Dawn broke over the valley in shades of gold and pink, cutting through the fog and painting the forest in warm light. Elara woke to the smell of bacon and eggs, sitting up slowly as she realized she'd fallen asleep on the couch beside the fireplace. A blanket was draped over her shoulders, and Kael's jacket was folded neatly beside her.
She found him in the kitchen, cooking at the stove while talking on his phone. He was wearing only jeans, his bare back and shoulders showing the full extent of his scars—each one a map of his past. He turned as she entered, his steel-gray eyes softening when they met hers.
"Morning," he said, ending the call and turning back to the stove. "Coffee's ready. I figured you'd be hungry after last night."
Elara poured herself a cup of coffee, sitting down at the small wooden table as he plated up two large breakfasts. "What did your men say? Is the story still running?"
"It's everywhere." He sat down across from her, taking a bite of eggs before continuing. "Every major news network is covering it. The mayor's office has already issued a statement denying everything, but they're losing control of the narrative. People are demanding answers."
"Thorne must be furious."
"He's more than furious." Kael's jaw tightened. "He issued a statement this morning calling me a criminal and a liar. He's claiming I fabricated the evidence to take over his operations. And unfortunately, some people are believing him."
Elara set down her fork. "Why would they believe him over the evidence?"
"Because Thorne has spent years building his reputation as a successful businessman and philanthropist. He's donated millions to local charities, funded schools and hospitals. People want to believe he's a good man." He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his black hair. "Meanwhile, I'm known as the head of a criminal syndicate. Even if what we have is true, some will always see me as the villain."
"Then we need to make sure the truth is impossible to ignore." Elara pulled out her phone, scrolling through messages from her editor and contacts at other news outlets. "Sarah says The Chronicle is running a special edition today—they're publishing every piece of evidence we have, including witness statements from people who've been hurt by Thorne's organization."
"Good." Kael stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the valley below. "But Thorne won't go down without a fight. He'll do whatever it takes to protect himself—including hurting more people."
Just then, his phone rang again. He answered it, his expression growing serious as he listened. When he hung up, he turned back to Elara.
"That was Lena," he said. "Thorne's men have been arrested—all of them except him. He's gone into hiding."
"Gone? How?"
"He had escape plans in place, just like I do. He's not stupid." Kael picked up his jacket from the back of his chair. "We need to go back to the city. If he's hiding, he'll be planning something—something big. We have to find him before he can strike back."
Elara stood up immediately. "Then let's go. We can't let him get away with this."
They packed quickly, gathering their things and locking up the cabin. The drive back to Blackwater was quiet, the mountain roads clear now that the fog had lifted. As they approached the city, Elara could see that things were different—news vans lined the streets near city hall, and crowds of people were gathered with signs demanding justice.
"This is what we wanted," she said quietly.
"Maybe." Kael parked the car in a garage a few blocks from his base of operations. "But chaos can be dangerous too. Thorne could use this to his advantage if we're not careful."
They made their way through the crowded streets, keeping their heads down to avoid drawing attention. When they reached the warehouse, they found Kael's team hard at work, monitors covering every wall as they tracked Thorne's movements.
"Anything?" Kael asked Maria, his second-in-command.
"Nothing concrete," she said, pointing to a map of the city on one of the screens. "But we've had reports of suspicious activity near the old water treatment plant—before Thorne took over the new one, that's where the city's water came from."
"Of course." Kael's eyes narrowed. "He can't take control of the new plant now, so he'll destroy the old one. Cut off the city's water supply entirely. Make people believe the chaos is our fault, not his."
"We have to stop him," Elara said.
"It's a trap," Maria warned. "He'll be expecting us to come after him."
"Then we'll use that to our advantage." Kael turned to his team, his voice clear and commanding. "Here's what we're going to do…"
An hour later, they were moving out—Kael leading a small team to the water treatment plant, while Elara and Maria coordinated from the warehouse, monitoring police radio frequencies and tracking every movement in the area.
"Kael, do you copy?" Elara spoke into her earpiece as she watched the live feed from the plant on the screen.
"Loud and clear," he replied. "We're in position. Thorne's men are inside the main building."
"Police are on their way," Maria said, typing quickly on her keyboard. "They should be there in ten minutes."
"Too long," Kael said. "He'll have already set the charges by then. We're going in."
Elara's heart raced as she watched the feed—Kael and his team moving silently through the dark plant, their flashlights cutting through the dust and grime. They reached the main control room just as Thorne was finishing attaching explosives to the main pipes.
"Thorne, it's over!" Kael shouted, his gun raised. "Put your hands up."
Thorne turned, a cruel smile on his face. "Riven. I was hoping you'd come. This is the perfect place for you to die—where you can watch everything you've tried to protect crumble to dust."
He pressed a button on a remote in his hand, and the sound of ticking filled the room.
"Charges are set to detonate in five minutes," he said, backing toward a door. "You can either try to stop them or try to stop me. But you can't do both."
Kael looked at the explosives, then at Thorne. "Go," he said to his team. "Get out of here. I'll handle this."
"Kael, no!" Elara shouted into her earpiece. "You can't do this alone."
"Watch me," he said, and then he was moving—diving toward the explosives as Thorne ran for the door.
Elara watched in horror as Kael began working on the wires, his hands moving quickly despite the ticking clock. She could see the seconds counting down on the screen—four minutes, three minutes, two minutes…
"Come on, come on," she whispered, her hands clenched into fists.
With thirty seconds left, Kael cut the final wire. The ticking stopped.
He stood up, breathing heavily, just as police officers burst into the room. Thorne was caught trying to escape through a back door, his face twisted with rage as he was handcuffed and led away.
Elara let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, tears stinging her eyes. A few minutes later, Kael's voice came through her earpiece.
"Did you see that?" he asked, his voice filled with relief.
"I saw it," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He paused for a moment. "I couldn't have done it without you, Elara. You gave me a reason to keep fighting."
Elara smiled, looking out at the city through the warehouse window. The storm had broken, and for the first time in a long time, there was hope for Blackwater. But she knew their work wasn't done—not yet.