Chapter 6

I run down the hospital corridor.

My heels click against linoleum. Too loud. Too slow.

I kick them off. Keep running barefoot.

Lily's building. Twenty minutes until her class.

I pull out my phone. Dial her number.

Straight to voicemail.

No. No no no.

I try again. Same result.

"Lily, if you get this, don't go to class. Stay in your dorm. Lock the door. I'm calling campus security right now. Please. Just stay where you are."

I hang up. Dial campus security.

"Campus Security, how can I help you?"

"My sister is in danger. Lily Lawson. She's in danger. Someone is threatening her. You need to get to her dorm room. Now."

"Ma'am, slow down. What kind of threat?"

"A man said her classroom building has fire safety violations. That something might happen during her next class. She's in danger. Please."

"What's your sister's name again?"

"Lily Lawson. She lives in Sterling Hall. Room 314."

"And you are?"

"Dr. Emma Lawson. I'm her sister. Her emergency contact. Please. You need to get to her."

"We'll send someone to check on her. But ma'am, we get a lot of calls from concerned family members—"

"This isn't a paranoid sister call. Someone killed my father this morning. Set his apartment on fire. And now they're threatening Lily. Please. You have to believe me."

A pause. "Your father was James Lawson? The fire downtown?"

"Yes."

"Hold on."

I reach the hospital exit. Burst through the doors into morning sun.

Too bright. Too normal. The world shouldn't look this ordinary when everything's falling apart.

A hand grabs my arm.

I spin. Ready to fight.

Damien.

"Where are you going?" He's out of breath. Followed me from upstairs.

"My sister. I have to get to her."

"You can't drive like this. You're in shock."

"I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do. My car's here. I'll drive." He's already pulling me toward a black SUV.

"You just had surgery."

"I'm fine. Get in."

I should argue. Should tell him to go back inside. Rest. Heal.

But I need to get to Lily. And I need to get there now.

I get in. Damien slides into the driver's seat. Starts the engine.

"Where?"

I give him the address. Forty minutes away in traffic.

He pulls out of the parking lot. Drives fast but controlled.

I dial Lily again. Voicemail.

Damn it.

"Campus security is on speaker. "Dr. Lawson? We have an officer at Sterling Hall. Your sister's room is empty. Her roommate says she left for class five minutes ago."

My blood turns to ice. "Which building?"

"Anderson Hall. Biology lecture. Room 203."

"Get someone there. Now. Evacuate that building. There's a credible threat."

"We need more information before we can evacuate—"

"There is no time for more information. My father died in a fire three hours ago. The person who killed him is threatening my sister. Anderson Hall is the target. Evacuate it. Now."

Another pause. "I'm sending units. Stay on the line."

I switch to speakerphone. Set it on the dashboard.

Damien weaves through traffic. Every red light feels like an eternity.

"Talk to me," he says quietly. "What happened? Who's Richard?"

"Your board member. Richard Chen. He was my father's partner. In Project Angel." I watch the road. Willing the cars to move faster. "My father tried to shut it down. Richard threatened him. And you... you helped my father disappear."

"To protect you." Damien's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "I still don't remember why. But I know that's true. Every instinct I have says protect Emma. Keep Emma safe."

"Then drive faster."

He does.

The radio crackles. Campus security. "Units are at Anderson Hall. No sign of fire or suspicious activity. We're evacuating as a precaution. Looking for Lily Lawson now."

"She's in Biology 203. Professor Morrison's class."

"Copy that."

Damien runs a red light. Horns blare behind us.

"What do we do when we get there?" he asks.

"I get my sister. You stay in the car."

"Not happening."

"You're injured. You just had surgery. You're in no condition—"

"I'm in perfect condition to keep you safe. Which is what I'm going to do." His voice is steel. "You don't go anywhere dangerous alone. Not anymore."

"You're not my bodyguard."

"No. I'm your—" He stops. Corrects himself. "I'm someone who cares if you live or die. So we do this together. Or not at all."

I want to argue. Don't have the energy.

The radio crackles again. "Dr. Lawson? We found your sister. She's safe. We're escorting her to security office now."

Relief floods through me so fast I feel dizzy.

"Thank you. Thank you. We're ten minutes away."

"Copy. We'll keep her here until you arrive."

I close my eyes. Breathe.

Lily's safe. She's okay.

"You saved her." Damien's voice is quiet. "By trusting your instincts. Calling it in."

"I should have called sooner. Should have—"

"You did everything right." He reaches over. Squeezes my hand. "She's alive because of you."

I don't pull away. His hand is warm. Steady.

For just a moment, I let myself lean into that steadiness.

Then I remember. His hand. The photos in his office. Five years of surveillance.

I pull away.

"You still don't trust me." It's not a question.

"I don't know you."

"Yes, you do. You know I'd drive through red lights to save your sister. You know I'd leave a hospital bed to help you. You know I'd—"

"Know what you've shown me in two days. Not what you've hidden for five years."

He's quiet. Processing.

"Fair enough." He turns into the campus. "But Emma? Whatever I did five years ago, whoever I was, I'm on your side now. Completely. You need to know that."

"I need to know why. Why me? What made you care so much you'd pay fifteen million dollars to hide my father?"

"When I remember, you'll be the first to know."

He pulls up to the security office. I'm out of the car before he's fully stopped.

Inside, Lily sits on a plastic chair. Pale. Shaking. But alive.

"Em." She stands. Runs to me.

I catch her. Hold her tight.

"You're okay. You're safe. I've got you."

"They said there was a threat. That someone tried to hurt me because of Dad." Her voice breaks. "Is Dad really gone?"

"Yeah. He is."

She sobs into my shoulder. I hold her. Let her break. Because I can't. Not yet.

Damien stands in the doorway. Watching. Giving us space.

A security officer approaches him. They talk quietly.

After a few minutes, Lily pulls back. Wipes her eyes.

"Who's that?" She nods toward Damien.

"It's complicated."

"That's Damien Cross." Lily's eyes widen. "From the news. The billionaire whose life you saved. Why is he here?"

"I told you. It's complicated."

"Em. What have you gotten into?"

Before I can answer, the security officer approaches.

"Dr. Lawson? We checked Anderson Hall thoroughly. No explosives. No fire hazards beyond normal wear. Whatever the threat was, it didn't materialize."

"Maybe because you evacuated."

"Maybe. Or maybe it was a bluff. To scare you."

Richard's voice echoes in my head. I suggest you start remembering.

This wasn't about killing Lily. Not really.

This was about showing me he could.

Anytime. Anywhere.

My sister is only alive because he allows it.

"We need to file a formal report," the officer continues. "Statement from both of you. Contact information for the person who made the threat."

"I don't have it. The calls were from blocked numbers."

"Then we'll need phone records. Work with the police. This is serious, Dr. Lawson. Your father's death. The threat against your sister. This is beyond campus security."

"I know."

Damien steps forward. "I can arrange private security. For Lily. Round the clock. She won't be alone or vulnerable."

"I can't afford that," I say automatically.

"I can. Consider it done."

"I don't want your money."

"It's not about money. It's about keeping your sister alive." His eyes lock on mine. "Let me help. Please."

Lily looks between us. Confused. Concerned.

"Who is he to you, Em? Really?"

I don't know how to answer that. Enemy? Ally? Stranger with my photo in his wallet?

"He's someone trying to help."

"Why?"

"Because I asked him to." It's not a complete lie.

Damien's phone buzzes. He checks it. His face goes dark.

"We need to go. Now."

"What happened?"

"Marcus just sent this." He shows me his phone.

A news alert. Another fire. This time at a storage facility across town.

The unit belongs to James Lawson.

My father's storage unit. Burning.

"Richard's destroying evidence," I whisper.

"Or destroying what your father hid." Damien's jaw tightens. "The Project Angel data. It has to be there."

"Then we need to get there before it's gone."

"The fire department is already on scene. We won't be allowed near it."

"Then we figure out another way." I turn to Lily. "You're staying here. With campus security. Don't leave this office until I come back with proper protection for you."

"Where are you going?"

"To finish what Dad started." I kiss her forehead. "I love you. I'll call you soon."

"Em—"

But I'm already walking out with Damien.

In the car, he drives toward the storage facility. Forty minutes in the opposite direction.

"This is a trap," he says calmly. "Richard wants us away from Lily. Away from safety. Chasing fires while he makes his next move."

"I know."

"And you're going anyway."

"If there's even a chance something survived the fire. Something that explains what my father was hiding. Yes. I'm going."

"Then I'm going with you."

We drive in silence. My mind races.

My father ran Project Angel. People died. He tried to shut it down. Richard threatened him. Damien paid him to disappear.

But disappear with what? The research? The formula? Proof of what really happened?

And why does any of this connect to me?

Damien's words echo. I think I've been protecting you. I just can't remember why.

What did my father do that put me in danger?

Or what did I see? Know? Experience?

We're ten minutes from the storage facility when Damien's phone rings.

Marcus.

Damien puts it on speaker. "What?"

"Don't go to the storage facility. It's a trap. Police are already arresting someone on scene."

"Who?"

"You, apparently. Anonymous tip said you hired someone to set the fires. Your fingerprints on an accelerant can. Video footage of your car near James Lawson's apartment this morning."

Damien's hands tighten on the wheel. "That's not possible."

"I know. But the police don't. They have a warrant for your arrest. If you show up there, they'll take you in."

"Richard." I say his name like a curse. "He's framing you."

"Appears that way."

"What do I do?" Damien asks Marcus.

"Turn around. Come back. We'll deal with this through lawyers. Don't run. Don't hide. That makes it look worse."

Damien pulls over. Stops the car. Looks at me.

"If I turn myself in, I can't protect you."

"If you don't, you look guilty."

"I look guilty either way. The evidence is planted. I never left the hospital until two hours ago. But that won't matter if Richard has connections in the police department."

"He does." I realize the truth. "He's a board member of a billion-dollar company. He has connections everywhere."

"Then I'm out of moves." Damien's voice is hollow. "The moment I walk into a police station, Richard wins."

"No." I grab his hand. "We run. Together. Figure this out before they catch us. Find the truth and expose him."

"That's not a plan. That's suicide."

"It's all we have."

He searches my face. Looking for something. Certainty. Trust. Hope.

"If we do this, there's no going back. We become fugitives. They'll freeze my accounts. Track my phone. My car."

"Then we ditch the phone. Ditch the car. Become people they can't find."

"For how long?"

"However long it takes." I squeeze his hand. "You said you'd protect me. Prove it. Help me find what my father hid. Clear both our names. Stop Richard."

"You're asking me to risk everything."

"You already did. Five years ago. When you paid my father fifteen million dollars." I meet his eyes. "I'm just asking you to remember why."

Sirens wail in the distance. Coming closer.

Damien makes a decision.

He pulls back onto the road. Drives away from the storage facility. Away from the police. Away from safety.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he says quietly.

"I don't. But I'm doing it anyway."

He almost smiles. "That seems to be your specialty."

We drive for twenty minutes. Ditching the SUV in a mall parking lot. Catching a bus. Becoming anonymous.

Two people running from the law.

Running from the truth.

Running toward answers that might destroy us both.

My phone buzzes. One last message before I turn it off.

From Richard.

A photo. Of Damien and me in the car. Taken from above. A drone maybe.

The message: Run all you want, Dr. Lawson. I'll always be watching. And when you finally remember what your father told you, you'll come to me. Willingly. Because the truth? It's so much worse than you imagine.

I show Damien.

He reads it. His face hardens.

"What could be worse than what we already know?"

I power off my phone. "I guess we're about to find out."