And she knew deep in her bones that this wasn’t just about what she hadn’t known.It was about what shealmostuncovered and never did.
“I wasn’t the only one Donald and Pam deceived,” she said.“They fooled the police, social workers, and parents.They fooledyou, too.”
She didn’t soften it.Truth only mattered if it landed.
The words hit.She saw it in the tightening of his jaw, the way his grip on the gun shifted.It wasn’t steadier or controlled, but sloppier.
Good.Cracks were openings.And yes, that was Kayne’s voice in her head saying that.
Aiden launched into another rant, voice rising and falling, bouncing between fury and justification.Maybe he thought that if he said it enough times, it might make it righteous.Chloe listened with half her mind while the other half calculated contingencies, as Kayne had taught her.She noticed the gun, his stance, and the way he favored one foot when he turned.
How close would she have to get to make it count?Most importantly, could she do it?
She was strong and trained, but he was armed, keyed up, and wholly unpredictable.One wrong move and there would be no second chance, no do-over, no heroic recovery.
Her gaze flicked to the doorway.
“Danica,” she said, cutting clean through his tirade.“I want to see my sister.”
Aiden stopped short.“No.”
“You said we’d discuss her,” Chloe pressed, forcing her voice steady even as her pulse thundered.“If this is about me understanding what you went through, then you don’t get to keep using her as leverage.”
His eyes darkened.“She doesn’t matter.”
“She matters tome,” Chloe shot back.“And if you’re going to keep talking about fairness, then prove it.Let me see her.”
She held his gaze, daring him to contradict his own twisted rules.
Silence stretched between them, taut as a wire.
Finally, he exhaled hard and scrubbed a hand through his hair, agitation bleeding through every line of his body.“Fine,” he said sharply.“But you don’t touch her.You don’t talk to her unless I say so.”
Relief nearly buckled her knees, but she held herself upright and nodded.“Okay.”
He motioned with the gun, and they descended the stairs and moved down the narrow hall.Chloe’s senses were screaming as they approached the closed door at the end.Her heart pounded so hard she was sure he could hear it.Please be alive.Please be okay.
Aiden reached for the handle.
BOOM.
The sound detonated through the space, deep and violent, shaking the walls and floors beneath their feet.Dust rained from the ceiling, and the lights flickered.
Aiden staggered, shock and disbelief flashing across his face as the world literally fractured around them.
Somewhere beyond the concrete and chaos, she felt it in her bones.Kayne was coming.
