"
David coughed violently.
His lips trembled.
With his last strength, he grabbed Ethan's sleeve and whispered only four words.
"Grace..."
"...is still alive."
His hand fell limp.
May you like
The man Ethan had trusted more than anyone else was gone.
End of Chapter 12
