Chapter 8 - THE MAN WHO REFUSED TO WALK AWAY| Julian entered the abandoned clinic with two security officers behind him.

The building had been closed for more than twenty years. Water stained the ceiling, old examination tables stood beneath dusty sheets, and rusted cabinets lined the corridor. He had found the location through Adrian's former business records and an insurance claim connected to the clinic fire.

He had expected to find evidence.

He had not expected to find Nomi sitting beside an overturned chair with a red mark around her wrists.

He moved toward her.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm all right."

"Did he threaten you?"

Nomi glanced at Adrian.

"He says the woman who arrives with you can't be trusted."

Julian stopped.

"Who did he mean?"

Adrian said nothing.

Julian turned toward him.

"You abducted her from my estate."

"I brought her here to keep the wrong people from finding her."

"You could have called me."

"You would have brought the police."

"Yes."

"Exactly."

Julian stared at the older man.

"You don't get to decide whether she deserves police protection."

Adrian's face hardened.

"Your father made that decision for twenty-six years."

"Then my father was wrong."

For a moment, Adrian looked almost relieved.

He removed the envelope from his coat and placed it on a table.

"I did not intend to hurt her. I needed to know whether the scar matched the original record."

Nomi folded her arms.

"You could have asked."

"Would you have come willingly?"

"Not after what you did."

Adrian looked down.

"Fair enough."

Julian approached the table but did not touch the envelope.

"What's inside?"

"The original clinic record. A statement from the nurse who moved the baby. And a letter from Richard Ashcom."

Julian's jaw tightened at the mention of his father.

"Why did you take Nomi?"

"Because someone paid me to find her three years ago. The moment I learned she was working at the Ashcom estate, I knew the investigation had begun again."

"Who paid you?"

Adrian hesitated.

"Eleanor Callaway."

Nomi stared at him.

"My grandmother?"

"She hired me to find a woman who had been treated at a clinic under the name Nomi Dwart. The surgeon believed she might be the child who disappeared. I found her, but before I could contact Eleanor, the patient vanished from the clinic."

"That was me?"

Adrian nodded.

"Three years ago, you were brought in after a violent assault. The doctor recognized the scar and made a drawing. He sent a copy to Eleanor, who had spent years searching for you."

Nomi touched her back through the torn fabric of the borrowed jacket.

"I remember being attacked. I remember waking up in a shelter. I never knew who arranged the transport."

"Someone wanted you out of sight," Adrian said.

Julian looked at him.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Then how did you know where to find her tonight?"

Adrian's eyes moved toward the door.

"Because someone called me from the estate."

Nomi's face tightened.

"Vivian?"

"No. The woman who called said she was Eleanor Callaway."

Julian looked toward the window.

"My grandmother was at the estate. She never left the ballroom."

Adrian shook his head.

"Then someone used her name."

A noise sounded in the hallway.

One of Julian's guards stepped outside to investigate.

A moment later, he returned carrying a small black phone.

"It was hidden behind the reception desk, sir."

Julian checked the screen.

There was one recent call and one unsent message.

The message read:

The girl is with Julian. Move to the second plan.

Nomi stared at the screen.

"Second plan?"

Before Julian could answer, the phone began ringing.

He pressed the speaker button.

A woman's voice filled the room.

"Julian, bring Nomi to the Ashcom estate immediately. Do not let Eleanor speak to her alone."

It sounded like Catherine.

Julian frowned.

"Mother?"

The voice paused.

Then it continued.

"If you care about the girl, do exactly as I say."

The call ended.

Julian looked at Adrian.

"Was that your contact?"

"No."

Nomi felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"Then someone has been listening to all of us."

Outside, an engine started.

Through the broken windows, Julian saw a black vehicle pull away from the clinic.

The passenger turned toward them.

Vivian Sinclair.

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