Chapter 6 - The Change of Plans
"If that was his plan, why was the baby left in my bed?" I asked, leaning closer to Maya.
"The surrogate gave birth two weeks ago," Maya explained, her voice shaking. "David told me to pick up the baby from a private clinic in Tijuana."
"You went to Mexico?"
"Yes. But when I held her... Julia, I couldn't do it. I couldn't hand your child over to a monster like David."
Maya looked up, her eyes pleading for understanding.
"I knew if David got his hands on her, he would use her as a pawn forever. So I ran."
"You drove her across the border?"
"I had fake papers David provided," she said. "But instead of taking her to David's safehouse, I drove straight to La Jolla."
"How did you bypass the security?"
"David gave me the master bypass codes. He had keylogged Eric's computer months ago to steal them."
I sat back, the weight of the revelation pressing heavily on my chest.
David, the man who had eaten dinner at our table, who had poured wine at our wedding, was trying to destroy our family.
"Does David know you took her to us?" I asked.
"No," Maya shook her head frantically. "He thinks I'm on the run with the baby. He's been blowing up my burner phone for three days."
"Where is the burner phone?" I demanded.
Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out a cheap plastic cell phone.
"He texted me an hour ago," she said, handing it to me. "He said if I don't deliver the package by tonight, he's sending people to find me."
I stared at the glowing screen.
The text read: Time is up. Deliver the package to the warehouse by 8 PM, or your brother goes down. And then I find you.
I looked at Marcus, who was standing quietly by the door, recording everything on his smartwatch.
"Marcus," I said. "Call Eric. Tell him to get out of the corporate office immediately."
Marcus nodded and stepped outside to make the call securely.
I turned back to Maya.
"You're going to help us fix this," I told her.
"How?" she whimpered. "David has all the power."
"David has a secret," I corrected her. "And now, so do we. You are going to text him back."
"What do I say?"
"Tell him you got scared. Tell him you want more money, and you'll meet him tonight."
Maya looked terrified. "He'll kill me, Julia."
"He won't touch you," I promised, my voice hardening into steel. "Because Eric and I are going to take him down."
Maya swallowed hard, then slowly opened the keyboard on the burner phone.
I need a guarantee, she typed. Bring 100k in cash to the old shipyard at midnight. Then you get the baby.
She hit send.
We sat in silence, watching the little digital screen.
Three minutes later, it buzzed.
May you like
Midnight. Come alone. Don't play games, Maya.
I stood up and grabbed my coat. "Pack a bag, Maya. You're coming with us."
