Chapter 2: The Man in the SUV
Nobody moved.
The black SUV remained parked along the curb, its engine vibrating softly.
Damian could hear the distant sound of traffic, a delivery truck reversing somewhere down the block, and Ava's uneven breathing against his arm.
But all he could see was that face.
His face.
The stranger rested one elbow on the open window.
“Long time, Damian,” he said.
The voice was almost identical, too.
Not exactly.
There was a slightly deeper edge to it, but the resemblance was disturbing enough to make Damian's stomach tighten.
“Who are you?”” Damian demanded.
The stranger glanced at Ava.
“Hello, princess.””
Ava immediately buried her face against her father's side.
Damian stepped forward.
“Don't talk to my daughter.””
The stranger raised both hands slightly.
“Relax. I'm not here to hurt anybody.””
“You approached my seven-year-old daughter at school without my permission.””
“I was trying to say hello.””
“You told her to call you Daddy.””
The stranger's smile disappeared for half a second.
Then it returned.
“Children misunderstand things sometimes.””
“Not my daughter.””
Nora had already moved Ruby behind the bench. She held the little girl's shoulders, keeping her away from the road.
“Damian, don't approach that vehicle,” she said.
He didn't look away from the stranger.
“Do you know who he is?””
Nora shook her head.
“No.””
“Then why are you acting like you expected him?””
“Because I've seen that car before.””
Damian finally turned toward her.
“When?””
“Yesterday. Outside my apartment. And the day before that, near Ruby's school.””
The stranger laughed quietly.
“That's a serious accusation, Nora.””
Her face went pale.
“You know my name?””
“Of course I do.””
“How?””
He looked at Ruby.
“Olivia talked about you.””
Nora pulled Ruby closer.
“Don't you dare use her name.””
The man's eyes returned to Damian.
“You really haven't told him anything, have you?””
Damian's jaw tightened.
“Stop playing games. Tell me who you are.””
The stranger leaned back.
“Would you believe me if I told you we're brothers?””
Damian stared.
“I don't have a brother.””
“That's what you were told.””
The words landed like a stone.
Damian had grown up in Baltimore with his mother, Denise, and had never known his biological father. His mother had always said she had one child.
He had asked questions when he was younger.
She had refused to answer.
Eventually, he stopped asking.
But now a man with his face was sitting inside a black SUV, suggesting that everything he knew about his family was a lie.
“Get out of the car,” Damian said.
The stranger shook his head.
“Not today.””
“Get out!””
Ava flinched.
Damian immediately softened his voice.
“It's okay, baby. Daddy's here.””
The stranger watched the exchange with an expression that made Damian's skin crawl.
“You still say it that way,” he murmured.
“Say what?””
“Daddy's here.””
He smiled faintly.
“Olivia used to say you had a special voice for her.””
Damian went completely still.
“How do you know my wife?””
The stranger glanced at Nora.
“Ask her.””
Nora looked down.
“Damian, we need to leave.””
“Not until somebody explains what is happening.””
“Please.””
Ruby suddenly spoke.
“Mommy, is that the bad man?””
Nora crouched immediately.
“Don't worry, sweetheart.””
“He was outside the school.””
Damian turned toward her.
“Ruby, did you see this man before?””
The little girl nodded.
“He came to the playground. He said he was my uncle.””
“Did he touch you?””
“No.””
“Did he try to take you somewhere?””
Ruby hesitated.
“He said my mommy was keeping a secret from me.””
Nora closed her eyes.
The stranger gave a quiet chuckle.
“Children deserve to know who their families are.””
Damian stepped toward the curb.
“You stay away from both girls.””
The man's expression changed.
For the first time, the smile vanished completely.
“You should be more careful with your threats.””
“And you should be more careful with my daughter.””
A car horn sounded behind the SUV.
The stranger glanced into his rearview mirror.
Then he looked at Damian one last time.
“Tell Denise I said hello.””
Damian's body went rigid.
“How do you know my mother?””
The stranger didn't answer.
He raised the window.
The SUV pulled away from the curb and disappeared into traffic.
Damian remained motionless.
Nora approached slowly.
“Damian?””
He turned toward her.
“Who is he?””
“I don't know.””
“Don't lie to me.””
“I'm not.””
“Then explain how he knows my mother's name.””
Nora looked toward Ruby.
The girl was playing nervously with the silver bird pendant.
“Because Olivia told me something before she disappeared,” Nora said.
Damian's breathing became shallow.
“What?””
Nora hesitated.
“She said there was another man with your face.””
The street seemed to tilt.
Damian stared at her.
“What did you just say?””
Nora reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded photograph.
It was old, slightly creased, with a faded white border.
She handed it to him.
Damian looked down.
The photograph showed two newborn babies lying side by side in a hospital nursery.
One had a small hospital bracelet around his wrist.
The other had an identical one.
Behind the glass, a nurse was smiling at the camera.
On the back, written in blue ink, were five words:
Damian and Daniel. August 1990.
Damian looked up.
“Who is Daniel?””
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
“He was supposed to be your twin brother.””
Damian stared at the photograph again.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
He opened it.
There was a photograph of Ava standing outside her school yesterday.
The stranger was crouching beside her.
His hand rested on her shoulder.
Beneath the picture were seven words.
You should ask your mother what she did.
Damian felt his fingers go numb.
May you like
And then another message appeared.
Because Daniel isn't the only secret she buried.
