Benjamin and Nia arrived at the address from the ransom note just after 6:15. The gray clouds filling the sky were tinged with pale orange and pink. The rain had faded away an hour prior.

They passed under an aboveground train track, crossing a busy street to a small park under construction. The park was almost fully developed, but surrounded by a combination of green wooden walls and chain link fence. As Benjamin expected, one sliding section of chain link fence was partially open.

Benjamin slid the fence open more, and he and Nia stepped into the park. It wasn’t more than a city block in size, filled with trees, modern sculptures, and benches. A gravel path wound through gently sloping hills of grass. A yellow excavator was parked near the front, its claw resting in a hole of dirt.

The partially built skeleton of a skyscraper towered above the park. Most of the building was exposed concrete and steel, with no walls. Orange safety netting extended out from the edges of the floors to prevent falls. Bulbs hanging at regular intervals from the ceilings of every floor illuminated the empty levels of the tower with bright, yellow light. An elevator with grated walls was attached to the exterior of the building. A crane stood beside the structure, motionless.

Benjamin stepped off the gravel path and into the grass, and Nia followed. Under the cover of the trees, they walked toward the opposite end of the park, which connected to the tower.

The ground floor of the skyscraper was open; like the levels above, it had no walls, merely concrete supports. Benjamin and Nia stepped from the grass to the battered concrete floor of the tower. Generators, piles of steel beams and rods, and various pieces of industrial equipment were scattered across the floor in a seemingly haphazard manner. Rain from the departed storm lay in pools and winding channels on the concrete. The exterior elevator was accessible from one open wall, and a stairwell on the opposite side led up to the next level.

Benjamin and Nia walked to the elevator and waited. It was only a few minutes before Samuel arrived.

He entered from the park like they had, carrying a leather briefcase. He wore jeans and a dark gray sweater over a black shirt.

When Samuel saw Benjamin and Nia standing in the corner, he rushed to meet them.

“I have the ransom,” he said.

“Good,” Benjamin replied. He gestured to the elevator. “Now go get your son.”

Samuel took a deep breath, adjusting his grip on the briefcase, and stepped into the elevator. It was little more than a grated metal box on wires, connected to the outside of the tower’s structure for use by construction workers. Samuel tapped a button on a panel inside the elevator, and it began to rise.

As soon as the elevator disappeared from Benjamin and Nia’s view, they strode to the stairs and began to walk up. The stairwell was raw concrete like the rest of the building, with no railings. Benjamin and Nia ascended in silence, their footsteps quiet. Before emerging onto each next floor, Benjamin checked to make sure it was empty. Slowly, they made their way up to the tenth floor.

They stopped before emerging from the stairwell onto the level. Benjamin peered over the edge of the floor. Thick concrete supports and walls obscured his view, but what little he could see was empty. He and Nia walked up the last few steps and moved to hide behind a wall.

Benjamin looked around the corner. He saw Samuel at the opposite end of the floor, slowly moving from wall to wall and checking the spaces between.

A muffled cry broke the silence.

Samuel disappeared behind a wall.

Benjamin turned back to Nia and listened. Samuel dropped the briefcase, struggled with something that sounded like rope, and tore away a piece of duct tape. A boy’s cry, no longer muffled, rang out through the floor. Samuel said something inaudible, probably words of consolation.

Benjamin looked back around the corner.

Samuel emerged with Ezra. The boy was in tears, his clothes dirty, a dark bruise on his face. But he was alive.

Samuel met Benjamin’s eyes and gave a nod.

As Samuel turned to his son and spoke to him in a low voice, Benjamin and Nia emerged from behind the wall and walked to meet them. Ezra’s eyes darted to them, fearful.

Recognizing Benjamin, Ezra’s trepidation turned to relief. “Are you gonna—”

Benjamin held a finger to his lips. Ezra fell silent, clutching the edge of his jacket.

Samuel tapped Ezra on the shoulder and gestured to Nia, who moved to stand beside the boy. Samuel walked to Benjamin, rolling up his sleeves. He had the rope that had tied Ezra in one hand.

Benjamin looked to Nia. She nodded.

Benjamin took out his phone and dialed a number.

For a brief moment, he waited in suspense. The whole building was utterly silent, save for the gusts of wind whistling through the open level.

And then, a phone rang from the floor above.

Benjamin and Samuel immediately strode to the stairwell and began to creep up, moving quickly and quietly. The phone rang for a few more seconds before stopping abruptly.

The two men emerged onto the eleventh floor. What they could see of the level was absolutely still, bathed in the yellow glow of hanging bulbs. The pale glow of the setting sun cast long shadows from the walls and supports across the floor.

Taking soft steps, Benjamin and Samuel moved from the stairwell to the nearest wall. They turned the corner together, looking for any sign of movement.

They paused behind a wall in the middle of the level. The edge of the floor was just feet away, with nothing but an orange safety net separating them from an eleven-story drop to the park below.

Benjamin took a deep breath, nodded to Samuel, and they rounded the corner.

Neil O’Connor stood against the wall, phone in hand.

Benjamin grabbed him by the arm and pulled him forward. Neil’s phone dropped to the ground as Samuel grasped his shoulder and shoved him to the ground.

Benjamin wrenched Neil’s arms behind his back. Samuel wrapped the rope in his hand around Neil’s wrists, pulled him to his knees, and shoved him against the wall.

Neil scrambled to free himself from the ropes, eyes flicking frantically between Benjamin and Samuel.

Samuel grabbed Neil by the collar and lifted him to his feet, then rammed him back against the wall. Neil let out a groan and tried to resist, but with his hands tied behind his back, his efforts were futile.

Samuel drove a fist into his stomach. Neil doubled over, heaving for air.

Samuel drew his fist back for another hit, but Benjamin held a hand up to stop him.

“That’s enough.”

Hunched against the wall, Neil raised his eyes to look at Benjamin.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Neil’s gaze shifted between Samuel and Benjamin, a cornered look in his eyes, like he was looking for a way out. Samuel’s chest heaved, his fists clenched, his face contorted in anger and shock. Benjamin took a moment to regain his composure.

Samuel turned to Benjamin. “What’s going on here?” he demanded, his voice fraught. “Did he—”

“Yes,” Benjamin said, staring into Neil’s heated gaze. “We’ve found our culprit.”

“Culprit?” Neil interrupted. “No. No. You don’t understand what’s going on here.”

Benjamin took a step toward Neil, who drew back. “On the contrary. I know exactly what’s going on here. I know that you are the one person responsible for the abduction of Samuel Martin’s sons, and the murder of Noah Martin.”

“How?” Neil whispered, shaking his head. “You can’t prove any of that. You’re wrong, I’m telling you. You’ve got the wrong guy.”

Samuel looked to Benjamin, a question on his face.

“We’ll see,” Benjamin said. “Now let’s start at the beginning.”

He met Samuel’s gaze. “From the moment I met you, Mr. Martin, on the steps of your brownstone, I knew this was no ordinary kidnapping. Your request for me to investigate your sons’ disappearance alone, without involvement of my coworkers at the NYPD, was an immediate red flag, but I went along with it. Really, I thought going solo would be better for me, too.”

Benjamin shifted his eyes to Neil. “When you arrived at the brownstone and introduced yourself, I noticed an accidental discrepancy in the length of time you and Samuel claimed to have been working at Bluestone Investment Bank. When I found your records at my precinct, there was no sign that either of you had ever been employed at Bluestone. When I interviewed Janet Coleman, she mentioned finding out something about Samuel that had led to their divorce, but couldn’t tell me what it was. But she wrote two words on a napkin: East Hounds.”

Samuel started to show signs of discomfort when Benjamin looked back at him.

“Through the course of my investigation, I discovered what the East Hounds were—an organized crime group operating under the radar in the city, making large profits through the sale of illegal drugs and weapons. Somehow, the Hounds were connected to the disappearance of the boys. Of course, that’s because their father is a member of the Hounds.”

Samuel’s expression darkened with fear.

“And so is Neil. Sure, you two really were coworkers, but Bluestone was a cover. Samuel’s involvement in the Hounds’ criminal activities caused his divorce with Janet, and provided him with a level of wealth an ordinary job at Bluestone wouldn’t have.”

“You can’t arrest me,” Samuel said. “Please. I have to look after my son.”

“Rest assured, you’ll be dealt with fairly. But I can’t promise anything.”

He looked back at Neil. “And this is where the Red Brotherhood comes in. I took Samuel’s map from the brownstone, the one with markings on it; I had a hunch it might be connected to the boys’ disappearance. When I met Janet, she hinted that there were people at those marked places who might have been involved in the kidnapping. So I went to one of those places. I infiltrated a Red Brotherhood meeting, met one of their leaders, Daniel Smith, and learned what they were. As sworn opponents of the East Hounds, the group seemed a likely culprit of the crime. Smith seemed to be unaware of the kidnapping until I brought it up, and suggested it was faked; that easily could’ve been a lie.

“But when I met with you in the afternoon, you were forced to reveal what had happened. The initial kidnapping of Ezra and Noah had been faked, to get them out of the city and out of sight of the Red Brotherhood, who intended to abduct the boys themselves. The plan was arranged between both of you, and the kids were in on it too.”

Neil looked to Samuel for support, but found none.

“At six thirty yesterday evening, you pick up the boys, who tell me your car is a RideX cab, to eliminate any ties to either of you. You drive to the safe house in LIC, a warehouse used by the East Hounds, stocked with weapons and food. But there’s a second car at the safe house.”

Samuel looked surprised, and Benjamin nodded.

“Neil didn’t tell you about the other car. He left it there earlier, so he could ditch the first car and prevent anyone from tracking it past the safe house.”

Benjamin looked back at Neil. “The kids go to sleep, and you contact Samuel to let him know that everything’s going according to plan. To him, it looks like his boys will be safely out of the city within a day, and the Brotherhood won’t have any idea where to find them.

“But at two nineteen in the morning, you take the kids and put them in the other car. They know that isn’t part of the plan. Ezra calls me—I gave them my number in case of an emergency after they said someone was following them. You take both of the boys’ phones and leave them in the safe house, knowing that Samuel has tracking turned on.”

Benjamin addressed Samuel again.

“The next morning, you still believe your sons are safe. I show up at your doorstep, intending to launch an investigation, and you have no choice but to oblige. Of course, you don’t want a police investigation at all, especially since that could reveal your participation in organized crime, so you make me promise to do it alone. Later, in an attempt to get me to end my investigation, you call me, claiming your sons have returned. By that point, I know that’s a lie.”

Benjamin looked back at Neil.

“I get your number from Samuel and call you to meet up for a few questions. Reluctantly, you leave the kids wherever you have them, probably that storage warehouse in Brooklyn. You come to meet me, since you’ll seem suspicious if you don’t. Faced with few other options, you tell me the partial truth, leaving out the fact that you and Samuel are part of the East Hounds, and telling me that someone else kidnapped the boys in the early morning.”

“What I told you is true,” Neil pleaded. “I’m not guilty, man. I didn’t do it.”

“Really? Because I happen to know something important about you.”

Benjamin took a metallic red ring out of his pocket. The light of the setting sun glimmered across its shiny surface. “This belong to you?”

Neil stared at it, unresponsive. Samuel tensed at the sight of the ring, gazing at it with fear.

“This is a ring worn by members of the Red Brotherhood. A sign of their allegiance. To most people, it’s an ordinary ring. It’s only members of the Brotherhood and of the East Hounds who would know what it means.”

Benjamin tossed the ring into the air and caught it. “When you arrive at Samuel’s brownstone, there’s a faint sound of metal hitting metal, which I heard from inside. The sound of this ring hitting the railing. After knocking on the door, you realize you’re wearing the ring, a dead giveaway of your real affiliation. You hastily take it off and drop it over the edge of the stairwell; it bounces off the railing and lands in a shrub pot below.”

“No, wait…” Neil started.

“You’re one of them?” Samuel spat, taking a step toward Neil, fists tightening again.

Benjamin stepped between the two. “Let me finish. Yes, Neil is a Brother of the Red Brotherhood. A double agent within the East Hounds. But contrary to what I thought at one point, the kidnapping wasn’t the work of the Brotherhood as a whole. Daniel Smith really didn’t know about it.”

He turned to face Neil. “This was all your own work, wasn’t it? That led to little slip-ups like losing the ring at Samuel’s brownstone.”

Neil didn’t say a word.

“After meeting me on the High Line, you write a ransom note and deliver it to Samuel’s house. You demand three million dollars, an amount you know he has. But more importantly, you demand the names and personal information of everyone in the East Hounds. Samuel’s clearly much higher-ranking within the organization, judging by his wealth and, I’d guess, longer tenure. Getting information on every member of the group would be invaluable to the Brotherhood; it could be the key to putting a decisive end to the East Hounds. And you tell Samuel to show up right here with the ransom.”

“What about Noah?” Samuel asked, his hate-filled gaze focused only on Neil.

“When I entered a meeting place of the Red Brotherhood this morning, it became clear that I was a detective investigating a case tied to the group. Word spread. A warning to all members—a detective has breached one of their meeting places and is looking into the Brotherhood.” Benjamin pointed at Neil. “As a Brother yourself, you hear the news not long after. You know it’s me. And you know I’m getting dangerously close to finding out the truth.”

Neil took a shaky breath. He seemed to have trouble looking Benjamin in the eye.

“So you take rash, impulsive action. There’s no one to tell you not to, and no better alternative presents itself. You need some way to get me to stop investigating, immediately, or you’ll be found out. So you shoot Noah in the storage warehouse, leave with Ezra, and anonymously text me the warehouse’s address. I find Noah, along with a warning note you left, telling me to stop my investigation if I want Ezra to live. You come here with Ezra, tie him up on the tenth floor, and wait for Samuel to arrive with the ransom.”

Benjamin held up the ring again. “When I found this ring outside Samuel’s house, I knew it could only belong to one person, and I knew you’d dropped it right before you entered the brownstone this morning. So we came here, knowing you would be here alone, waiting until Samuel left to take the ransom. And since I got your number from Samuel, all it took was a phone call to find where you were hiding.”

Neil shook his head adamantly, eyes wide. “You can’t prove any of this. You can’t.”

Benjamin pocketed the ring. “You want more proof?” He turned away. “Come on out,” he called.

Nia and Ezra stepped out from behind the wall. Neil’s face fell to utter despair.

“Is this the man who kidnapped you?” Benjamin asked.

Ezra stared at Neil.

“Yeah. It is.”

Benjamin turned back to Neil. “I think it’s settled, then.” He looked out through the open side of the building at the view of the pink-tinged sky and the city skyline. A train rattled along tracks above a busy street, and a cluster of birds passed by the tower. “Enjoy the view. It’s the last good one you’ll get for a long time.”

The wind rustled Neil’s reddish hair. He clenched his jaw and eyed the briefcase with the ransom, which Nia placed on the ground beside her.

“You don’t get it. I only did this because… because it’s right. I’m proud to be a Red Brother. Criminals like Samuel are the scum of this city. It’s guys like me who will clean it up, who will set things right. I just wanted to prove I could do it, prove my loyalty, my worth. They would promote me to Leading Brother. And with that ransom, with all that information on the East Hounds, I could give us what we need to finally take them down. To make our streets safe. To get rid of these—”

Samuel punched Neil in the face, and his head snapped back against the wall. Neil cried out, blood trickling from his nose. Samuel hit him in the face again, and again, and again.

“That’s enough!” Benjamin shouted.

Neil slid down the wall and landed on his side, blood running down his face, tears in his eyes. Samuel stood over him, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

Benjamin started to speak, but cut himself off. He heard something.