chapter 11: Alliance

The safehouse wasn't what I expected.

I'd pictured something dark and industrial. All concrete and cameras. Instead, Dante pulled up to a beautiful Tribeca loft with floor-to-ceiling windows and warm light spilling onto the street.

"Mr. Rhodes owns the building," Dante said. Like that explained everything.

Maybe it did.

The elevator required a keycard. The hallway was empty. Quiet.

And when the door opened, Marcus Rhodes stood there.

I finally let myself feel it.

Relief. Bone-deep, overwhelming relief.

I wasn't alone anymore.

Marcus was taller than I expected. Six-three at least. Dark brown hair slightly disheveled. Warm brown eyes with gold flecks catching the light.

He wore jeans and a black t-shirt. Not the corporate billionaire I'd imagined.

His nose had a slight crook. Like it had been broken once.

"Are you hurt?" His first words. Immediate concern.

I shook my head. Couldn't speak.

Dante behind me. "She was followed. Clean now."

Marcus's jaw tightened. But his voice stayed gentle.

"Come in. You're safe here."

The loft was warm. Lived-in. Books everywhere. Not a showplace.

It smelled like coffee and something cooking.

I must have looked surprised.

"I sent my housekeeper home," Marcus said. "Figured you'd want privacy."

Thoughtful. Considerate of my comfort.

"Are you hungry? I made soup. Nothing fancy."

I realized I hadn't eaten all day. But first.

"Sienna. I need to call Sienna."

"She's already on her way. I called her after we spoke."

He'd anticipated my needs.

My eyes filled with tears. Exhaustion hitting all at once.

Marcus stepped closer. Carefully. "You're safe now. You can fall apart if you need to."

Permission I didn't know I needed.

The doorbell rang twenty minutes later.

Sienna burst in. Visibly pregnant. Dante close behind her.

She saw me. "Oh my God. Are you okay?"

I stood. "I found out who I am."

"What do you mean?"

I pulled the birth certificate from my bag. Hands shaking.

"I'm Alessandra Ashford. Your cousin."

Sienna's face went through shock. Then understanding dawned.

"The missing heiress. I knew you looked familiar. I thought I was imagining it."

We stared at each other.

"We're family," Sienna said.

"We're family."

The hug happened.

Both of us crying. Not enemies. Not rivals.

Sisters in every way that matters.

Marcus and Dante exchanged glances. Giving us space.

When we pulled apart, Sienna's face was hard.

"Victor. My father did this to you."

"According to Gloria's letter, yes."

"I'll kill him myself."

Marcus's voice was quiet. "Let's focus on Flynn first. Then The Covenant. Then Victor."

Strategy, not emotion.

But his eyes showed he understood the fury.

We moved to Marcus's living room. Comfortable couches. Warm lighting.

Marcus brought bowls of soup. Homemade chicken noodle. Surprisingly good.

I was starving.

Between bites, I told Sienna about the drugging. Dr. Kim's discovery.

Sienna's horror was immediate. "He did to you what he did to me. Controlled everything."

"Did he drug you too?"

"No. But he controlled my money. My phone. Who I saw. Same playbook. Different methods."

Marcus listened. His jaw tight with anger.

I turned to him. "How did Flynn steal from you?"

Marcus set down his bowl.

"We met at MIT. Senior year. I developed an AI algorithm for my thesis. Revolutionary, or so my professors said. Flynn was my roommate. My best friend. He saw everything."

He paused.

"After graduation, I was setting up my company. Legal paperwork. Investors. It takes time. Flynn launched Lancaster Global first. Using my code. My work."

"I tried to prove it. Three years of legal hell. I finally won. But only got a financial settlement. He kept the company built on my stolen work."

His voice was bitter.

"He's a thief. Always has been. He steals ideas. Money. Lives."

"And women," Sienna added.

Marcus looked at me. Something in his eyes. Not pity.

Recognition. Understanding.

Dante spoke up. "The Covenant protected him. Every time Marcus got close to winning, evidence disappeared. Witnesses changed testimony."

First real glimpse of The Covenant's power.

"Why didn't you warn me?" I asked Marcus. "When you found out he married me?"

His honesty was painful.

"I tried. Sent anonymous emails. Hired a PI to document his affairs. Everything got blocked. And I thought maybe you were happy. Maybe he'd changed."

"He hadn't."

"No. He never does."

Marcus pulled out his laptop.

"We need to be strategic. Flynn knows you know something. The Covenant will mobilize."

He showed us security footage. The car following me.

Professional tail. Not amateur.

Dante leaned in. "Covenant operative. I recognize him from surveillance photos."

My fear spiked. They were watching me.

"Which is why you're staying here. Both of you."

Sienna started to protest. "I have the hotel..."

"Which they know about. I have three bedrooms. You're safer here."

Dante nodded. "I'll take the couch. Someone needs eyes on at all times."

Marcus opened a document.

"We need to inventory what we have. Evidence. Documentation. Witnesses."

The list built quickly.

Me: medical records from Dr. Kim. Birth certificate. Gloria's letter. Photos. Police reports.

Sienna: Daniel's encrypted files. Bank records. Her own documentation of Flynn's abuse.

Marcus: corporate theft evidence. Financial forensics team results. Surveillance footage.

Collectively, enough to start.

But we needed more.

"I need to go back to the penthouse," I said. "Get the vitamin vials. Dr. Kim needs to test them."

"Too dangerous."

"I can't prove the drugging without them."

Sienna backed me up. "She's right. We need physical evidence."

They started planning. When. How. Backup.

It was late by the time we finished. Sienna was yawning.

Dante showed her to the guest room.

Suddenly it was just Marcus and me.

Awkward moment.

"I'll show you your room."

We walked down the hallway.

"I put fresh towels out. Toiletries in the bathroom. If you need anything..."

I stopped him.

"Why are you doing this? Really?"

Marcus turned to face me. Met my eyes.

"Because three years ago, you saw me at my lowest. And you treated me with kindness. No agenda. Just human decency."

His voice dropped.

"And because when I found out you married Flynn, I felt like I'd lost something I never had. I've been half in love with you since that coffee shop, Aria."

My breath caught.

"I know that's not what you need to hear right now. I know you need a friend and an ally, not this. So I'll be whatever you need. But I need you to know: you're not alone. You're not fighting this by yourself. Not anymore."

I couldn't process this. Too much.

But also. Something warm unfurling in my chest.

"Thank you. For everything."

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow we start fighting back."

I lay in Marcus's guest room. In clean sheets that smelled like lavender. Stared at the ceiling.

Across the hall, Sienna was safe.

Downstairs, Dante kept watch.

And somewhere in this loft, Marcus Rhodes was awake. Probably planning our next moves.

For three years, I'd been alone in a crowded penthouse.

Now I was surrounded by allies in a stranger's home.

And for the first time since that doorbell rang on Tuesday night, I felt something other than fear.

I felt hope.

My phone buzzed. Flynn calling.

I turned it off.

Whatever he had to say, I didn't want to hear it.

Tomorrow, we'd go to war.

Tonight, I was going to sleep knowing I wasn't fighting alone.