Chapter 5 Shadows That Speak

Paul stood frozen in place.

So did the man across the street, just out of his car, when the rain began to come down lightly on the windows with slow-tapping softness that almost insulted the tension underneath the roof.

Elena held her breath.

She recognized that face, not as a memory, but from the photo that Paul had unsuccessfully tossed in an envelope.

"Elena." Paul spoke slowly, never taking his eyes off the man. "Get the kids upstairs. Lock the door."

But Elena did not move. "Who is he?"

Paul's jaw clenched. "His name is Dominic Kane. He was the boss Dante was a part of. He went off the grid before the busts happened. I thought he was dead."

Rivas pulled his weapon. "He wasn't. And if he's in town, I can guarantee you he isn't alone."

Two figures started to become clear from the shadows. Suited. Armed. Calm.

Rivas swore to himself. "They're not here for Clara. They're here for you."

Paul turned to Elena. "Go. Now."

But Elena held her ground. "Not without answers."

Kane stepped onto the porch.

Paul opened the door before Kane could knock.

"It's been a while," Kane said with a smile. His voice was too slick. "You look good, Dawson. Or should I say... Officer Paul Bennett?"

Paul positioned himself in the doorway. "Walk away."

"I would," Kane said, "but I think I got my shit left behind. And I think it's time for me to come get it."

Kane's eyes moved to Elena, then moved to the children peering from the stairway.

"Busy man. Family man?" Kane smiled.

Rivas stepped out. "I think you are outnumbered."

"No," Kane said. "You are."

At that moment, glass shattered somewhere in the back of the house. Parents cried out. Movement. Elena screamed while Steven cried out.

Paul shoved Kane back, then slammed the door shut. "They are in!"

Rivas pulled Elena and the kids towards the hallway. "Panic room. Now! Do you have a panic room?"

Paul nodded, grabbing a bookshelf and swinging it aside to reveal a steel door hidden in the wall, and pulled it open.

Elena pushed the children in. "Paul, come on!"

But Paul didn't move. He grabbed a second gun from the hallway drawer.

"I need to hold them off."

"No!" Elena reached for him. "You don't have to do this alone."

Paul touched her face gently, his voice soft. "I kept secrets for too long, Elena. I won't let those secrets take you away."

Before she could argue, Rivas shoved her inside. "He's stalling for time. Trust him."

The door sealed shut just as gunfire suddenly became visible matter up and out outside.

Elena held Steven, her hands shaking with fear or feeling of love.The panic room was quiet too quiet except for the muffled sounds of noise and confusion outside.

She turned to the oldest of Paul's children. "Is there another way out?"

The boy nodded. "Dad showed me. Through the basement panel."

She pried it open. The tunnel was narrow, dark, and dusty.

"Come on," she whispered. "Stay low."

As they crawled through, Elena's mind raced. Who was Dominic Kane, really? And why now?

They came out behind the neighbor's shed and bent down in silence.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

It was a text from an unknown number.

"He's not who you think. Ask Paul about Mira."

Elena's blood turned cold.

Who was Mira?

Back inside, the house was silent.

Dominic Kane stood over Paul, blood dripping from his lip.

"You were always loyal to the badge. But the badge never saved Mira, did it?"

Paul's fists squeezed tightly. "Don't you say her name?"

"Oh, but I will," Kane frowned. "She begged you to run. And you left her behind."

Paul's eyes burned with guilt.

"She died because of you, Paul. And you never told your wife. Never told anyone. But she's the reason I came back ."

From his coat, Kane pulled out a photograph--and dropped it on the floor.

Paul looked down.

His breath caught.

The photo was recent.

A girl. Fifteen. Alive. Familiar.

Elena's voice was a haunted murmur in his memory: "I don't give a shit how painful it is. I want the truth."

Dominic leaned in again. "Paul. She didn't die. Mira survived, Paul. And she's coming for you."

The recognition hit Paul like bricks.

Mira. Survived.

It was a name of Paul's past, so long buried he thought he had forgotten it. Or tried to forget. But that photograph, that girl's face was washing over him in waves of fear.

He had a choice to run away, to save himself and his career, to leave behind everyone and everything he'd ever cared about. And Mira was one of the losses. He could feel the weight of it all pushing down his chest.

"I don't know where she is, Kane," said Paul, rough sounding. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Kane frowned. "You can lie to yourself all you want, but you know the truth. You know what you did."

And then, the long silence between them, mingled with the distant gunfire and scuffle of footsteps outside.

Paul turned away, pacing the small room. His mind was racing, but his body felt made someone unable to move or feel. Mira had survived? That didn't make sense. How Could she have survived after everything that happened? After the operation had fallen apart?

"Elena doesn't know, does she?" Kane teased in a mean way, sensing Paul's hesitation. "She doesn't know the truth about your past, about what you really did to survive. You've kept that from her. From everyone."

Paul's heart raced. "Don't you dare bring her into this?"

"Oh, I will," Kane said. "Because it's only a matter of time before she finds out. And when she does, she'll leave you. You'll lose everything."

The threat hung in the air, sharp and cold.

"Why are you here, Kane?" Paul asked, his voice steady even though there is the existence of the storm screaming and acting violently inside him. "What do you want ?"

Kane's grin widened. "I'm not here for revenge, Paul. I'm here because Mira wants you to suffer. She's coming for you. And when she does, everything you've built, everything you've tried to protect, will come crashing down ."

"I won't let that happen," Paul said, his voice hardening. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop her."

Kane's laughter echoed through the room, dark and twisted . "You can't stop her. Not now. Not after all the years of lies."

Outside the Panic Room

Elena's heart was pounding. She could hear the faint sounds of gunfire, the confusion, and the noise and confusion happening in the house. She didn't know what was happening, didn't know if Paul was okay.

Her mind kept racing back to the text message. Ask Paul about Mira.

Who was Mira? What was Paul hiding?