Chapter 6
The lake house was forty minutes outside the city.
Secluded.
Gated.
Tall trees blocking any view from the road.
Marcus parked his beat-up truck half a mile down a dirt access road.
We hiked the rest of the way.
Dawn was just breaking.
Pink and orange bleeding across the water.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
And completely at odds with what we were about to do.
“Remind me why we’re trespassing again?” Marcus whispered as we crept through the trees.
“Because Jake and Megan have been using this place to coordinate. There has to be evidence here. Texts. Emails. Maybe even a paper trail of the money he’s been paying her.”
“Or maybe they’re just here for the weekend. Naked. And we walk in on something that gets us shot.”
“Stay alert then.”
We reached the treeline at the edge of the property.
The house was a massive cedar and glass structure.
A black Range Rover was parked in the driveway.
Jake’s.
And a silver Honda Civic.
Registered to Megan Price, according to Marcus.
“Bingo,” I said.
Marcus pulled out a pair of binoculars and scanned the windows.
“Lights on in the kitchen. Two people. Looks like they’re eating breakfast.”
“Can you hear anything?”
“Negative. Too far. But I brought Plan B.”
He pulled a small drone out of his backpack.
“Since when do you have a drone?”
“Since last Tuesday. Bought it off a kid on Craigslist. Said he needed rent money. Works pretty good, actually. Camera’s a little fuzzy but good enough for what we need.”
He launched it.
The tiny machine buzzed silently over the water and toward the house.
Marcus watched the feed on his phone.
“Getting closer… closer… okay, we’re at the kitchen window. Let’s see what the happy couple is talking about.”
We huddled over the screen.
The audio was scratchy but understandable.
Jake was sitting at the island, drinking coffee.
Megan was making toast.
“—should’ve never let him get released,” Jake was saying. “The cops were supposed to hold him at least until Monday. Enough time for the story to really take root.”
“Jake, the GPS on his car checked out. His phone records checked out. What did you want me to do? Plant evidence? I already risked everything by altering that social worker report last month.”
“You risked nothing. You’re the only witness to that ‘altercation’ between Sarah and Lily’s teacher. Without your statement, the judge never would’ve given me unsupervised visits.”
Megan turned from the toaster.
Her face was tight.
“I did that because I love you. Because you promised we’d be a family. But this—this thing with Ethan Cole? It’s getting too dangerous. He could testify. He could tell them what he saw in the ditch.”
Jake smiled.
That same charming, dangerous smile.
He stood up and walked behind her.
Wrapped his arms around her waist.
Kissed her neck.
“Relax, baby. By the time he testifies, no one will believe a word he says. The Instagram post already has fifty thousand shares. His neighbors are talking. His boss put him on administrative leave. In three days, he’ll be radioactive. And Lily? She’s seven. She’ll cry on the stand. Get confused. Jake’s lawyer will tear her apart. The jury will see a scared little girl who’s been coached by her bitter mother. They’ll give me full custody before lunch.”
“And the trust fund?”
“Transferred to my control within thirty days. We pay off the poker debts. Buy that house in Florida you wanted. Start over. Just us. And Lily, of course. For a while.”
Megan tensed in his arms.
“What does ‘for a while’ mean?”
Jake’s hands tightened on her hips.
Not affectionately.
“Nothing you need to worry about. Just… long-term planning.”
“Jake—you promised. No more hurting her. No more scaring her. I went along with the custody stuff because I thought you really loved her. But if you’re planning something—”
He spun her around.
His face was inches from hers.
The charm was gone.
“You went along with it because you’re as greedy as I am. Don’t act like you suddenly grew a conscience. That ten thousand dollars I put in your account last month? That bought you that new car. The one you told your ex-husband you got with your ‘tax refund.’ You’re in this as deep as I am, Megan. And if I go down? I’m taking you with me. Clear?”
Tears were streaming down her face.
She nodded.
“Good. Now finish your breakfast. We’ve got a busy day. I need you to call the prosecutor’s office. Tell them you have ‘new information’ about Ethan Cole’s ‘history of unstable behavior.’ Make it good. Something about a domestic dispute with an old girlfriend. Doesn’t matter if it’s true. Just get it in the file.”
He kissed her roughly on the mouth.
“I’m going to take a shower. And then I’m going to go visit my daughter. Doctors said she might be released today. And I’m going to be there. Looking like the loving father I am.”
He walked out of the kitchen.
Megan stood frozen for a long moment.
Then she sank onto a stool and buried her face in her hands.
Marcus lowered the drone.
“Holy hell,” he said. “That’s it. That’s everything. We have him admitting to bribery. Witness tampering. Planning to discredit you. And that line about ‘long-term planning’ for Lily? That’s enough for a judge to at least suspend his visitation.”
“We need to record it properly. The audio on this thing is garbage. It won’t hold up in court.”
“Then we get better proof. Tonight. I know a guy who can get us some real listening devices. Tiny ones. Undetectable. We plant them in this house. In his car. In her office. We get every word. Every plan. Every confession.”
“Tonight? But Jake’s going to the hospital today. What if he tries to take Lily?”
Marcus checked his watch.
“Sarah’s already there. She texted me ten minutes ago. Said she’s got two of her cousins sitting outside Lily’s room. Big guys. Jake won’t get within ten feet of that door without an army.”
He started packing up the drone.
“Here’s the plan. You go to the hospital. Be there for Lily’s statement. Be visible. Be the good guy. Let Jake see you. Let him know you’re not going anywhere. I’ll handle the equipment. We meet back at your place at six. Then we come back here tonight. While they’re sleeping.”
I looked back at the house.
Through the window, I could see Megan still sitting at the island.
Staring at nothing.
She was trapped.
Just like Sarah.
Just like Lily.
And Jake was using all of them.
“Marcus,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“When we take him down… we do it right. No shortcuts. No mistakes. Because if we miss even once? He’s going to hurt that little girl. And I will never forgive myself.”
Marcus clapped me on the shoulder.
“Relax. We’ve got the element of surprise. He thinks he’s already won. That’s when people get sloppy. And when Jake Carter gets sloppy? He’s going to make the mistake that puts him away for twenty years.”
We started back toward the truck.
Behind us, the sun cleared the treetops.
May you like
Another beautiful day in Tennessee.
And somewhere in that big glass house, a monster was getting ready to go see his daughter.
