Chapter Thirty-Four: The Return

I brought Daniel to the penthouse on a Friday.

Adrian wasn't happy about it.

We were in the living room. Daniel was sitting on the couch, looking out the window at the city. He hadn't said much since he arrived. He just kept staring.

Adrian pulled me aside. His voice was low.

"You should have told me."

"I'm telling you now."

"He's a liability. If Julian finds out he's here—"

"Julian won't find out. Sloane has security on the floor. No one comes in or out without her knowing."

Adrian looked at me. His jaw was tight.

"You should have told me," he said again.

"I know. I'm sorry."

He didn't respond. He just looked at me. Then he turned and walked to the couch. He sat across from Daniel.

"I'm Adrian," he said.

"I know who you are."

"Then you know I don't trust easily."

Daniel nodded. "Neither do I."

They stared at each other. Neither of them blinked.

I sat beside Daniel. I looked at Adrian.

"He's my brother," I said. "He's been running for fifteen years. He's earned the right to be here."

Adrian didn't respond. He just looked at Daniel.

"You saw Henry kill your mother," he said.

"I saw him give the order. I saw his men do it."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve."

Adrian was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded.

"You can stay," he said. "But you follow my rules. You don't leave without an escort. You don't contact anyone without telling me. You don't do anything without my say."

Daniel looked at me. Then at Adrian.

"Fine," he said.

Adrian stood. He walked to the window. He didn't say anything else. He just stood there.

Daniel leaned close to me. "He doesn't like me."

"He doesn't like anyone."

"That's not comforting."

"It's not supposed to be."

---

That night, I found Daniel in the kitchen.

He was sitting at the island. He had a glass of water in front of him. He hadn't touched it.

"You okay?" I asked.

He looked up. He looked tired.

"I don't know."

I sat across from him.

"I keep thinking about her," he said. "Mom. The way she looked at me before she left. She said she'd be back. She said she loved me."

I didn't respond. I just waited.

"I was twelve. I didn't understand what was happening. I just knew something was wrong. And then she was gone."

"I know."

He looked at me. "How do you do it? How do you keep going?"

I considered the question. I thought about my previous life. My death. My rebirth. I thought about Adrian. I thought about the plan.

"I don't have a choice," I said. "I either keep going or I let them win. And I'm not going to let them win."

Daniel looked at me. He looked at me the way he used to when we were children. Like I was someone he could trust.

"I'm glad you're my sister," he said.

I didn't respond. I didn't know how.

He stood. He walked to the hallway. He paused.

"Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight, Daniel."

He left. I sat there alone. I thought about my mother. I thought about the source. I thought about who it could be.

I didn't have an answer. Not yet.

But I would.

---

The next morning, I found Daniel in the living room.

He was talking to Adrian. They were standing by the window. They didn't look like they were arguing. They looked like they were planning.

I walked over. "What's going on?"

Daniel turned. "I was telling Adrian about Victor. About what he said."

"And?"

"He thinks we should try to find him. Before Julian does."

Adrian nodded. "I agree."

I looked at them. "You two are agreeing now?"

"Don't get used to it," Adrian said.

Daniel almost smiled. Almost.

I sat on the couch. "So how do we find him?"

"I've been thinking about that," Daniel said. "Victor was paranoid. He had safe houses. Places he'd go if things got bad. He told me about one of them. A cabin upstate."

"He told you?"

"He said if anything happened to him, I should go there. He said there would be something waiting for me."

Adrian frowned. "What?"

"He didn't say. He just said I'd know when I found it."

I looked at Adrian. He looked at me.

"We should go," I said.

"Agreed."

"Tonight."

Adrian nodded. "Tonight."

---

We drove upstate that evening.

The cabin was in the middle of nowhere. Trees on all sides. A dirt road that led to a small clearing. The cabin was old. Wooden. Falling apart.

Sloane went in first. She cleared the rooms. Then she signaled for us to follow.

The inside was dusty. Abandoned. But it wasn't empty.

There was a safe in the corner. Locked. Daniel walked to it. He knelt in front of it. He entered a code.

The door opened.

Inside were documents. Photographs. Recordings. And a letter.

Daniel picked up the letter. He opened it. He read it. His face went pale.

"What?" I asked.

He handed it to me.

I read it. My hands were steady. My heart was beating normally.

If you're reading this, I'm dead. The evidence is everything. Your mother was a hero. She died trying to expose Henry Ashford. She had a source inside his organization. His name is Richard Voss.

Your father.