Chapter 9 - MY BROTHER'S CONFESSION
For most of my life, I'd protected Evan.
When he was twelve, I covered for him after he broke our father's antique clock.
When he was seventeen, I helped him study for exams he'd nearly failed.
When he was twenty-four, I loaned him money to save a business he insisted would make him successful.
At thirty-six, my little brother was sitting in an apartment somewhere in Canada, admitting he'd helped criminals steal my identity.
And I no longer knew how to protect him.
Not without betraying everything I believed in.
“Start from the beginning,” I said.
Evan rubbed his hands together.
“Dad introduced me to Mercer about four years ago.”
“Why?”
“He said Mercer had connections. Business opportunities. Government contracts.”
“And you believed him?”
Evan looked away.
“I wanted to.”
That answer hurt more than I expected.
My brother had spent his entire adult life chasing approval from our father.
No business was successful enough.
No amount of money was impressive enough.
Richard Ellison always had another comparison, another criticism, another reason Evan needed to prove himself.
I'd learned to walk away from that game.
Evan never had.
“Mercer financed my company,” he continued. “At first, everything looked legitimate. Transportation contracts. Property investments. Consulting.”
“What changed?”
“The money got bigger.”
“How much bigger?”
“Millions.”
I stared at him.
“You knew it was stolen?”
“Not in the beginning.”
“Evan.”
He shut his eyes.
“Eventually, yes.”
I felt a sharp ache beneath my ribs.
He continued.
“Dad told me Riverstone was moving money through temporary accounts to manage cash flow. He said government payments were complicated.”
“And where did I come in?”
Evan swallowed.
“Mercer needed someone with a military background whose identity would look credible in the paperwork.”
“So you volunteered mine?”
“No!”
His voice rose, then immediately dropped.
“Dad suggested it.”
I stared at the screen.
“And you agreed.”
He nodded.
The room seemed to grow colder.
“I told myself it would only be a few documents. They said you wouldn't lose anything.”
I laughed once.
It was an ugly sound.
“You stole my credentials, Evan.”
“I know.”
“You put my career at risk.”
“I know.”
“You helped them move millions of dollars under my name.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“Mara, please.”
I leaned forward.
“Did you ever stop to think about what would happen to me?”
He covered his face.
I waited.
Eventually, he whispered:
“No.”
There it was.
The truth.
Not a complicated explanation.
Not a financial strategy.
Just a selfish decision made by someone who'd always expected me to absorb the consequences of his mistakes.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then Daniel entered the conversation.
“Evan, you mentioned original records.”
My brother nodded quickly.
“Yes. Mercer kept two sets.”
“What kind?”
“The official accounting records and the private project files.”
“Do you have copies?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
Evan hesitated.
“My attorney knows. I'm arranging to turn them over.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good. Work directly through your Canadian attorney and the authorities there.”
Evan looked toward the window.
“I don't think I have much time.”
“Why?”
“Someone followed me yesterday.”
“Did you report it?”
“Yes. But I think Mercer knows where I am.”
I looked at the cut near his eyebrow.
“What happened to your face?”
He touched it.
“Two men stopped me outside a store. They said I needed to come home.”
“Did they hurt you?”
He looked away.
That was answer enough.
Daniel's voice became firmer.
“Evan, your safety depends on cooperating openly with Canadian law enforcement. Don't move without telling your attorney.”
My brother nodded.
Then he looked at me.
“Mara, there's something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“I didn't know about Blue Lantern until last year.”
My pulse quickened.
“What did you learn?”
“Mercer started moving money into a separate account. Dad told me it was for a special consulting project.”
“What kind of consulting?”
“I asked the same question.”
“And?”
Evan's expression tightened.
“Mercer said some military decisions were worth more than the contracts themselves.”
I felt my stomach drop.
“Did he mention my deployment?”
“Yes.”
I gripped the phone.
“Tell me exactly what he said.”
Evan took a shaky breath.
“He said you'd started asking questions about contractor invoices.”
I remembered.
Approximately six months before the attack, I'd challenged several unusually expensive supply reimbursements.
The explanations hadn't matched what our team had actually received.
I'd forwarded the concerns through the proper channels.
Then other operational responsibilities consumed my attention.
I'd assumed the financial review would continue.
Now I understood why my questions may have frightened someone.
Evan continued.
“Mercer told Dad you were becoming a problem.”
“And Dad said what?”
My brother stared at me.
“He said you'd stop asking questions once you realized how much damage you could do to the family.”
I couldn't believe it.
My father had considered my integrity an inconvenience.
My military service.
My responsibility to taxpayers.
My duty to the people depending on us.
All of it mattered less than the money.
“Then the convoy was attacked,” Evan whispered.
I waited.
He swallowed.
“Afterward, Mercer was furious.”
“Why?”
“Because you survived.”
The words seemed to hang between us.
I heard Maya take a sharp breath.
Evan wiped his eyes.
“Dad told him to calm down. He said the injury would probably keep you overseas long enough to finish the transfers.”
I stared at my brother.
“And Mom?”
Evan shook his head.
“She knew something was wrong. I don't know how much she understood before the attack.”
I remembered her final words in the driveway.
You were never supposed to return.
I wasn't ready to excuse her.
But I wanted to know precisely what she'd known.
“Evan, did you ever try to warn me?”
He looked ashamed.
“Not when I should have.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
He nodded slowly.
“After the attack, I sent a message to an address I thought you'd still use. I told you to check Riverstone.”
“I never received it.”
“I know.”
His hands trembled.
“I found out later that the message had been intercepted before it reached you.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“Do you have a record of that?”
“Yes. It's in the files.”
There was a sudden noise from somewhere beyond Evan's camera.
He stopped speaking.
“What's that?” I asked.
He turned toward the apartment door.
Someone knocked.
Three hard taps.
Evan's face changed.
“I'm not expecting anyone.”
Daniel immediately spoke.
“Don't open the door until you confirm who it is through your attorney and local authorities.”
Another knock.
Then a man's voice came from outside.
“Federal security. We need to speak with Evan Ellison.”
My brother looked terrified.
“Mara…”
“Listen to Daniel,” I said.
The voice outside grew louder.
“Mr. Ellison, open the door.”
Evan backed away from the phone.
I heard movement.
A crash.
Then the picture tilted sideways.
The last thing I saw was my brother stumbling out of view.
“EVAN!”
The connection ended.
For one terrible moment, nobody moved.
Then Daniel reached for his phone.
“We're contacting the Canadian authorities. Now.”
I stood in the hotel room, staring at the dark screen.
My brother had betrayed me.
He'd lied to me.
He'd helped steal my identity.
But he was still my brother.
And someone had just tried to silence him.
The following morning, Daniel called with an update.
Canadian police had found Evan injured and arranged for emergency medical care.
He was alive.
I nearly collapsed with relief.
Then Daniel added:
“There's a problem.”
“What?”
“An American agent reportedly approached the hospital claiming he had authority to take custody of your brother.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
May you like
Daniel's voice became cold.
“Victor Harlan. And I never authorized him to go anywhere near Evan.”
