Chapter 03 No Way Out

Avery looked at him and didn't answer right away.

Her mind was already working.

Meant for her? With explosives?

She wasn't a security expert, but she wasn't stupid. The villa's windows were bulletproof. The hallway had motion sensor lights. Every corner had cameras. If someone just wanted to kill her, one sniper bullet would have been enough.

The moment she walked out of the study would have been the perfect time.

Using explosives meant they wanted to cause chaos. They wanted to break through the house's defenses.

They wanted him.

She looked at Dominic.

"It wasn't meant for me," she said, her voice steady. "It was meant for you."

Dominic's gaze froze for a fraction of a second.

"I was just collateral damage," she went on. "Or maybe I'm a variable. Something they couldn't control."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"You're smart."

"I'm a doctor. Doctors need logic."

He looked at her but didn't respond.

The gunfire gradually stopped. Dominic took a call, said a few words, then hung up and looked at her.

"Come with me."

He led her through the hallway into a windowless room. Grey walls. Metal table and chairs. Like an interrogation room. One table, two chairs. A camera on the wall.

He pressed a remote. A screen on the wall lit up. Security footage from every corner of the villa.

"Sit."

Avery didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on the dark screens.

"Three entry points blown." Dominic leaned against the table, watching her. "Two bulletproof windows shattered. They used military grade explosives."

Her fingertips went cold.

The door opened. Drake walked in and placed a phone on the table.

"Boss, we just intercepted an encrypted order." He kept his head down. "Sent to East Pier. Someone's telling them to tamper with your shipment tonight."

Dominic's eyes darkened. "Source."

"The signal came from north of the city. Same encryption as the warehouse incident last time."

"Stay on it. Don't alert them."

Drake nodded and left.

Avery stood there and heard the whole conversation.

Explosion. East Pier. The same night.

She didn't say anything. But she put the two things together.

Right before Drake left, he paused. He pulled out a clear evidence bag and placed it on the table.

"Found at the explosion site. Dug it out of the wreckage. Doesn't belong to the villa."

Dominic glanced down and said nothing. After Drake left, he picked up the bag and emptied the contents onto the table.

A ring.

Black diamond. The letter D engraved on the inside.

The ring was old. The edges showed signs of wear, but it had been cared for.

Avery's breath stopped. She recognized this ring.

No. She wasn't sure it was the same one. But the one she remembered also had the same letter on the inside.

Something exploded in her head.

That night on the casino boat seven years ago. She had been drugged. Her memory was broken. A lot of things were blurry.

All she remembered was moonlight coming through the porthole, falling on the scar on the inside of the man's wrist.

Star shaped. Jagged edges. Raised slightly.

She had stared at that scar for a long time. She didn't know why she remembered it.

Later, he got up. A ring slipped off his finger and fell onto the sheets. She didn't make a sound. After he left, she picked it up and looked at it in her palm.

Black diamond. A letter on the inside.

D.

Avery had kept that ring. Not long after, she sold it.

Eight thousand dollars. The pawn shop owner looked at her like she was an idiot.

But that money paid for her brother's first round of treatment.

"You know this." Dominic's voice pulled her back.

"I've seen something like it."

"Where?"

She didn't answer. Her fingers were shaking. She hid her hands under the table, not wanting him to see.

Dominic watched her for a few seconds. His eyes slid from her face to her hands, hidden beneath the table. He paused for a moment.

Then he put the ring back in his pocket and didn't push.

"Today's attack. Wenger did it."

Avery's head snapped up. "My mentor?"

"Yes."

"He has no reason to—" She stopped. A huge contradiction flashed through her mind, like a thorn stuck in her throat. "If he wanted to kill you, why send me to treat you?"

Dominic looked at her. He didn't answer right away.

Silence stretched between them. She could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

"Don't you think that doesn't add up?" Avery's voice steadied. "He recommended me to take over his work. He sent me to treat you. And at the same time, he's blowing up your house. What does he actually want?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. But those two things don't fit together. The logic is wrong."

Dominic was quiet for two seconds. He tapped his finger on the table. Light. But in the silent room, it was sharp.

"How long have you known Wenger?"

"Six years."

"Do you think you know him?"

Avery didn't answer.

Six years. She had studied under him for her PhD. Done research. Written papers. He was her mentor. Her guide.

When she was struggling the most, he gave her a teaching assistant job so she could take care of her brother while studying.

But she really didn't know much about him...

Dominic's voice was flat. "Wenger isn't the man you think he is. He was my doctor for years. I trusted him. My medical records, my condition. He knew everything."

He paused.

"And then he had someone blow up my house."

Avery didn't speak. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table. Her knuckles were white.

"A doctor who worked for me for years suddenly wants me dead. Aren't you curious why?"

"Why?"

"Because someone's behind him." Dominic's voice went cold. "He's not the mastermind. He's just a pawn."

"Then why don't you just—"

"Just what? Kill him?" He cut her off. "The man is already dying. What's the point?"

Avery froze. "Dying?"

"Pancreatic cancer. Late stage. He doesn't have long."

She stared at him. A ringing sound filled her head. Wenger had never told her. His pale face. His shaking hands. His more frequent time off lately. All those details rushed back, snapping together like puzzle pieces.

"So you're keeping him alive to find out who's behind him."

"Yes."

"And me?" Avery's voice tightened. "Are you keeping me because I'm his pawn too?"

Dominic looked at her. He didn't deny it.

"You're his student. He trusts you. Or at least, he thinks he can control you. As long as you're here with me, he feels safe."

"So you're using me too."

"Yes." His tone was flat. "Just like he's using you."

Avery's fingernails dug into her palms. Pain spread from her palms to her wrists, but she didn't let go.

"I need Wenger's complete medical records," she said. "The one you had—"

"Destroyed in the explosion."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"The archive room was in the blast zone. Most of the paper records burned." Dominic's voice didn't change. "The electronic backup is with Wenger. His server. His encryption. I can't get it."

Avery stared at him, trying to read his face. His expression was a wall. Nothing showed.

"You need the records to treat me," Dominic said. "Wenger has the records. If you want them, you have to go to him."

"You want me to go to Wenger?"

"Yes."

"You locked me in this house yesterday. I couldn't even walk down the hallway alone. And now you want me to willingly go to the man who just blew up your house?"

Her voice came out louder than she intended. She felt it. Her emotions were spilling over.

Dominic watched her. His expression didn't change, but she knew he was studying her.

"Do you have a better idea?"

She didn't answer. She didn't.

"Aren't you afraid I won't come back?"

Dominic looked at her for two seconds.

"You'll come back."

Avery fell silent.

She knew he was right. In this city, no one could escape his reach. Her brother was in the hospital. Her clinic was downtown. Her daughter—

Her daughter.

Her blood went cold for a moment.

Dominic pulled something from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. Her phone.

"Twenty four hours," he said. "Don't disappoint me."

He turned and walked toward the door.

Avery grabbed the phone. The screen lit up. More unread messages piled on top of each other. All from Kate, her caretaker.

The latest one, sent two minutes ago.

"Someone broke into the house. Dorothea has been taken."

Avery stared at those words. Her heart missed a beat. The phone nearly slipped from her hand.

Her head went blank. She headed for the door on instinct. A guard blocked her way.

She shoved the phone screen in his face. "My daughter was taken. If you stop me now and something happens, you can explain it to your boss."

The guard hesitated for a second. His radio crackled.

Dominic's voice came through. Just two words. "Let her go."

Avery ran out of the villa.

The door to her house was open. Kate sat on the couch. When she saw Avery walk in, she stood up and started crying. "Two men came. Said they were your colleagues from the clinic, here to check on the child. I let them in. And then Dorothea just—"

Avery didn't let her finish. She ran straight into her daughter's room.

The stuffed rabbit was still on the bed. Crayons scattered across the floor.

She spun around the room. On the windowsill, a piece of paper weighed down. Not Dorothea's handwriting.

"The child is safe. It's time for you to come find us."

She gripped the paper. Footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Dr. Clair. Come with us."