Chapter 8: The Enemy Wearing A Familiar Face
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the hidden room.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
The emergency lights flickered above them, casting the underground chamber in a dim red glow.
General Alexander Harris stood frozen.
Not because he was afraid of the weapon.
Not because of the possibility of another attack.
Because his father had disappeared again.
Twenty years ago, Richard Harris vanished from his life.
Tonight, he returned for less than a minute.
And then he was gone.
“Richard!””
Alexander rushed forward.
The chair near the entrance was overturned.
The old wooden door was swinging slightly.
But there was no one there.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Nothing.
Captain Elena Brooks raised her weapon.
“Someone was here.””
Alexander looked around.
“How?””
She pointed toward the floor.
A small trail of dust led away from the hidden room.
“There’s another exit.””
Alexander moved quickly.
Behind an old cabinet was a narrow passage.
His father had known about it.
Someone else had too.
“He escaped,” Elena said.
Alexander stared into the darkness.
“No.””
Elena looked at him.
“Sir?””
“He didn’t escape.””
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“He was taken.””
Because one thing bothered him.
Richard had not looked surprised when the lights went out.
He had looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For Alexander.
“He knew this would happen,” Alexander whispered.
Elena lowered her weapon.
“Then why come here?””
“To warn me.””
“About who?””
Alexander thought about Richard’s final words.
*The person who helped him destroy our family is someone you still trust.*
His stomach tightened.
Someone close.
Someone trusted.
The answer was terrifying.
Because only a handful of people had been close enough.
Only a handful had access.
And one name immediately came to mind.
But Alexander refused to say it.
Not yet.
“General.””
Elena’s voice pulled him back.
“We need to leave.””
Alexander nodded.
But before he stepped away, he looked at the journal on the desk.
His father had risked everything to hide it.
He picked it up.
This time, he would not let anyone take the truth away.
Back at Saint Mary’s Hospital, the atmosphere had changed.
The moment Alexander entered Amelia’s room, she knew something happened.
She saw it in his face.
“What happened?””
He closed the door behind him.
“Your grandfather is alive.””
Amelia froze.
For several seconds, she didn’t blink.
“What?””
“I saw him.””
Her expression changed from disbelief to fear.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“That’s impossible.””
“I thought so too.””
Alexander placed the journal on the table.
“But he’s alive.””
Amelia stared at the book.
“Where did you find that?””
“In the hidden room.””
Her face went pale.
“He found it.””
“Who?””
She looked at him.
“Your father.””
Alexander frowned.
“What?””
Amelia took a shaky breath.
“The room wasn’t just hidden from Daniel.””
A pause.
“It was hidden from everyone.””
Alexander looked confused.
“Why?””
“Because your father didn’t trust anyone.””
The words felt heavier now.
Not even his own family.
Not even Alexander.
He looked down.
A painful realization formed.
His father had known something dangerous was happening.
And he had protected everyone by disappearing.
But he had also destroyed them in the process.
“He should have told me.””
Amelia looked at him.
“Yes.””
The answer surprised him.
She continued:
“He should have trusted you.””
Alexander sat down.
The anger he felt was mixed with something worse.
Grief.
“I spent twenty years thinking he was dead.””
“I know.””
“I spent twenty years thinking you left me.””
Amelia looked away.
“I know.””
“And all this time…”
His voice broke.
“All this time, someone else was controlling the story.””
Neither of them spoke.
Then Ruby, who had been sleeping nearby, opened her eyes.
“Are you two okay?””
Alexander immediately softened.
“Yes.””
Ruby looked at Amelia.
“Mom?””
“I’m okay.””
Ruby looked between them.
“You found Grandpa?””
The room went silent.
Alexander looked at her.
“How did you know?””
Ruby shrugged.
“You were talking.””
Amelia smiled sadly.
“She hears everything.””
Ruby looked at Alexander.
“Is he nice?””
The question caught him off guard.
“My father?””
She nodded.
Alexander thought about it.
For most of his life, Richard Harris had been his hero.
A strict father.
A demanding teacher.
A man who expected excellence.
But now he wondered how much of that was real.
“I don’t know.””
Ruby frowned.
“You don’t know your own dad?””
The innocence of the question hurt.
“No.””
Alexander looked at the journal.
“But I’m going to find out.””
The next morning, Alexander sat in a private office at Fort Ravenwood.
The journal was open in front of him.
Page after page revealed pieces of a puzzle.
His father had spent years investigating a network inside the military.
Illegal operations.
Financial corruption.
Missing evidence.
But one thing appeared repeatedly.
A name.
Not Daniel.
Someone else.
Alexander stared at it.
The same name appeared beside classified files.
The same name appeared beside financial records.
The same name appeared beside the night Richard disappeared.
*General Marcus Reed.*
Alexander leaned back.
No.
Not Marcus.
It couldn’t be.
Marcus Reed had been his mentor.
His commanding officer.
The man who stood beside him after Richard’s death.
The man who helped him rebuild his career.
The man who told him:
“Family can disappoint you. Duty never will.””
Alexander remembered those words.
And suddenly they sounded different.
His phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Marcus Reed.
For several seconds, he didn’t answer.
Then he did.
“Marcus.””
“Alexander.””
The voice sounded calm.
Almost friendly.
“I heard about Amelia.””
Alexander’s expression changed.
“How?””
A pause.
“News travels.””
“Who told you?””
Another pause.
Too long.
“Does it matter?””
Alexander looked at the journal.
“Yes.””
Marcus sighed.
“You sound different.””
“I learned some things.””
“About what?””
Alexander looked out the window.
“About my father.””
Silence.
Then Marcus said:
“Alexander…”
The tone changed.
Warning.
Concern.
Fear.
“Don’t dig into the past.””
Alexander’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?””
“Because some things are buried for a reason.””
The exact words Amelia had heard twenty years ago.
The same phrase.
His father’s warning.
Daniel’s behavior.
Everything connected.
“Did you know Richard was alive?””
The silence on the phone answered before Marcus did.
“No.””
But the hesitation was there.
Alexander heard it.
And Marcus knew he had heard it.
“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.””
Alexander stood.
“Then explain.””
“I can’t.””
“Or you won’t?””
Marcus became quiet.
Then:
“Alexander, listen carefully.””
The seriousness in his voice made Alexander stop.
“Do not trust Elena.””
His eyes moved immediately toward the office door.
“What?””
“She’s closer to this than you think.””
The call ended.
Alexander stared at the phone.
His heart was pounding.
Because Marcus Reed had just done exactly what Daniel did.
He had planted doubt.
He had turned people against each other.
And now Alexander had a terrifying question.
Who was telling the truth?
His father?
Daniel?
Marcus?
Or Elena?
The door opened.
Captain Elena entered.
“General?””
Alexander looked at her.
For the first time, he didn’t know what to think.
She noticed immediately.
“What happened?””
He said nothing.
Because the woman standing in front of him had been the person he trusted most in the last twenty-four hours.
The person who protected Ruby.
The person who helped him uncover the truth.
But what if that was exactly the point?
What if someone had placed her there?
Slowly, Alexander closed the journal.
“Where were you last night after we left the old house?””
Elena’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“I went back to the hospital.””
“Alone?””
“Yes.””
“Can anyone confirm?””
She stared at him.
“General?””
“Answer the question.””
A silence passed.
Then Elena said:
“No.””
Alexander felt something sink inside him.
Because before she said another word…
The security alarm at Fort Ravenwood suddenly activated.
A soldier rushed into the room.
“General!””
Alexander turned.
“What happened?””
The soldier looked between him and Elena.
“We found someone inside the restricted archives.””
“Who?””
The soldier hesitated.
Then:
“Captain Brooks.””
The room went completely silent.
Alexander looked at Elena.
She looked shocked.
“I didn’t do that.””
But the soldier wasn’t finished.
“There’s more.””
Alexander waited.
The soldier swallowed.
“The person inside the archives was searching for files connected to Colonel Richard Harris.””
Alexander’s eyes narrowed.
“And?””
The soldier looked at Elena.
“Her access code was used to enter.””
No one spoke.
Because the impossible had just happened.
The person Alexander trusted most…
Had become the person everyone suspected.
And before he could decide what to believe, Elena whispered:
“General…”
May you like
Her voice shook.
“I think someone is trying to frame me.””
