Chapter 19: The Man in the Hood

The warehouse fell silent.

The hooded man took another step forward.

His face remained hidden, but there was something familiar about the way he walked.

Like I'd seen him before.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He smiled.

"You've asked that question many times."

He pulled back his hood.

I gasped.

It was the man from the photograph.

The one whose face had been scratched out.

The same man I'd seen watching me outside my school.

"You..." I whispered.

"So, you remember."

"I've never met you."

"No."

"But I've known you since the day you were born."

My heart began to race.

Samuel moved in front of me.

"Don't believe a word he says."

The man chuckled.

"Still trying to play the hero, Samuel?"

Daniel stepped closer to me.

"If he comes any nearer, we're leaving."

The man ignored him.

His eyes never left mine.

"Maya, your brother made one fatal mistake."

"What was that?"

"He trusted the wrong person."

I felt the folded note inside my pocket.

Don't trust Samuel.

The words echoed in my mind.

The hooded man noticed my hesitation.

"There it is."

"What?"

"Doubt."

He smiled.

"That's all I needed."

Samuel clenched his fists.

"Stop manipulating her."

"I'm not manipulating anyone."

He reached slowly into his coat.

Daniel immediately stood in front of Lily.

"Don't move!" Samuel shouted.

The man stopped.

Then, instead of pulling out a weapon...

He removed an old family photograph.

He tossed it onto the floor between us.

It landed face up.

I froze.

It was a picture of my parents.

Holding me as a baby.

Standing beside them...

...was the hooded man.

He wasn't a stranger.

He was smiling.

His arm rested on my father's shoulder as though they had been close friends.

My voice shook.

"Who... are you?"

The man's smile faded.

"My name is Victor."

He paused.

"I was your father's best friend."

The warehouse seemed to spin around me.

"No..."

"Yes."

"And before tonight is over..."

He looked directly into my eyes.

"...you'll learn the real reason your father was killed."

Before anyone could react, Lily suddenly screamed.

"Look out!"

A red laser beam appeared on Victor's chest.

Not on me.

Not on Samuel.

On Victor.

Someone else was aiming from the darkness.

Victor's confident expression vanished.

For the first time...

He looked afraid.

Then the shot rang out.