CHAPTER 3 — THE NOTEBOOK THEY WANTED
Milo ran through the rose garden as gunshots cracked behind him.
Adrian dropped behind a stone planter.
“Get the boy inside!”
Luis sprinted across the lawn while the estate guards returned fire at the truck’s tires.
Milo stumbled near the fountain.
One of the masked men caught him by the jacket.
“Give me the book!”
Milo twisted and bit the man’s hand.
The attacker cursed.
Before he could grab the boy again, Adrian slammed into him from the side. Both men hit the wet grass.
The attacker reached for a knife.
Adrian seized his wrist and drove it against the ground until the blade fell free.
Luis pulled Milo away.
“Run!”
A second attacker charged toward them.
Then a loud engine roared near the gate.
The sabotaged sedan lurched forward.
Grant Keller was behind the wheel.
He had slipped free during the confusion.
“Grant!” Adrian shouted.
The sedan accelerated directly toward Milo.
Luis shoved the boy aside.
Grant jerked the wheel at the last second and crashed through a hedge instead. The car struck a stone wall before reaching thirty miles per hour.
Steam burst from the hood.
Grant climbed out, dazed, and ran toward the truck.
The masked men dragged him inside.
Seconds later, the truck reversed through the damaged gate and disappeared.
Adrian stood in the torn garden, breathing hard.
Milo stared at him.
“They’re going to come back.”
“Then they’ll find us ready.”
Adrian took the notebook from the boy and examined it.
Most pages contained repair schedules, vehicle codes, and handwritten observations. Near the back, several pages had been ripped out.
“What was here?”
Milo looked down.
“Dad gave those pages to someone before they took him.”
“Who?”
“A woman who worked in your house.”
Adrian thought of the estate staff.
“What was her name?”
“Rosa.”
Adrian knew exactly who he meant.
Rosa Delgado had served as Celeste’s personal housekeeper. She had been fired two days after Jonah’s garage burned.
The official reason was theft.
Celeste had accused Rosa of stealing a diamond bracelet.
Adrian had believed her.
“Do you know where Rosa is?”
Milo nodded.
“She’s been hiding me.”
Adrian’s chest tightened.
“Where?”
“At an old church downtown.”
Before Milo could say more, Adrian’s phone rang.
Celeste.
He answered.
“Where are you?” she demanded.
“On my property.”
“You locked me inside my own bedroom.”
“For your safety.”
“Don’t play games with me, Adrian.”
He looked toward the mansion.
“Your car nearly killed me.”
Silence.
Then Celeste laughed softly.
“You’re trusting a filthy child over your wife?”
“I’m trusting evidence.”
“You don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Then explain it.”
Another pause.
When she spoke again, her voice was low.
“If you go to that church, Milo will die.”
Adrian looked at the boy.
“How do you know about the church?”
The line went dead.
Adrian stared at his phone.
Celeste had just made one thing painfully clear.
May you like
She wasn’t guessing.
She had been watching Milo for months.
