Chapter 12 - Buried Secrets
The dashboard lights cast an eerie green glow over Marcus’s face. He turned completely in his seat, staring at Toby with eyes wide with shock.
"What did you just say?" Marcus whispered.
"Before Jesse put the shotgun down, he pulled out an old envelope," Toby repeated, his voice steady despite the tension in the cab. "It had 'Sarah Vance' written on it. He showed it to Wade and said, 'She hid it well, but we got the location.' Dad... what did Mom hide from them?"
Tyler leaned forward from the backseat, confusion evident on his face. "Wait... Sarah isn't your mom's name. Sarah is my mom's name."
Marcus closed his eyes, his breathing heavy and ragged. He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel, his fists gripping the leather until his knuckles turned white. A low groan escaped his throat—a sound of profound, agonizing regret.
"Dad?" Tyler asked, genuine fear creeping back into his voice. "What is going on? What does Mom have to do with the Millers?"
Marcus lifted his head, staring straight into the darkness beyond the windshield wipers. "Six years ago, before I left, your mother and I found out what the Millers were running through the county shipping docks. Stolen machinery, illicit weapons... and high-grade narcotics. Sarah took documents from the town registry. Proof that the Millers were using town land to launder their money."
Tyler’s breath hitched. "Mom took that?"
"She hid them," Marcus said, his voice trembling with rare emotion. "She swore she destroyed them when I left to join the club, to protect you, Tyler. But she didn't. She kept them as insurance in case the Millers ever came after our family."
"And now they think Tyler gave them up," Toby said, connecting the dots. "Wade thinks Tyler led them straight to the secret."
Before Marcus could answer, the screen on his dashboard lit up with an incoming call from an unknown local number. He hit the speaker button.
A harsh, raspy voice crackled through the truck’s speakers. It wasn't Wade.
It was Sarah Vance.
May you like
"Marcus... help me," she sobbed, the sound of breaking glass and violent shouting echoing in the background. "They’re in the house. Marcus, they’re in the—"
The call was abruptly cut off by the sharp crack of a gunshot, followed by the cold hum of a dead line.
