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Because of her.

Say my name.

I blinked, and it all vanished. The urgency to leave engulfed my body, but trembling fingers reached the next pile. It wasn’t about me anymore, but Lorenzo’s background, too.

Sonia had done her homework on us. But why? How was she able to access all of this if Lace had erased it?

I read through Lorenzo’s, all detailing similar information to mine. But while mine dived into incidents I hadn’t remembered, his had his old posts, all ranging from the beginning of his career to now. Even his visitations to his mother’s grave.

Then, it hit me.

The assailant’s movements and build were similar to Lorenzo’s, but he’d never used knives before. Any weapons, for that matter. Before his arrival, he’d been stationed in Canada. If he’d been the assailant on that day of the scheme, then there would have been a report about him missing his shift. A report that would have been on this file.

The shame of doubting my cousin crushed my chest. Then who had done it?

I pressed the receiver, but an ear-splitting static blared. I instinctively removed it, and in a flash, a familiar ringing took over. A distant creak echoed behind me, but everything blurred.

A familiar pinching throb shot through the side of my neck. Fuck. Not this crap again.

I lost all my senses as everything turned black.

* * *

Muffled voices trailed in the distance, my eyelids growing heavier the more I tried to open them. Deep in the unconscious, I felt my fingers moving across a smooth surface. My neck as an ache blossomed and hairs stood. My senses as they tried to recover from their hazy state.

Katerina.

An itch spread across my skin as the numbing sensation crumbled. Fuck, my head was throbbing.

Wake up.

Two shadows motioned as I slowly looked past the haze, their appearance a mass of darkness I couldn’t make out.

Wake up.

Tires screeched with a sudden stop, a voice vanishing along a traveling gulf of air. Then, the swift motion picked up.

Now.

“Katerina!”

I inhaled a sharp breath, and my body jolted awake, an immediate sense of defense taking over. I flung forward, a seat blocking my body, but my arms rapidly wrapped around someone. I glanced at the rear-view mirror, meeting eyes that resembledhers.They were dark in color, but the slit was too distinct to not notice. And then I noticed who they belonged to.

“What the fuck?” My throat was so dry, the words rasped against the grogginess.

Sonia placed the sunglasses back on, her arm aiming my way before I dodged it. She kept a steady pace as she drove down a bright path that caused my eyes to widen with tears, dangling lights webbing across the branches.

“The sedative is still in your system. If you lash out like that, it’ll exhaust all the energy your body is trying to recuperate.” Her voice wasn’t monotone like the times we’ve spoken, but silvery.

“What did you do to me?”

“It wasn’t me who did it.” I tried forming words, but my tongue fell flat while my body continued to wake up. “Ms. Eli, I understand you’re disoriented right now, but there’s an important matter at hand. The boys are in trouble.”

“What?”

“I warned Alek, but he didn’t listen. You must go inside and retrieve all of them before it’s too late!”

“Why should I help you if you tried killing me?” My throat throbbed as the burning sensation rasped against my throat. “How do I know you’re not lying?”