KIAH

Kiah did not sleep.

She lay in the enormous bed, staring at the ceiling, Arthur's words circling her mind like vultures.

"Someone wants you dead."

Not him.

Her.

She was the target. Not Arthur. Not his empire.

Her.

But why?

She was nobody. An event planner with a brother in prison and a father who believed the law was sacred.

What could she possibly have that someone wanted badly enough to kill her for?

At five in the morning, Kiah gave up on sleep and retrieved the burner phone from under the mattress.

She turned it on.

One contact saved. No name. Just a number.

Her thumb hovered over the call button.

Trust no one.

That included whoever had given her this phone.

She turned it off and hid it again.

At seven, someone knocked on her door.

"Miss Taylor." A woman's voice. Polite but firm. "Mr. Lucas sent me to prepare you for the press conference."

Kiah opened the door to find a woman in her forties holding a garment bag and a makeup case.

"I am Claire," the woman said, stepping inside without waiting for permission. "We have three hours. That is barely enough time."

"Enough time for what?"

Claire gave her a look that said the answer was obvious. "To make you look like you belong next to Arthur Lucas."

Two hours later, Kiah barely recognized the woman in the mirror.

Her hair fell in soft waves. Her makeup was flawless. The emerald green dress Claire had brought hugged every curve in ways that made her uncomfortable. 

She looked expensive.

She looked like someone's possession, a gift wrapped for display. 

"Perfect." Claire stepped back, admiring her work. "He will not be able to take his eyes off you."

Kiah's stomach twisted. "That is not the goal."

"It is always the goal." Claire packed up her supplies. "A man like Arthur Lucas does not marry for love. He marries for power. And you, Miss Taylor, are about to become the most powerful piece on his board."

Before Kiah could respond, Claire left.

Kiah stood alone in front of the mirror, staring at the stranger looking back at her.

Arthur had dressed her. Styled her. Controlled every inch of how the world would see her.

And she had let him.

Because she had no choice.

She touched the diamond ring on her finger and felt the weight of the cage tightening.

ARTHUR

Arthur adjusted his tie in the mirror and checked his watch.

Nine forty-five.

Fifteen minutes until the press conference.

Kiah should have been downstairs by now.

He picked up his phone and called his head of security.

"Where is she?"

"Still in her room, sir."

Arthur ended the call and headed for the elevator.

He did not have time for resistance. Not today.

The press was already gathering. Investors were watching. His enemies were waiting for him to show weakness.

And Kiah was the only thing standing between him and total collapse.

He reached her door and knocked once.

No answer.

Arthur opened it without waiting.

Kiah stood by the window, her back to him. The emerald dress clung to her like a second skin, and for a moment, Arthur forgot why he was there.

She looked devastating.

She looked dangerous.

"We leave in ten minutes," he said.

Kiah turned slowly. Her face was calm, but her eyes were fire.

"I am not doing this."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "Yes. You are."

"You did not tell me someone wanted me dead." Her voice was low. Controlled. But there was rage underneath. "You let me walk into this blind."

"I told you last night."

"After I signed the contract." Kiah took a step toward him. "You used me. You knew I was in danger, and you used that to trap me."

"I used it to save you." Arthur moved closer, closing the space between them. "If you had known the truth before you signed, you would have run. And you would be dead by now."

"You do not know that."

"I know everything." Arthur's voice dropped. "I know that three people connected to your brother's case have died in the last six months. I know that someone has been watching you for weeks. I know that the moment you became my wife, you became untouchable to everyone except me."

Kiah's face went pale. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother did not just witness a crime, Kiah." Arthur's eyes were cold. "He witnessed something that powerful people will kill to keep buried. And now that you are connected to me, they think you know what he knows."

She stared at him, her breathing shallow.

"What did Ethan see?" she whispered.

"That," Arthur said quietly, "is what we are going to find out."

KIAH

Kiah's mind was spinning.

Three people dead.

Her brother knew something.

Something worth killing for.

And Arthur had known all of this before he ever proposed the contract.

"You should have told me," she said, her voice shaking.

"If I had told you, you would not have signed." Arthur's gaze was relentless. "And you would be dead. Or worse."

"What is worse than dead?"

Arthur's expression darkened. "You do not want to know."

Kiah's hands curled into fists. She wanted to scream at him. To hit him. To demand answers.

But there was no time.

Arthur checked his watch. "We leave in five minutes. Fix your face. Smile. And do not make me regret choosing you."

He walked out, leaving her standing in the wreckage of everything she thought she knew.

The press conference was held in the main ballroom of Lucas Holdings.

Cameras. Reporters. Flashing lights.

Kiah stood beside Arthur on the stage, her hand resting in the crook of his arm because Claire had positioned it there.

She felt like a doll.

Arthur stepped up to the microphone, his presence commanding instant silence.

"Thank you all for coming." His voice was smooth. Confident. "I am here today to introduce someone very important to me. This is Kiah Taylor. As of yesterday, she agreed to become my wife."

The room erupted.

Questions shouted from every direction.

Arthur held up a hand, and the chaos stilled.

"We will take a few questions."

A reporter in the front row stood. "Mr. Lucas, this engagement seems sudden. How long have you known Miss Taylor?"

Arthur's hand moved to Kiah's waist, pulling her closer. The touch was possessive. Deliberate.

"Long enough to know she is the only woman I want by my side."

Kiah's heart pounded. She forced a smile.

Another reporter stood. "Miss Taylor, what do you say to rumors that this marriage is a business arrangement?"

Kiah froze.

Arthur's hand tightened on her waist, a silent warning.

She stepped closer to the microphone. "I say that people will believe what they want to believe. But I know the truth. And that is all that matters."

The answer was vague. Safe.

Arthur's mouth curved slightly. Approval.

Another question. "Mr. Lucas, how do you respond to allegations that your company is under investigation for financial misconduct?"

Arthur's expression did not change. "Those allegations are baseless. And they will be proven false."

The reporter pressed. "But three of your board members have resigned in the last month. Does that not suggest instability?"

"It suggests," Arthur said coldly, "that I do not tolerate weakness. Or betrayal."

The room went silent.

Arthur glanced at Kiah. "We are done here."

He led her off the stage, his hand still firm on her waist.

The moment they were behind closed doors, Kiah pulled away.

"You did not tell me your company was under investigation."

"It is not."

"That reporter-"

"Was lying." Arthur's tone was sharp. "Someone planted that story to make me look vulnerable. It is part of the same game. The same people trying to destroy me."

Kiah stared at him. "Who are they?"

Arthur's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.

Something cold flickered in his eyes.

"Get in the car," he said quietly.

"What is wrong?"

"Now, Kiah."

She did not argue. The tone of his voice left no room for it.

They walked to the parking garage in silence. Arthur's security team surrounded them, their hands resting on concealed weapons.

The car was waiting.

Arthur opened the door and pushed Kiah inside.

She landed hard against the seat. "What is going on?"

Arthur climbed in beside her and slammed the door. "Drive."

The car lurched forward.

Kiah's pulse raced. "Arthur-"

"Someone just sent a message to the press." His voice was tight. Controlled. "They claim to have evidence that you were involved in your brother's crime."

Kiah's blood turned to ice. "What?"

"They are saying you helped him. That you are guilty. That I married a criminal."

"That is insane." Kiah's hands were shaking. "I did not do anything."

"I know." Arthur's jaw was tight. "But they do not care about the truth. They care about destroying you. And if they destroy you, they destroy me."

The car sped through the city, weaving through traffic.

Kiah's mind was racing. "Who would do this?"

Arthur did not answer.

His phone buzzed again.

He looked at the screen, and for the first time since she met him, Kiah saw something she did not expect.

Fear.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Arthur's eyes met hers, and the world seemed to stop.

"They just released a photo," he said quietly. "Of you. Meeting with someone two days before you signed the contract."

Kiah's heart stopped. "What photo?"

Arthur turned the phone toward her.

The image was grainy but clear.

Kiah. Standing outside a coffee shop.

Talking to a man she had never seen before in her life.

"I do not know who that is," she said quickly. "I have never met him. I swear-"

"I know." Arthur's voice was ice. "Which means someone is setting you up."

The car screeched to a halt.

Arthur's head of security opened the door. "Sir, we have a problem."

"What?"

The man's face was grim. "Someone just tried to access Miss Taylor's apartment. They left this."

He held out a manila envelope.

Arthur took it and opened it.

Inside was a single photo.

Ethan.

In prison.

With a red X drawn over his face.

And written across the bottom in blood-red ink:

"She has two days. Or he dies."

KIAH

Kiah stared at the photo, her brother's face marked for death, and the world tilted.

"No." Her voice cracked. "No, no, no."

Arthur snatched the photo back and handed it to his security chief. "Triple the guards at the prison. Now."

"Sir, we do not have jurisdiction...."

"I do not care about jurisdiction." Arthur's voice was lethal. "If anything happens to Ethan Taylor, I will hold you personally responsible."

The man disappeared.

Kiah could not breathe. Her chest was tight, her vision blurring at the edges.

"Ethan." She grabbed Arthur's arm. "They are going to kill him. We have to...."

"We have to think." Arthur pulled his arm free, his expression carved from stone. "Panic gets people killed."

"He is my brother."

"And he has leverage." Arthur's eyes were cold. "Whoever is behind this knows that. They know you will do anything to save him. Which makes you predictable. And predictable people are easy to control."

Kiah wanted to scream at him. To shake him. To make him feel something.

But he was right.

She was panicking.

And panic would not save Ethan.

She forced herself to breathe. To think.

"Two days," she said quietly. "What do they want me to do in two days?"

Arthur's jaw tightened. "That is what we need to find out."

The car pulled into an underground garage beneath a building Kiah did not recognize.

Arthur got out first and gestured for her to follow.

They took a private elevator to the top floor. No buttons. No stops. Just silence and the hum of machinery.

When the doors opened, they stepped into a sleek office that looked like a war room.

Monitors lined the walls. Maps. Photos. Documents.

A man stood at the center of it all, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

He was older than Arthur. Late forties. Sharp suit. Sharper eyes.

"Victor Hale," Arthur said. "This is Kiah Taylor."

Kiah froze.

Victor Hale.

The name was familiar. She had seen it in the news. A board member. Powerful. Connected.

And Arthur had brought her to him.

Victor smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "Mrs. Lucas. Congratulations on your engagement."

The way he said it made her skin crawl.

"Thank you," Kiah said carefully.

"Victor is one of the few people I trust," Arthur said. "He has been helping me investigate the threats."

Victor gestured to the monitors. "We have been tracking communications. Payments. Patterns. Whoever is behind this is well-funded and well-connected. They have been planning this for months."

Kiah moved closer to the screens. One showed the photo of her and the stranger outside the coffee shop. Another showed Ethan's prison file.

"Who is the man in the photo?" she asked.

Victor glanced at Arthur, then back at her. "We do not know yet. But we are running facial recognition. We will have an answer soon."

"Soon is not good enough." Kiah's voice was tight. "They gave us two days."

"Which means they are rushing," Victor said. "Rushing means mistakes. And mistakes mean we can find them."

Arthur stepped closer to the monitors, his gaze fixed on one in particular.

A map of the city. Red dots scattered across it.

"What are those?" Kiah asked.

"Locations connected to your brother's case," Arthur said. "The courthouse. The law firm that represented him. The judge's office."

Kiah's breath caught. "My father's office?"

"Yes."

She stared at the screen, her mind racing. "You think my father is involved?"

"I think," Arthur said slowly, "that your father knows more than he has said."

ARTHUR

Arthur watched Kiah process the information.

She was smart. Smarter than most people he worked with.

But she was also emotional. And emotions made people weak.

He needed her focused. Sharp.

Not drowning in fear for her brother.

"Victor," Arthur said without looking away from Kiah. "Give us the room."

Victor nodded and left without a word.

The moment the door closed, Kiah turned on Arthur.

"You think my father is involved in this?" Her voice was shaking. "He is a judge. He has spent his entire life upholding the law."

"And the law is corrupt." Arthur moved to the desk and poured two glasses of whiskey. He held one out to her. "Your father has been a judge for thirty years. You do not stay in that position without making compromises."

Kiah did not take the glass. "He would never hurt Ethan."

"Maybe not intentionally." Arthur set the glass down. "But people like your father are useful to people like Victor. They make rulings. They sign orders. And they do not ask questions."

"Victor works for you."

"Victor works for himself." Arthur's tone was flat. "He has his own agenda. And right now, that agenda aligns with mine. But that does not mean I trust him."

Kiah stared at him. "Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because I need you to see how deep this goes." Arthur stepped closer. "Your brother is not in prison because he committed a crime. He is in prison because someone wanted him silenced. And now that you are my wife, they think you are the key to whatever he knows."

"I do not know anything."

"They do not believe that." Arthur's gaze was relentless. "And until we prove it, you are a target."

Kiah's hands curled into fists. "So what do we do?"

Arthur pulled a phone from his pocket. Not his usual one. A burner.

He held it out to her.

"You are going to call your father," he said. "And you are going to ask him about Ethan's case. Every detail. Every ruling. Every person involved."

Kiah took the phone with shaking hands. "And if he refuses to tell me?"

"Then we will know he is hiding something."

KIAH

Kiah stared at the burner phone like it was a loaded gun.

She had not spoken to her father since Ethan's sentencing. He had stood in the courtroom and watched his son be taken away in handcuffs.

And he had done nothing.

Because he believed the system was just.

Even when it destroyed his own family.

Kiah dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear.

It rang three times before he answered.

"Hello?"

Her father's voice was the same. Steady. Authoritative.

It made her want to cry.

"Dad." Her voice cracked. "It is Kiah."

Silence.

Then, "I heard about your engagement."

Of course he had. The press conference had been everywhere.

"I need to talk to you," Kiah said. "About Ethan."

Another pause. "Kiah, I cannot....."

"Someone is threatening to kill him." The words tumbled out. "They gave me two days. I need to know what he saw. What he knows. Please, Dad. If you know anything....."

"I do not." His voice was firm. Too firm. "Ethan was convicted based on evidence. I have reviewed the case myself. There is nothing unusual about it."

"You are lying."

Her father exhaled slowly. "Kiah, you are in over your head. Marrying Arthur Lucas was a mistake. That man is dangerous."

"He is trying to help me."

"He is using you." Her father's tone hardened. "And if you are not careful, you will end up just like....."

The line went dead.

Kiah stared at the phone, her heart pounding.

"What did he say?" Arthur asked.

"He hung up." Kiah's voice was hollow. "But he was about to say something. Someone's name."

Arthur took the phone and checked the call log. His expression darkened.

"The call was traced," he said quietly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means someone was listening." Arthur's jaw tightened. "And now they know you are asking questions."

Before Kiah could respond, Arthur's phone buzzed.

He answered immediately. "What?"

His face went white.

"When?" A pause. "Are you sure?"

He ended the call and turned to Kiah.

"We need to leave. Now."

"What happened?"

Arthur grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the elevator. "There was an explosion at the prison."

Kiah's heart stopped. "Ethan...."

"He is alive." Arthur's grip was bruising. "But three guards are dead. And someone left a message."

"What message?"

The elevator doors opened, and Arthur shoved her inside.

He turned to face her, his expression colder than she had ever seen it.

"They said the next bomb is for you."

The car was waiting when they reached the garage.

Arthur pushed Kiah into the back seat and climbed in beside her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere safe."

"Nowhere is safe." Kiah's voice was rising. "They just bombed a prison. They are going to kill me. They are going to kill Ethan."

Arthur grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Listen to me." His voice was low. Dangerous. "You are not going to die. I will not let that happen. Do you understand?"

Kiah stared at him, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you care?"

Arthur's eyes darkened. For a moment, she thought he might answer.

Instead, he let her go and turned away.

"Because you are mine," he said quietly. "And no one takes what is mine."

ARTHUR

Arthur stared out the window as the car sped through the city.

His mind was already three steps ahead.

The explosion was a message. A warning.

Whoever was behind this wanted Kiah to know they could reach her anywhere.

Even in the one place that should have been secure.

His phone buzzed again. Another message from the unknown number.

"You cannot protect her. She knows too much. And so do you."

Arthur deleted it and made a decision.

He had been playing defense long enough.

It was time to go on the attack.

He pulled up Victor's number and sent a single message.

"Find out who visited Ethan in prison. Every name. Every date. I want a list in one hour."

The response came immediately.

"Already working on it."

Arthur pocketed the phone and glanced at Kiah.

She was staring at her hands, her face pale, her breathing uneven.

She looked fragile.

But Arthur knew better.

Kiah Taylor was stronger than she realized.

She just did not know it yet.

And by the time this was over, she would have to be.

Because the people hunting her would not stop until she was dead.

Or until Arthur burned the world down to keep her alive.

The car pulled up to a private estate outside the city.

High walls. Armed guards. Cameras everywhere.

Arthur helped Kiah out of the car and led her inside.

The house was modern. Cold. Sterile.

A fortress.

"You will stay here until I deal with this," Arthur said.

Kiah turned to him. "You are leaving?"

"I have to."

"No." She grabbed his arm. "You said I was not safe. If I am not safe, then neither are you."

Arthur pulled his arm free. "I can handle myself."

"So can I."

"Not against this." Arthur's voice was sharp. "Stay here. Do not leave. Do not call anyone. Do not trust anyone."

Kiah's eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. "Not even you?"

Arthur stared at her, and for the first time in years, he felt something crack inside him.

Something dangerous.

Something he could not afford.

"Especially not me," he said quietly.

Then he walked out, leaving her alone in the silence.

And as the door closed behind him, Arthur made a silent promise.

He would find whoever was behind this.

And he would make them pay.

Even if it cost him everything.

KIAH

Kiah stood in the empty house, her chest heaving.

She was alone.

Trapped.

And running out of time.

She pulled the burner phone from her pocket and stared at it.

One contact. One call.

She had no idea who was on the other end.

But she was out of options.

She dialed the number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then a voice answered. Low. Distorted.

"Kiah Taylor. I have been waiting for your call."

Her blood turned to ice.

"Who are you?"

A pause.

"Someone who knows what your brother saw. And someone who can keep you both alive."

Kiah's heart pounded. "What do you want?"

"Meet me tomorrow. Midnight. Come alone. If you bring Arthur Lucas, your brother dies."

"Where?"

The voice gave her an address.

Then the line went dead.

Kiah stood frozen, her mind racing.

She had twenty-four hours.

And a choice that would either save her brother.

Or destroy them all.

KIAH

Kiah paced the sterile living room, the burner phone burning a hole in her pocket.

Twenty-four hours.

Midnight tomorrow.

Come alone.

Arthur had told her to trust no one. To stay hidden. To wait.

But waiting meant Ethan would die.

She pulled out the phone and stared at the address the distorted voice had given her.

An abandoned warehouse on the south side of the city. The kind of place where people disappeared.

This was a trap.

She knew it was a trap.

But what choice did she have?

A sound at the door made her freeze.

Someone was entering the code.

Kiah's pulse spiked. Arthur had said she was safe here. That no one could get in.

The door opened.

A woman stepped inside. Fifties, elegant, eyes that reminded Kiah of Arthur.

"You must be Kiah." The woman's voice was smooth, Practiced. "I am Margaret Lucas. Arthur's aunt."

Kiah forced herself to breathe. "How did you get in?"

"This is my house." Margaret closed the door behind her and moved into the room like she owned it. Because she did. "Arthur uses it when he needs to hide things he does not want the world to see."

The way she said it made Kiah's skin crawl.

"What do you want?" Kiah asked.

Margaret studied her with the kind of look that stripped away pretense. "I want to understand why my nephew married a woman he has known for less than a week."

"That is between Arthur and me."

"Nothing involving Arthur is between anyone and him." Margaret sat on the couch, crossing her legs. "He is the most calculating man I have ever known. He does not make impulsive decisions. Which means you serve a purpose."

Kiah's jaw tightened. "If you have something to say, say it."

Margaret smiled, but it was cold. "Arthur is in trouble. Real trouble. The board is questioning his leadership. Investors are pulling out. And there are rumors." She paused. "Dangerous rumors."

"About what?"

"About money being moved through Lucas Holdings. Offshore accounts. Payments to people who should not be paid." Margaret's gaze sharpened. "Money laundering, Miss Taylor. If those rumors are proven true, Arthur will lose everything."

Kiah's breath caught. "You think he is laundering money?"

"I think someone is using his company to do it." Margaret leaned forward. "And I think you are connected to whoever is behind it."

"I have nothing to do with this."

"Your brother was convicted of fraud. Financial fraud. He was accused of moving money through shell companies." Margaret's tone was sharp. "Does that sound familiar?"

Kiah's mind raced. Ethan had been convicted of helping a client hide money. She had always believed he was innocent.

But what if he had not been hiding money for a client?

What if he had stumbled onto something bigger?

"What do you want from me?" Kiah asked quietly.

Margaret stood and moved to the window. "I want you to tell me what your brother knows. Because if Arthur goes down, he will take this entire family with him."

"I do not know what Ethan knows."

"Then find out." Margaret turned to face her. "Before someone else does."

ARTHUR

Arthur sat in the back of a black SUV, staring at the file Victor had sent him.

Visitor logs from the prison.

Ethan Taylor had received exactly three visitors in the last six months.

Kiah. Her father. And someone named David Chen.

Arthur did not recognize the name.

He pulled up the photo attached to the file.

A man in his thirties. Nondescript. The kind of face that blended into crowds.

"Who is David Chen?" Arthur asked Victor over the phone.

"A lawyer," Victor said. "But not Ethan's lawyer. He works for a firm that specializes in corporate law. High-profile clients. Offshore accounts."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "Why was he visiting Ethan?"

"That is what I am trying to find out." Victor paused. "But there is something else. David Chen was seen meeting with someone from your board two weeks ago."

Arthur's blood went cold. "Who?"

"I do not have a name yet. But I will."

Arthur ended the call and stared at the photo.

Someone on his board was involved.

Someone close enough to access company files. To move money. To frame him.

And they had used Ethan Taylor to do it.

Which meant Kiah was not just a target.

She was bait.

Arthur returned to the safe house three hours later.

The guards let him in without a word.

He found Kiah in the living room, staring out the window.

She did not turn when he entered.

"You met Margaret," Arthur said.

Kiah's shoulders stiffened. "She thinks I am working with whoever is trying to destroy you."

"She thinks everyone is working against me." Arthur poured himself a drink. "That is why she has survived this long."

Kiah turned to face him. "Is it true? Is someone laundering money through your company?"

Arthur met her gaze. "Yes."

The admission hung in the air like smoke.

"And you did not think to tell me?"

"I did not think it mattered."

"It matters if it is connected to Ethan." Kiah's voice was rising. "Margaret said he was convicted of financial fraud. Moving money through shell companies. What if he saw something? What if that is why he is in prison?"

Arthur set his glass down. "That is exactly why he is in prison."

Kiah stared at him, her face pale. "You knew."

"I suspected."

"And you did not tell me."

"I told you what you needed to know." Arthur's tone was flat. "Nothing more."

Kiah's hands curled into fists. "My brother is in prison because of you."

"Your brother is in prison because he saw something he should not have seen." Arthur stepped closer. "And if you want to save him, you need to stop blaming me and start thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"About who benefits." Arthur's gaze was relentless. "Who benefits from your brother being silenced? Who benefits from you being connected to me? Who benefits from both of us being destroyed?"

Kiah's breathing was uneven. "I do not know."

"Then we need to find out." Arthur pulled the photo of David Chen from his pocket and held it out. "Do you recognize this man?"

Kiah took the photo, her hands shaking.

Her face went white.

"Where did you get this?" she whispered.

"He visited Ethan in prison. Three times in the last six months." Arthur watched her carefully. "Who is he?"

Kiah stared at the photo, her eyes wide. "He is the man from the coffee shop."

KIAH

Kiah could not breathe.

The photo in her hand was the same man from the fabricated image that had been released to the press.

The man she had never met.

Except now she knew he was real.

"He visited Ethan," she said slowly. "Why would he visit Ethan?"

"That is what we are going to find out." Arthur took the photo back. "I am meeting with him tomorrow."

"I am coming with you."

"No."

"He is connected to my brother." Kiah's voice was sharp. "I have a right to know what he knows."

"You have a right to stay alive." Arthur's tone was final. "You are not coming."

Kiah wanted to scream at him. To demand answers. To force him to see her as something more than a piece on his board.

But she had already made her decision.

Tomorrow at midnight, she would go to that warehouse.

With or without Arthur's permission.

That night, Kiah waited until the house was silent.

She slipped out of bed and retrieved the burner phone from its hiding place.

She checked the time.

Eleven forty-five.

Fifteen minutes until midnight.

She had to move now.

Kiah dressed quickly. Dark clothes. Flat shoes. She grabbed a jacket and moved toward the door.

The hallway was empty.

She made it to the staircase without being seen.

But when she reached the front door, someone was waiting.

Arthur stood in the shadows, his arms crossed.

"Going somewhere?" His voice was cold.

Kiah's heart stopped. "I....."

"Do not lie to me." Arthur stepped into the light. "I know about the phone. I know about the call. And I know you were planning to leave."

Kiah's pulse raced. "How?"

"Because I know everything." Arthur moved closer, his presence overwhelming. "Did you really think I would leave you here without surveillance?"

Rage flared in Kiah's chest. "You have been watching me?"

"I have been protecting you." Arthur's jaw tightened. "Which is more than whoever called you is doing."

"They said they could save Ethan."

"They lied."

"You do not know that."

"I know," Arthur said quietly, "that if you walk out that door, you will not come back."

Kiah stared at him, her chest heaving. "Then what do you suggest I do? Wait here while my brother dies?"

"I suggest," Arthur said, his voice dropping dangerously low, "that you trust me."

"Why should I?"

Arthur closed the distance between them in two steps. He was so close she could feel the heat of his body.

"Because if you do not," he said softly, "you will never see your brother again."

Kiah's breath hitched.

Arthur reached out and took the burner phone from her hand.

He turned it over, examining it.

Then he crushed it under his heel.

"You are not going anywhere," he said. "Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not until I say so."

Kiah's hands shook with rage. "You cannot keep me here."

"Watch me."

He turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Arthur." Her voice cracked.

He stopped but did not turn around.

"Please," she whispered. "Do not let him die."

Arthur's shoulders tensed.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, without looking back, he spoke.

"I will save your brother, Kiah. But you need to do exactly as I say. No questions. No arguments. No running."

"And if I do not?"

Arthur finally turned to face her, and the look in his eyes made her blood run cold.

"Then we both die."

ARTHUR

Arthur watched Kiah retreat to her room, her face pale, her hands shaking.

She was afraid.

Good.

Fear would keep her from doing something stupid.

He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"It is me," he said when the line connected. "She tried to leave."

"I told you she would." Victor's voice was calm. "Did you stop her?"

"For now." Arthur moved to the window, staring out at the dark grounds. "But whoever contacted her is moving faster than we thought."

"Then we move faster." Victor paused. "I have a lead on David Chen. He is meeting someone tomorrow night. Eleven PM. A private club downtown."

"I will be there."

"And the girl?"

Arthur's jaw tightened. "She stays here."

"Are you sure that is wise? She is a liability, Arthur. The longer you keep her close, the more danger she is in."

"She is safer with me than anywhere else."

"Is she?" Victor's tone was sharp. "Or are you just telling yourself that because you are starting to care?"

Arthur ended the call without responding.

He stared at his reflection in the window.

Victor was wrong.

He did not care about Kiah Taylor.

She was a means to an end. A piece in a game he had been playing long before she entered his life.

But as he stood there, alone in the dark, Arthur could not shake the image of her face.

The way she had looked at him when she begged him to save her brother.

The way her voice had cracked when she said please.

He had spent years building walls. Controlling every emotion. Eliminating every weakness.

But Kiah was slipping through the cracks.

And that made her the most dangerous person in his life.

Upstairs, Kiah sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling.

Arthur had destroyed the phone.

He had cut off her only way to save Ethan.

She was trapped.

But she was not helpless.

She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket.

The address from the phone call.

She had memorized it before Arthur destroyed the phone.

Tomorrow night. Midnight.

She would find a way.

Even if it killed her.

At exactly midnight, somewhere across the city, a man sat in a dark office.

He opened a laptop and typed a single message.

"She will come. And when she does, we end this."

The response came immediately.

"And Lucas?"

The man smiled.

"He will watch her die. Then we take everything."