"I'm sorry for the delay. The doctor was called to an emergency, but he'll be with you shortly if you'd like to wait."
"I need to leave," I say. "My brother will stay. He can speak with the doctor."
She nods and steps aside.
William's security team falls into step behind me as I reach the ICU entrance.
We ride the elevator down in silence. Walk through the lobby. Push through the main doors into the late afternoon air.
A black SUV waits at the curb, engine running. One of the guards opens the door for me.
I slide into the back seat. The door closes. The vehicle pulls away from the hospital.
I watch the building shrink in the side mirror. Father is back there, unconscious but healing.
For now.
I'm going to walk back into the Murphy estate and tell William everything. About Viktor Tarasov. About the mole.
And I'm going to hope that the man who looked at me with hunger and fear and something close to vulnerability will listen.
That he'll choose alliance over suspicion.
That together, we might actually survive this.
The SUV turns onto the road leading to the Murphy estate. Trees line the drive, their branches creating shadows that flicker across the windshield. Beautiful and peaceful. Deceptive.
Just like everything else in this world.
I straighten my jacket. Check my reflection in the window. I look composed. Controlled. Like a woman who knows exactly what she's doing.
I hope it's convincing.
Because inside, I'm terrified.
Terrified of Viktor Tarasov and his plans. Terrified of the mole hiding among us. Terrified of what happens if I'm wrong about William.
But more terrified of what happens if I do nothing.
The gates to the Murphy estate come into view, iron and imposing.
The SUV slows. The gates open.
We drive through.
I'm going back into the lion's den. Back to William Murphy and his fractured family and his demons.
But this time, I'm not going empty-handed.
This time, I have information. Power. A choice to make.
And I'm choosing alliance.
Even if it costs me everything.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
William
