Mason told the Black Vipers that Daniel had abandoned his responsibilities.
He claimed that Daniel had become obsessed with the stolen motorcycles and had accused innocent people of wrongdoing.
According to Mason, Daniel had eventually decided to leave town rather than admit that he had been mistaken.
Some members believed him.
They had no reason to assume their leader was lying, and Daniel had indeed been asking questions about the club's activities.
Others were uncertain.
Frank remembered Daniel as a careful man who rarely abandoned a job without explaining why. He found it difficult to believe that Daniel would disappear without contacting Ryan.
But Frank did not challenge Mason publicly.
He told himself that the police would eventually find Daniel and establish what had happened.
Ryan was less willing to accept the explanation.
He knew his brother too well.
Daniel would never knowingly leave him without a word, especially while their family business depended on his work.
Ryan searched through their workshop, old messages, and paperwork. He found notes about the suspicious motorcycle transactions, but several pages were missing.
He also found a message Daniel had written shortly before disappearing.
It contained only one sentence.
If anything happens to me, don't believe the first story you hear.
Ryan read the sentence repeatedly.
He wanted to understand what Daniel had meant, but he had no way to ask him.
Months passed.
The police continued following available leads, but the investigation slowed. Ryan tried to keep the workshop operating, although the financial pressure became increasingly difficult.
He began wondering whether Daniel had uncovered something much more serious than a series of administrative errors.
Then, three weeks before the confrontation at the gas station, an envelope arrived at Ryan's home.
There was no return address.
Inside were an old photograph, a folded note, and a phone number.
The photograph showed Daniel standing beside a motorcycle near a desert overlook. Another man stood beside him, his face partly hidden by the angle of the camera.
Ryan recognized the location but could not identify the other person.
The note was short.
Your brother did not abandon you. Find Victoria Cross. She knows where to begin. Do not approach Mason alone.
Ryan immediately called the number.
Victoria answered.
At first, she seemed surprised to hear from him. Then Ryan described the envelope.
There was a long silence.
"Where are you right now?" she asked.
"At home."
"Good. Stay there tonight. Don't go looking for Mason."
Ryan frowned.
"Why? What do you know?"
"I know that your brother was trying to expose something serious. I also know that some people would prefer the evidence to disappear."
Ryan felt his heart beating faster.
"Is Daniel alive?"
Victoria did not answer immediately.
"I don't know for certain. But I have reason to believe he may have escaped before anyone could find him."
Ryan sat down.
For six months, he had been preparing himself for the worst.
Now there was a possibility that his brother was still alive.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Meet me tomorrow. Bring the envelope and everything Daniel left behind."
Ryan followed her instructions.
Over the next several days, Victoria explained what she knew. She did not promise that Daniel would be found quickly, and she refused to invent details simply to give Ryan hope.
She told him about the suspicious transactions, the missing records, and the pressure Daniel had faced before disappearing.
She also told him that she had been collecting evidence.
The information included copies of messages, photographs of paperwork, and an audio recording made during a conversation outside the old repair facility.
Victoria believed the recording could establish that Mason knew about the suspicious activity before Daniel disappeared.
But she wanted to verify the surrounding facts before presenting it.
The more she investigated, the more certain she became that Mason had deliberately misrepresented Daniel's actions.
She had tried contacting Mason several times.
He refused to answer her questions.
Eventually, she decided that a direct confrontation was unavoidable.
When she learned that Mason and the Black Vipers planned to stop at the old gas station on Highway 47, she made a decision.
She would meet him there.
She would ask him one final time to tell the truth.
And if he refused, she would play the recording.
Chapter 4: The Confrontation Begins
Now, standing in front of Mason at the gas station, Victoria felt the weight of every unanswered question.
She had spent weeks preparing for this moment.
She had checked the recording several times, preserved copies of the files, and informed the appropriate investigators that she intended to provide additional evidence.
She had not come to the station looking for a physical confrontation.
But she had also decided that she would not allow Mason to dismiss her with another excuse.
"Tell me what happened to Daniel," she repeated.
Mason looked toward his crew.
"This conversation is between me and Victoria."
Frank frowned.
"Then answer her question."
Mason turned sharply.
"Nobody asked you."
Frank lifted his hands and stepped back, but his expression showed disappointment.
Victoria noticed the exchange.
Even Mason's oldest friends were beginning to question the way he handled the situation.
Mason turned back toward her.
"Daniel made a decision to leave. I didn't force him to do anything."
"Why did you tell everyone he stole money?"
"Because money was missing."
"Do you have evidence that Daniel took it?"
Mason's eyes narrowed.
"I don't need to explain every decision I make to you."
"Then explain it to the investigators."
Mason laughed.
"You think you can threaten me with the police?"
"I'm not threatening you. I'm telling you that evidence exists, and it will be reviewed."
"Evidence?"
He stepped closer.
"What evidence could you possibly have?"
Victoria looked at him steadily.
"Enough to establish that you knew what Daniel had discovered."
For a moment, Mason's expression shifted.