AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Soon Nathan launched into tales from his younger years.
“You know,” Nathan said, his eyes taking on a distant look, “Josh had this habit of writing everything down. I mean everything. He kept these journals—leather-bound books filled with his cramped handwriting. He recorded all our original notes along with our plans and ideas, but he also made observations about the seasons and people he met. I remember when we were getting ready to meet with the venture capitalist, right before he died. He pulled out a stack of those damn journals and showed me conversations he’d had with other businessmen about their proposals. His notes about what they did and didn’t say and how it worked out for them were the foundation of our presentation that started all of this.”
The table fell silent. Sabrina imagined most of them were considering the loss of what sounded like a good man, but she noticed Freddy glaring at Patrick, who squirmed uncomfortably.
“Do we know any details about Joshua’s car accident?” Sabrina felt like an intruder in the conversation, but she had to know. That image of the man sprawled across the front seat of the jeep with a bloom of red decorating his chest kept pecking at the back of her mind.
Greg spoke up, “It was northern Virginia. Car accidents happen all the time.”
Nathan was shaking his head. “Not like that usually. Sure, during rush hour or if a bunch of idiots are being stupid, but I don’t remember ever hearing about a single car accident like his.”
Katrina scowled at her husband. “You can’t go back down that road.”
With a mournful look, Nathan focus on his wife. “I never want to go back to how I was when I tried looking into it myself, but if it’s related to what’s happening now, we need to know.”
“I might be able to help with that,” Greg offered. “I noticed how closed off Ellie was at the funeral and spoke with her a lot over the next few years.”
Nathan’s gaze snapped to his CFO. “You never said anything about that.”
Greg shrugged, “I could see how much you were struggling with all of it and didn’t want to risk making it worse.”
When Katrina patted Nathan’s hand, his shoulders relaxed, and he agreed, “That was probably for the best.”
Picking up where he left off, everyone gave Greg their full attention. “Ellie hounded the cops about the accident. She went to the station and called them regularly. Hell, on the first anniversary of his death, I found her at the site of the accident, there on I-66, looking for clues. The police showed her everything they had to prove that it was just an accident. Maybe he hydroplaned or someone clipped his front bumper just enough for him to lose control. With the damage to the vehicle, they couldn’t be sure if there was a small collision like that, and we all know hit and runs aren’t uncommon.”
After a moment of awkward silence, Greg looked directly at Nathan and spoke again, “It really was just a terrible accident. It’s awful, but there’s nothing we can do to change the past. And as much as our path to get here sucks, we wouldn’t all be sitting around this table if not for that past.”
Sabrina looked back and forth between Freddy and Patrick as the two men glared at each other in silent argument.
Nathan sipped his water before saying, “It still bothers me.”
Beside him, Katrina went rigid, but Nathan continued, “It felt wrong to lose him at such a pivotal moment in our lives, and I justified my worry with traffic patterns. Really, I think his death forced me to face my own mortality.” He made eye contact with each of his kids at the table and reached over to grip his wife’s hand.
“It was rough for a few years there while I struggled with that.” Nathan turned to Greg, “You kept the business moving forward during that time, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.” Turning to Katrina he said, “You held our family together, and I love you for it. I never want to go back to second-guessing things the way I did with his death. It’s not worth what I almost lost because of it. While we need to look into how it’s affecting us today, I don’t want to rehash the past more than necessary.”
Sabrina kept her focus on the silent conversation between Freddy and Patrick. With Nathan’s final words, Patrick grinned in silent victory, and she knew neither of them would ever tell Nathan Josua had been shot that night. While she understood she couldn’t help wondering about his murder and how it related to the threats they now faced.
Josh was dead, and Ellie was in custody, but the situation didn’t feel resolved. If Ellie was behind Kurt’s attack on Veronica, was she the source of the leak? How had she gotten Veronica’s thumb drive? She’d never been to HQ, so she had to be working with someone else, still. Sabrina didn’t say any of it aloud, but she couldn’t let go of her worry.
Chapter 33: Freddy
Acouple weeks later, Freddy’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the screens before him. The latest tech developments at Taylor Industries blinked and scrolled, but his mind wandered to the dark warehouse where he’d been held captive just days ago. He shuddered, pushing the memory away.
His phone buzzed, startling him out of his reverie. Gabe’s name flashed on the screen. Freddy’s brow furrowed as he answered, “Hey, what’s up?”
“Freddy, I’m coming home,” Gabe’s voice crackled through the speaker, urgent and determined.
“What? Why?” Freddy sat up straighter, suddenly alert.
“I’m taking over physical security for Taylor Industries,” Gabe declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. “After what happened to you... I can’t sit back anymore.”
Freddy’s heart raced. The conviction in his brother’s voice was unmistakable. “Gabe, are you sure about this? What about your career?”
“This is my career now,” Gabe replied firmly. “Our family needs me. You need me. I should’ve been there to protect you.”
Freddy swallowed hard, emotions welling up inside him. He’d always felt invisible to his family, but here was Gabe, ready to upend his life for them. “I... I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Gabe assured him. “I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll be there in a week.”
