My fingers hover over my phone at one particular page for a long time, my lips parting in horror as I read it.
It’s a copy of a security briefing dated to the day Roan and Elira’s mother was killed. A shooting at a beach playground—information I already knew. But the note at the bottom makes my stomach drop.
Fabian had prior intel on the threat. He knew it was coming and was supposed to notify Afrim immediately so protective measures could be taken.
But he didn’t.
And as I read further, the reason becomes horrifyingly clear—the intended target was Afrim. Fabian didn’t stop it because hewantedit to happen. But Afrim couldn’t go with Hana to the beach that day, so Fabian’s sister died instead.Roan’s mother.
“This is so fucked up,” I murmur as I scroll to the next page.He’s so fucked up. Why would he hate Afrim so much that he’d sacrifice his own sister? What could possibly drive that level of hatred?
The next photo is of the thin, folded sheet that fell from somewhere in the ledger as I was flipping through the pages.
I frown as I read it now, my blood turning to ice.
It’s handwritten—like a note to self, or to someone close to him. Just a few sentences. No header. No sign-off, except two letters at the bottom: F.B.
He survived. I have to bide my time now before I finish what should’ve been done a decade ago.
My mouth goes dry even though the note itself looks old. It must have been written years ago, after Hana Përmeti died instead of Afrim.
I scroll again with numb fingers, a glance down at the corner showing me this is the last picture. And it’s the most recent in the ledger.
The agent will infiltrate the estate as a housemaid—with the sister ensuring her obedience, she will do the dirty work for me.
Once she gets me the information I need, Afrim will die by a bullet from her hand.
Roan will go on a rampage for revenge. I’ll kill him myself.
Then the agent dies. No loose ends.
I sit frozen on the edge of my bed, reading it again andagain, the meaning searing straight through my skull. It doesn’t take long to connect the dots.
This ledger belonged to Fabian Besharun. Probably his personal journal or record of crimes.
And he’s the one who planted me here.
Is he the one holding my sister captive? Most likely.
And he never intended for me to survive this.
Which means Kayla probably wouldn’t either.
I inhale sharply, my phone slipping out of my hand onto the bed as I surge to my feet.
Afrim must have gotten hold of this ledger somehow—how? I shake my head. No, that doesn’t matter now. The better, more urgent question is: is this information what killed him? Was the betrayal such a devastating shock that his weakened heart simply gave out on him?
Betrayal from his own family must have shattered him in a way nothing else could. Seeing the death of the wife he cherished until his last breath in a new light, realizing he was meant to be the one who died that day...
I pace frantically around my bedroom, the crushing weight of the truth suffocating me, making it hard to think clearly.
This isn’t just another case anymore. It could be my very last if I’m not careful. And I would have lived my whole life being used by people holding my sister over my head.
“Fuck that,” I whisper fiercely. I’m so fucking done being passive about this. I’m taking matters into my own hands.
I’m supposed to meet my sister’s captor tonight. But knowing what I know now, I can’t possibly go through with it. I wouldn’t last five minutes without giving myself away. Without trying to kill the bastard.
I need to play this smart if I want both Kayla and me to survive this.
