Somewhere in the City – 2:17 AM
Theo drove fast, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. The weight of Ethan's words still pressed against his chest.
Someone bigger than Kade had been pulling the strings all along.
And Theo had never even suspected it.
Beside him, Evelyn sat rigid, her fingers curled into fists on her lap. they were about to uncover something that could change everything.
Theo's jaw clenched. "Ethan said to meet him at the docks."
Evelyn nodded, staring out the window. "That's where Kade was last spotted?"
"Yeah."
Silence stretched.
Then—
Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Theo."
He glanced at her.
She wasn't looking at him.
She was staring ahead—at the dark figure standing near the docks.
Waiting for them.
Theo immediately parked, his hand instinctively moving toward his gun.
Evelyn did the same.
They stepped out of the car in perfect sync, the cold air biting at their skin.
Ethan stood a few feet away, his expression tense.
"You took your time," Ethan muttered.
Theo didn't rise to the bait. "Talk."
Ethan exhaled. "Kade wasn't the one behind the attack on Evelyn. He wasn't the one who planted that letter. And he sure as hell wasn't the one who sent those threats."
Evelyn's stomach twisted. "Then who was?"
Ethan hesitated. "That's the problem. We don't know who—but we have a lead on where they might be operating."
Theo's gaze darkened. "Where?"
Ethan pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Warehouse district. There's been unusual activity there for weeks. Payments under fake names. Movements that don't match up with Kade's known associates."
Theo took the paper, scanning it.
Evelyn swallowed hard. "So, what's the plan?"
Theo met her gaze.
"We go in," he said. "And we find out exactly who the hell we're dealing with."
---
Warehouse District – 3:03 AM
The building loomed in front of them—silent, abandoned.
Or at least, it should have been.
Theo signaled for Evelyn and Ethan to stay close as they moved toward the entrance.
The second they stepped inside, Theo felt it.
Something was wrong.
The place was too quiet.
Too still.
Then—
A single voice echoed from the shadows.
"I was wondering when you'd finally show up."
Theo's blood ran cold.
The voice wasn't Kade's.
It was someone else.
Someone familiar.
And then, from the darkness, a figure stepped forward.
Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath.
Because standing there—calm, confident—was the last person she ever expected to see.
A person they had trusted.
Theo's body went rigid.
His grip tightened around his gun.
"…No," Evelyn whispered.
But the figure just smirked.
"Surprised?"
Theo's heart pounded.
Because the person standing before them—the one who had been behind it all—was someone they should have seen coming.
Someone they never even suspected.
---
End of Chapter 39