“You can know something and still struggle to do it.”
He looked at her. “You sound like Emily.”
“Someone has to.”
By eight, Detective Ellis had called with an update. The image’s metadata had been stripped, but the background contained a faint industrial marking that might match a warehouse supply company. Investigators were checking recent deliveries to Sloane-controlled properties. The photograph was evidence of intimidation, but it did not establish the exact location or prove who had taken it.
“Can you get him out?” Daniel asked.
“We’re working on it.”
“What if he’s moved before you find the room?”
“We’re treating that possibility as urgent.”
Daniel wanted to demand more, but Ellis had never pretended to know what she did not know. He forced himself to listen while she explained the next steps. A specialist was examining the image. Another team was reviewing surveillance footage from roads near Iron Harbor and the warehouse. The prosecutor was coordinating with investigators who handled organized criminal activity.
For most of the morning, Daniel stayed at Rachel’s house. He checked on Lily, helped her pack a lunch, and walked her through the school’s safety plan again. He did not show her the photograph. He told her only that the police were investigating a serious situation and that the family was following the plan.
At school, the principal met them at the entrance. Two officers were parked nearby, not in a way that would frighten the children, but close enough to respond quickly. Lily hugged Daniel longer than usual before going inside.
“Don’t forget the lighthouse,” she said.
“It’s safe on the shelf.”
“Keep the light on.”
“I will.”
The words followed him back to the car.
At noon, Kevin arrived with a new lead. A former employee of Sloane Protective Services had contacted him after seeing a local news story about the park confrontation. The employee, a man named Andre Lewis, had left the company two months earlier after refusing to work private events at Iron Harbor.
“He won’t talk to me without a lawyer,” Kevin said. “But he says the security crew was told to keep certain fighters from leaving before an event ended. He doesn’t know whether Marcus is there now. He’s willing to give a statement.”
Daniel called Ellis and passed along the information. She asked Kevin to give the employee’s contact details directly to the investigative team. Kevin did so, then sat beside Daniel at the kitchen table.
“This is bigger than one private fight,” Kevin said. “If Andre is telling the truth, they’ve been controlling who comes and goes.”
“Then there may be more people who need help.”
“Which is why we have to stay out of the way. You’re not the only person who can be useful.”
Daniel gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’m trying to learn that.”
At three, the police located a storage facility connected to the company that owned the warehouse. A search warrant was being prepared, but the investigators could not yet say whether the photograph of Marcus had been taken there. The team had also identified a second vehicle linked to the men who had watched Lily’s school. It was registered to a subcontractor that had performed security work for Sloane.
The evidence was accumulating. It was not yet enough to close every gap.
At four thirty, Daniel received a call from an unknown number. This time, he answered only because Ellis had told him that a traced number might be useful if the caller stayed on the line. He placed the phone on speaker and set it on the table.
“Daniel Mercer,” a man said.
“Who is this?”
“You know who.”
“Then say your name.”
A quiet chuckle came through the speaker. “You were always better at taking orders in a ring than understanding business outside it.”
Daniel recognized the voice from the old hotel suite. Elias Rourke.
“What have you done with Marcus?”
“Nothing he didn’t bring on himself. The boy made promises he couldn’t keep.”
“Let him go.”
“You’re in no position to make demands.”
“Then why call me?”
A pause. Daniel could hear a faint echo behind Rourke’s voice, as if he were speaking in a large room.
“Because Victor believes you misunderstand the invitation. We don’t want to hurt you. We want you to remember who you are.”
“I remember.”
“No. You remember the version you tell yourself. The champion who walked away clean. The father who believes he can hide from the past. We’re offering you a chance to settle an old account.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Perhaps not. But Marcus does.”
Daniel kept his voice even. “If you want to talk, talk to the police.”
Rourke laughed softly. “You think the police are the audience we’re preparing for?”
The call ended.
Daniel immediately sent Ellis the recording. She called back within minutes, asking him to confirm that he had not agreed to meet or disclosed his location. He confirmed both. The call had lasted less than two minutes, but Rourke’s voice and references could help investigators establish a direct link.
At sunset, Daniel took a walk around Rachel’s block with no phone in his hand. He needed to feel the ground beneath his feet, to remember that the world still contained ordinary streets and ordinary people. A child rode a scooter past him. A neighbor watered a row of plants. Somewhere, a radio played an old song Emily used to sing while washing dishes.
He returned to the house and found Lily waiting by the lighthouse.
“Did you keep the light on?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She leaned against him. “Good. Someone might need it.”
Daniel held her close, and for the first time that day, he allowed himself to feel the full weight of his fear. He was afraid for Marcus. He was afraid for Lily. He was afraid that every careful choice would come too late.
But fear was not a command. It was a warning.
He could listen without obeying it.
That night, Detective Ellis sent one message: **We have a possible location. Do not move until I call.**
Daniel read it twice, then placed the phone beside the little cardboard lighthouse.