Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Back and fort

Ethan crouched in the bitter cold, his breath curling into the night like smoke. The warehouse ahead of him looked like a corpse—broken windows, rusted siding, and silence that seemed to breathe. This place had seen too much, forgotten too many things. And somewhere in that darkness, Ezra Quinn was waiting.

Ezra. The name alone made Ethan’s stomach twist. He was more than a man—he was a memory with teeth. A shadow Ethan thought he’d left behind, but now, he was back. And he wasn’t just after Ethan. He wanted to destroy everything connected to him—especially Isla.

Ethan’s grip tightened on the bundle in his coat—copies of letters, each written by Mira in a hand that trembled with love and fear. They weren’t just words on a page. They were confessions, secrets, cries for help. And all of them pointed to one name: Victor Kane.

His father.

The thought hit him like it always did—a punch to the chest. The man who had given him life, then taken it apart piece by piece. And now Victor’s ghost was stirring again, reaching for Isla, the only person who’d ever made Ethan feel something real.

He couldn’t let that happen.

But Christopher Kane—Victor’s other legacy—was still in the picture. Ethan didn’t trust him. He saw the way Isla looked at Christopher, the way she reached for safety in him without knowing how much he was hiding. Those letters? Christopher had kept them buried for years. Why? What else was he protecting—Isla, or himself?

A sound pulled Ethan from his thoughts.

Ezra stepped into the light, tall and lean, like a shadow that had learned how to walk. His smile was crooked, empty.

“I figured you’d show up,” Ezra said, voice calm in the way only dangerous people could manage.

Ethan stood slowly, eyes locked on him. “This ends tonight.”

Ezra’s smile widened, like he’d heard a joke. “Ends? Ethan, this is just the beginning.” He moved closer. “Victor left behind more than pain. He left a system. You and I—we’re just the broken pieces trying to make sense of it.”

“I’m not like you,” Ethan said quietly. “And Isla’s not yours to touch.”

Ezra tilted his head. “Isn’t she? Or is she just the next chapter in your redemption story?”

That one hit a nerve. Ethan looked down at the letters in his hand—Mira’s final words begging for Isla’s safety. Had he become another man making choices for her? Trying to protect her by keeping her in the dark?

“What do you really want, Ezra?” Ethan asked.

Ezra’s eyes lit with something manic. “Victor took everything from me. I’m just returning the favor. Through you. Through her.”

Ethan’s chest burned. He was done talking.

Ezra moved suddenly, disappearing through a side door.

Ethan chased him, boots echoing through the hollow space, heart thudding like a drum. The warehouse swallowed them both—old machines, peeling paint, broken beams overhead. Every corner reeked of rot and secrets.

Isla’s face flashed in his mind. The look in her eyes when she first read Mira’s letters. The betrayal. The confusion. And Christopher, standing there with nothing but guilt and old power. Ethan didn’t know who she’d choose, or if she’d forgive any of them. But he knew one thing—he’d die before letting her get caught in this web again.

Ezra’s footsteps rang out just ahead—fast, sure. Ethan pushed forward, following the sound, dodging beams and shattered glass.

But then—silence.

Ezra was gone again.

Ethan stopped, chest heaving. His phone buzzed in his pocket. One message. Unknown number.

She’s closer than you think.

A chill spread down his spine.

The game wasn’t over.

And Isla was in the middle of it.

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