Chapter 120

"You think I'm the mole?" Cove's voice was barely a whisper. His face was pale. His hands were shaking. Eli stood across from him in the living room of the penthouse. The city lights flickered outside the windows. The room was cold. Silent. Heavy. "I don't know what to think," Eli said. "You think I've been triggering your attacks? You think I've been hurting you?" "The evidence says otherwise." "The evidence is wrong." "Then explain it to me. Explain why your login was used. Explain why the signal is coming from your terminal. Explain why you've been lying to me from the beginning." Cove stepped closer. His eyes were desperate. "I've never lied to you. Not about this. Not about anything that matters." "You lied about my mother. You lied about the fire. You lied about the second file." "That was different." "How?" "I was trying to protect you." "You keep saying that. But protection isn't the same as honesty." Cove grabbed his arm. "Eli, listen to me. I would never hurt yo

Chapter 121

"The evidence was undeniable."Eli stood in the middle of Lena's apartment, the box of files spread across her coffee table. Photographs. Recordings. Access logs. Everything that pointed to her. Everything that proved she was the mole.Lena sat on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap, her face pale. She hadn't spoken in five minutes. She just stared at the evidence. At her own betrayal."Say something," Eli said.She looked up. Her eyes were wet. "You wouldn't understand.""Try me.""You don't know what it's like. To be trapped. To have no choice.""I know exactly what it's like. I've been trapped my whole life.""This is different.""How?"She was quiet for a long moment. Then she spoke."They have my mother."Eli froze. "What?""My mother. She's sick. She's been in a care facility for years. And they found her. Adrian found her. He threatened to kill her if I didn't help him.""Adrian?""He came to me months ago. Before you even met him. He told me about the network. About the tr

Chapter 122

"You're wrong about him." Eli slammed the car door and turned on Cove. They were parked outside the first safe house on Lena's list. An old apartment building in the industrial district. Dark. Empty. Quiet. "I'm not wrong," Eli said. "Lena gave us the evidence." "Lena is a liar. She's been lying to us for months." "She told us the truth." "She told us a story. A story that conveniently blames someone else." "Ruiz has been with you for years. He knows everything. He has access to everything." "He's saved my life more times than I can count." "And that's why it makes sense. No one would suspect him. No one would look twice. He's the perfect mole." Cove shook his head. His jaw was tight. His eyes were hard. "I'm not doing this." "Doing what?"

Chapter 123

"I'm not the mole." Ruiz sat in the back of the car, his hands still bound, his face bloody, his eyes burning with something that looked like desperation. Eli sat across from him, his gun resting on his knee. Cove was in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the wheel, his knuckles white. "You expect us to believe that?" Eli said. "I don't expect you to believe anything. I just need you to listen." "Then talk." Ruiz took a breath. His voice was rough. Broken. "I've been working with Adrian for six months. But not the way you think." "Then how?" "I was gathering information. Trying to find out what he was planning. Trying to stop him." "You were working with him." "I was working against him. From the inside." Eli leaned forward. "Then why didn't you tell us?"

Chapter 124

"He's been cloning you for months." Eli stared at Ruiz. The words didn't make sense. They couldn't make sense. "What?" "Your biometrics. Your voice. Your face. Everything. He's been collecting data since the day you met him." "That's not possible." "It's very possible. He's been using the network. The same network he built. The same network he controls. He's been copying your data. Your fingerprints. Your retinal scans. Your voice patterns." "Why?" "Because he wants to be you." Eli's blood ran cold. "What?" "He wants to take your place. In the Voss Syndicate. In the penthouse. In your life." "That's insane." "It's brilliant. And it's working." Cove turned around. His face was pale. His eyes were hard. "Explain." Ru

Chapter 125

"Eli entered the building two hours ago. But Eli was with me." Cove's words echoed through the car like a gunshot. Eli sat frozen in the passenger seat, his heart pounding, his mind racing. The security logs were clear. His biometrics. His fingerprint. His retinal scan. All of it pointed to him. But he wasn't there. "Adrian," Eli whispered. "He's already inside." "We need to go. Now." They raced through the city streets. The lights blurred past. The engine roared. Eli's hands were shaking. His chest was tight. "He's been planning this for months," Eli said. "The cloning. The biometrics. Everything." "He's been playing us the whole time." "He's been playing everyone. Lena. Ruiz. You. Me. Everyone." "We'll stop him." "How?" "I don't know