Lyra's POVThe words hit me like a truck. My parents weren't heroes. They weren't even honest federal agents. They were dirty cops who faked evidence and made enemies of some very dangerous people."You're lying," I said to Rhys, even though I could see the truth in his eyes."I wish I was," he said quietly. "But Sarah confirmed it. Your parents were going to be arrested when they died. They weren't murdered by Salvatore's people, they were killed by someone they framed."I sank into the bank chair, feeling like my entire world was collapsing. Again."So everything I believed about them was wrong," I said."Not everything," Chris said gently. "They loved you. That was real.""Was it? Or was I just part of their cover story?""Lyra.." Rhys started."Don't," I said, holding up my hand. "Just don't. I can't handle any more comfort right now."I stood up and walked to the small window, staring out at the street. People were walking by, living normal lives, dealing with normal problems. I
Rhys's POV The photo of Elena shaking hands with the FBI agent felt like a bomb going off in my head. I stared at it, trying to make sense of what we'd discovered. Lyra's parents weren't just federal informants, they were part of something much bigger. And Elena, the woman hunting us, was supposed to be on the same side. "This changes everything," I said, my voice barely steady. "Does it?" Lyra asked, studying the documents spread across the bank's private viewing room table. "Or does it just make everything more complicated?" "It makes everything more dangerous," I said firmly. "If Elena's FBI and she's still trying to kill us, then someone inside the Bureau wants us dead." Chris was reading through a thick file, his face getting darker with each page. "These aren't just surveillance reports," he said. "These are kill orders. Your parents weren't just gathering evidence they were marked for elimination." "By who?" Lyra asked. "Someone high up," Chris replied. "Someone with th
Chris's POVI stared at my phone for the tenth time in five minutes, fighting the urge to call Lyra. She'd left her parents' house three hours ago without saying where she was going. The second key had shaken her badly, and I couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to do something dangerous."Still no word from her?" Rhys asked, pacing around my apartment like a caged animal."Nothing," I said. "But I might have found something about Elena's network."I'd spent the morning reaching out to contacts I'd hoped never to use again. People from my smuggling days who dealt in information as much as stolen goods. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but if it helped Lyra, it was worth it."What kind of something?" Rhys asked, stopping his pacing."Elena Martinez isn't just working alone. She's got connections to three different crime families, all of them enemies of Salvatore. This isn't just about revenge, it's about a power grab.""How do you know all this?" Rhys asked suspiciously.I
Lyra's POVThe silence in my childhood home felt different now. Everything looked the same, the worn leather couch where Dad used to read his newspapers, Mom's collection of ceramic birds on the mantle, the family photos scattered throughout the living room. But Vince's words had poisoned it all.Your parents were stealing from him. They withdrew two million dollars three days before they died.I sat at Dad's old desk in his study, staring at the locked drawer I had never opened. After twenty years, I'd finally found the key in Mom's recipe box, tucked behind her index card for chocolate chip cookies. My hands shook as I turned it in the lock."Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Rhys asked from the doorway. He'd been hovering since we got here, trying to be supportive, but his presence felt suffocating."I need to know the truth," I said, pulling the drawer open.Inside were files I'd never seen before. Bank statements from accounts I didn't recognize. Investment records showing
Lyra's POVThe envelope felt like poison in my hands. My name was written across it in handwriting I didn't recognize, but somehow it made my skin crawl. Chris and Rhys stood on either side of me, both tense and ready for whatever fresh nightmare was about to unfold."Open it," Chris said quietly. "We need to know what we're dealing with."I tore the envelope open with shaking fingers. Inside was a single photograph and a note. The photo showed Finn sleeping in his hospital bed, taken from the angle of someone standing right where we were now. The note was brief but chilling.The boy is beautiful. It would be such a shame if something happened to him. Come to the vault alone, or lose everything you love. You have two hours. - A friend"A friend," I said bitterly. "Elena's really pushing the charade, isn't she?""This isn't Elena's handwriting," Rhys said, studying the note. "I've seen her writing before. This is someone else.""Another traitor?" I asked, feeling my world spin out of c
Rhys's POVThe words echoed in my head like a death sentence. There was a man. He had a scar. He said the game is almost over.I watched Lyra cradle Finn against her chest, her face pale with terror, and something inside me snapped. Not anger, I'd burned through that emotion weeks ago. This was pure, desperate fear. Fear that I was losing everything that mattered, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."We need to call the police," I said, pulling out my phone. "Get security up here. Search the entire hospital.""Already on it," Chris said, speaking quietly into his own phone. He was leaning against the wall, but his eyes never left Lyra and Finn. Always watching. Always ready to step in where I had failed.I hated him for it. I hated myself more."Mommy, I'm scared," Finn whispered, and my heart cracked a little more."I know, baby," Lyra murmured, stroking his hair. "We're going to keep you safe. I promise."The promise hung in the air between us, fragile and desperate.