Chapter 4 - The Ghost of the Past
Ryan stared into the dark woods, the phone pressed tightly against his ear.
"Mark?" Ryan breathed out, his mind unable to process the absolute impossibility of the situation.
"I am very much alive, little brother," Mark replied smoothly through the static.
"What is going on, and who is this little girl?" Ryan demanded, his anger finally overtaking his shock.
Mark chuckled, a dark and cynical sound that made Ryan's blood run completely cold.
"Her name is Mia, and she is your biological daughter from that clinic donation you made in college," Mark explained.
Ryan remembered the anonymous donation he had made over a decade ago to pay for his tuition.
"Chloe was supposed to hold her until I found a suitable buyer, but Leo ruined the plan by finding her," Mark continued.
"You are selling my child?" Ryan yelled, furious enough to crush the phone in his hand.
"She has a very rare blood type, Ryan, making her incredibly valuable on the black market," Mark stated casually.
"If you ever come near us, I will kill you myself," Ryan threatened fiercely.
"You cannot hide from me, because Chloe placed a tracking chip inside your shoe," Mark revealed.
Ryan immediately looked down at his leather boots in absolute horror.
He quickly unlaced his left boot and ripped out the sole, finding a tiny red blinking light.
He threw the shoe into the thick brush and grabbed the children by their hands.
"We have to move, right now," Ryan whispered, guiding them deeper into the dense forest.
They walked for hours until they found an abandoned hunting cabin near the edge of the state park.
Ryan broke a window and carefully helped Leo and Mia inside to escape the freezing wind.
He found an old first aid kit and some stale bottled water in the dusty cupboards.
Mia began to cough violently, her small body shaking with a sudden, intense fever.
Ryan felt her forehead, realizing she was dangerously sick and needed immediate medical attention.
He knew he could not take her to a hospital without alerting Mark's powerful syndicate.
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Suddenly, the wooden floorboards of the cabin groaned loudly under the weight of heavy footsteps.
Someone was walking on the front porch.
