“Explain,” Zach said.
“What if they’re not the same people?” She narrowed her eyes, following that thread of thought. “The ones who went after Kate—those guys you caught—someone hired them, right? So what if this is another hired crew? Different skills, different objectives. Maybe the sabotage—from the generator to the watermaker to the golf cart—is disconnected from Kate’s kidnapping, even if it’s all being coordinated by the same higher-up.”
She paused, mind spinning faster now. This felt right.
“Maybe the stalker… isn’t a coincidence at all. He might be another operative. Or a wildcard thrown in to create a distraction. If there’s one person behind it all pulling strings, they may be using different people for different jobs.”
She shrugged. “Or the stalker is a random coincidence. I’m just not a big believer in coincidence.”
The silence that followed stretched thick across the boardroom.
Zach gave her a slow, deliberate nod. “That’s the theory I’m working under. Coordinated efforts, hired players. All signs point to someone orchestrating from far away, keeping themselves clean. Possibly giving each group a different strategy based on their… specialties. The team that took Kate specialized in abduction.”
Lena shuddered. “What happened to them? Please tell me they’re all rotting in prison.”
Zach’s eyes iced, and his voice turned flat. “No. Better. Their transport van in Miami blew up while stopped at a red light. All four men are dead. The driver was injured but will survive. The DA believes their employer wanted to make sure they wouldn’t talk.”
Lena’s neck prickled as a chill trickled down her spine.
Nick’s head dropped ever so slightly in response, his shoulders rounding. A crack in his executive armor. “You hadn’t told me.”
“I found out just before Lena’s accident. Asked for more details.” Zach’s eyes never left Nick’s. “I was planning to update you this evening.”
Something heavy passed between them, a silent weight she couldn’t decipher. Nick stood, straightening slowly. He stepped past Zach and tapped him once on the shoulder before walking out, his stride less CEO now and more brother.
Lena sat perfectly still as the door clicked shut behind him.
She didn’t know what was more terrifying—that this enemy was clever enough to kill witnesses…
Or that the people now protecting her weren’t fighting only for companies or reputations.
They were fighting for their lives. And now… so was she.
Chapter 34
Wonderland
Later that evening,Lena curled into the plush armchair that had mysteriously appeared in David’s office—if you could call the high-tech, dimly lit wonderland of glowing monitors and quiet hums an “office.” The room smelled of ozone and cedar, thanks to the diffuser on his desk that puffed a subtle mist every few minutes. It was comforting—cool, steady, and scent-matched to him in a way that made her want to close her eyes and forget everything biting at her heels.
A plush blanket—gray, cashmere, luxurious—draped over her shoulders. Her ankle rested on a cushioned ottoman, bandaged and aching with that persistent, dull burn that promised a hell of a bruise tomorrow.
Lena nursed a steaming mug of ginger tea in her hands. Spiced and slightly sweet—it coated her raw throat with warmth. She hadn’t asked for it. David had silently handed it to her, like he knew she needed something to hold on to. Figuratively and literally.
She stared into the swirling tea, watching the steam curl in delicate ribbons toward the ceiling.
“I feel like I’m unraveling,” she confessed to the tea. “I was doing so well, you know? I had a timeline. A budget. Color-coded folders.”
Her voice cracked.
“I had saved up a tiny little box of hope. I had a job. A goal. A place that seemed safe. I found this weird sense of peace in the spreadsheets and folding towels right. I let myself think maybe I was building a whole life.” Her laugh was rough and dry. “Stupid, right?”
“No. Not stupid.”
She focused on the dim lamp behind his shoulder, unable to meet his eyes as she ignored his interruption. “And now…” The words lodged in her throat. She couldn’t finish. What did she have now?
A hacked golf cart. A stalker who knew where she lived. A list of creepy, maybe clues a mile long. Her best friend left her for a traveling job. Her family had been gone for a decade. There was no one to call. No one but the almost-strangers in that boardroom and?—
Well. Him.
