THE WOMAN THEY CALLED STREET TRASH

Chapter 5 — Victoria’s First Son

Victoria refused to believe Adrian.

“He was injured,” she said. “He didn’t know what he was saying.”

Adrian lay unconscious in a private hospital room surrounded by federal agents.

A deep cut crossed his forehead. Two ribs were broken. There were ligature marks around his wrists.

Someone had abducted him from the hotel, questioned him and abandoned him when he could not provide the information they wanted.

Evelyn stood near the window while Victoria watched the doctors.

“You have another son,” Evelyn said.

“I had a child who died.”

“The adoption papers say otherwise.”

“The papers are fraudulent.”

“Why would Lucas keep fraudulent records for twenty-two years?”

Victoria turned.

“Because he is insane.”

“That doesn’t make him wrong.”

Gideon entered the room carrying the medical file from the lodge.

He placed it on the table.

“I spoke with the physician who signed the birth record.”

Victoria’s face tightened.

“He’s still alive?”

“He remembers you.”

“I was twenty-five. I was unmarried. Mother had just died. You cared more about elections and stock prices than your own daughters.”

“That does not explain why you gave away a child.”

“I was protecting him.”

“From whom?”

Victoria’s eyes moved toward Evelyn.

“From her.”

Evelyn almost laughed.

“I didn’t know he existed.”

“You knew his father.”

The room went still.

The child’s father had been Thomas Reed, the Ashford accountant who supposedly arranged to meet Eleanor at the rail depot.

Thomas had uncovered the East Bellhaven dumping scheme.

He also had an affair with Victoria.

“When Thomas threatened to expose the company,” Victoria said, “I was seven months pregnant.”

“You told everyone the baby died,” Gideon said.

“I knew you would take him.”

“You let him be raised by Raymond and Lucas Vale.”

“They were Thomas’s cousins. He trusted them.”

“Thomas never appeared at the depot,” Evelyn said.

Victoria looked at her sister.

“He was already dead.”

The answer struck Evelyn harder than she expected.

“Who killed him?”

Victoria did not respond.

Gideon’s grip tightened around his cane.

“Answer her.”

“I don’t know.”

“You always know more than you admit,” Evelyn said.

Victoria walked to Adrian’s bedside.

“My first son was named Nathan.”

She touched Adrian’s hand.

“Thomas wanted to run away with him. He planned to take the company files and disappear. Before he could, Thomas was killed in what the police called a robbery.”

“And Nathan?”

“I gave him to the Vales. I believed he would be safer outside the Ashford family.”

“Safer with hired killers?”

“They were not killers then.”

“Raymond tried to suffocate me.”

“After the crash,” Victoria said. “After Gideon began paying them.”

The old man’s face changed.

Evelyn noticed.

“So you knew Father employed them.”

“Everyone in senior management knew Raymond handled sensitive problems.”

Gideon’s voice turned cold.

“You are trying to redirect blame.”

“I am telling her the truth you never had the courage to tell.”

Evelyn stepped between them.

“Where is Nathan now?”

Victoria swallowed.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

“I lost contact when he was fourteen. Lucas claimed Nathan had run away.”

“Nathan would be twenty-three.”

“Yes.”

Old enough to follow Adrian.

Old enough to kidnap Emma.

Old enough to believe Evelyn had destroyed his father’s life.

Marcus entered carrying a laptop.

“We recovered audio from Adrian’s phone. It uploaded automatically before the device was disabled.”

He played the recording.

There was the sound of a struggle.

Adrian’s voice shouted, “Who are you?”

A younger man answered.

“The son your mother threw away.”

Victoria sat down.

The voice continued.

“You grew up in the mansion. I grew up being taught why our family burned.”

“What do you want?”

“The files your aunt stole.”

“I don’t have them.”

“Then tell me where she keeps her daughter.”

The recording ended with a blow.

Evelyn felt sick.

Nathan had planned to take Emma before the gala. Raymond’s photographs had helped him identify routines. But the ballroom incident gave him an opportunity no one anticipated.

Marcus received a signal from the trace team.

The unknown caller had activated the burner phone again.

This time, they had a location.

The abandoned rail depot.

The same place Eleanor had been sent twenty-two years earlier.

Evelyn looked at the clock.

Thirty-two minutes remained.

Marcus prepared tactical units, but Evelyn knew Nathan would see them coming.

“I’ll go in alone.”

“No,” Victoria said.

Evelyn turned.

Victoria removed her diamond earrings and placed them on the table.

“He is my son.”

“You abandoned him.”

“And that is why he may listen to me.”

“You think I’m letting you near Emma?”

“I think you don’t have another choice.”

Gideon objected, but Marcus allowed Victoria to accompany Evelyn under one condition: both women would wear concealed trackers and follow instructions.

They reached the depot with twelve minutes remaining.

Rain hammered the rusted roof.

Evelyn carried a duplicate drive.

Victoria walked beside her.

“You knew the phone call sent me into a trap,” Evelyn said.

“I knew after you left.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

Victoria’s face was unreadable.

“I tried.”

They entered the depot.

A single light burned above the old platform.

Emma sat in a wooden chair near the tracks.