Chapter 13 - Collateral Damage
I stared at the financial document, my mind racing through the logistics of how a grown man could attach a minor's identity to an international line of credit without parental consent. Or worse—with the consent of someone inside the house.
"Lauren," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous register. "Look at me."
She looked up, pale and fragile, but the confusion on her face seemed genuine. "What is it? David, please tell me."
I held the paper inches from her face. "Julian opened a commercial logistics line using Tyler’s identity while I was in Poland. Did you sign this?"
Her eyes darted across the figures, widening in sheer horror. "No! David, no! Why would I ever... Tyler is my baby! I would never touch his credit, I swear on my life!"
"Then how did Julian get his social security card and his original birth certificate?"
Before Lauren could answer, the gravel of the driveway crunched under tires. A blue hatchback pulled in—Coach Henderson dropping Tyler off from soccer practice. The headlights swept across us, catching Lauren's tear-stained face and the papers clutched in my fist.
Tyler stepped out of the passenger door, carrying his gym bag over one shoulder. He was tall, his frame filling out into that of a young man, but the moment his eyes landed on us standing together on the porch, his shoulders tensed and his expression instantly guarded.
"Mom? Dad?" Tyler stopped at the base of the porch steps, glancing between us. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Maya?"
"Maya is safe at my apartment," I said calmly, stepping down to meet him at eye level. "Tyler, put the bag down. We need to talk inside."
May you like
Tyler looked at the envelope in my left hand. His gaze locked onto the bold black lettering of his own name. In an instant, the color drained completely from his face, and his knuckles turned white around the strap of his duffel bag.
"He found us," Tyler whispered, not to me, but to the empty driveway behind him.
