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ELIJAH

“Elijah!” My mum rushes towards me and almost jumps into my arms, her face filled with worry.

“Je vais bien,”? 1 I whisper in her hair.

“Qu’est-ce qu’il s’est passé?”? 2

I raise an eyebrow, my eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and confusion as I study her face. She rarely speaks French with me. Not when he’s here.

“On était à Jolie et un feu a commencé. On a aucune idée de ce qu’il s’est passé.” ? 3 I keep glancing at her. “Qu’est-ce qu’il se passe? Pourquoi tu parles Fran?ais d’un seul coup?”? 4

Stephen’s disapproving glance speaks volumes as he shakes his head at me.

Fucker.

“J’ai mes raisons.”? 5 That’s all she says.

“Stephen. Would you want some pie?” Kai comes up from behind, carrying a plate of steaming pie and a bowl of custard. He discreetly shakes his head in my direction, then passes the plate to Stephen. “I’m sorry, Viv. I completely overlooked your allergies when I made the pie and unintentionally included some of those ingredients in it.”

What is he up to? My mum doesn’t have any allergies.

My eyes flicker towards the camera surveillance in the corner of the room, and a satisfied smirk creeps across my face.

Of course, she’s responsible for whatever is inside the pie.

That’s my girl.

“You’re fine, hun,” my mum says. “I’m just worried about Archer and how you boys are doing.”

I motion for them to join us in the lounge, where Theo is already waiting. As soon as Stephen arrives, he wastes no time and begins eagerly devouring his food.

“This pie is delicious.”

I bet it is.

I feel a buzz in my hand, and without delay, I turn my attention to my phone.

Blakely

NCA is outside. Waiting for your green light.

Good.

“So, Stephen…” I start. “I made some interesting discoveries.”

“You did?”

“I did.” My mum looks at me with curiosity, her demeanour composed and serene. “Does the name Lily Adams ring a bell to you?”

His body tenses for a minute, but he quickly regains his composure.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t.”

“Hm. Okay. So maybe Faith Adams rings a bell to you?”

“Still nothing.”

Theo stands up and walks over to the bookshelf, where he retrieves the file I had dropped earlier and hands it to me.

“That’s strange.” I shake the file. “Based on the evidence I have, it appears that Faith Adams was your deceased wife, whom you murdered and tried to conceal.”

“Are you accusing me of murder,” he retorts, his voice filled with disbelief, “when you’re the one responsible for your own father’s death?”

“I never hid it, and I did my time in prison for that. But you... you are responsible for the death of your wife, and somehow, you have managed to avoid serving your sentence.”

He looks at my mum, his eyes pleading.

“I haven’t. He’s lying. He’s never liked me.”

A devious laugh escapes me.

“Kai?”

With a sly smile, Kai retrieves the USB I snatched from Stephen’s office and raises it in front of his face.

“Do you recognise that?”

“You son of a bitch. I knew you took something from my office.”

“At least you acknowledged the truth.” I lean closer to him and bend down to whisper in his ears. “Weapons—Shadows—Killers. That’s who we are, and you’ll never escape it.” I stand back straight. “ Now, now. I think you sent someone to kill us… and you sent us to kill your own daughter. That’s not a very smart move on your part.”

Stephen is red with anger as he stands up.

“I don’t have a daughter. The bitch cheated on me!” he shouts.

“She never cheated on you.” My mum’s words surprise us. “She was already pregnant when she met you, and you knew that because Faith had confided in you. That’s why you decided to marry her.”

How the fuck does she know that?

“How?” He walks closer to her, his arm wrapping around her neck tightly, as he retrieves his gun and aims it directly at her head. “How the fuck do you know that?”

Kai and I are on edge, the tension palpable as he tightens his grip on the gun against her head.

She lets out a devious laugh. “Please. Do you think I don’t know who I married? I know exactly who you are and what you’ve done. I am also aware of your personal involvement, as well as your district’s involvement, in cases of rape and trafficking.”

What the hell is happening? Why is she calm, and how does she know that?

“I also know that your department has already been arrested. It’s the end, Stephen.”

“Impossible. If I’m going down, your son and his friends are going down with me!” he yells.

“You mean, with the proof you have on us? Yeah, that’s gone. We successfully breached your services and completely wiped out any incriminating evidence you had on us.”

“IMPOSSIBLE! NOBODY CAN brEACH IT!”

“Honey, can you turn on the TV for me?” My mum nods, but I can’t tear my gaze away from the gun that’s pressed firmly against her temple. “It’s okay.”

Reluctantly, I move away and turn on the TV news.

Multiple scenes play out on the TV, revealing a flurry of activity as agents encircle houses and take police officers into custody.

“This is undoubtedly the largest arrest in the history of the U.K., as an entire police department has been taken into custody for charges of rape and abduction. The evidence presented on TV news will leave no room for doubt regarding their actions, resulting in a significant amount of time behind bars.”

“You killed your wife. You tried to murder your daughter, attempted to rape her, and then stabbed her, leaving her for dead,” I spit out.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Stephen shouts.

“You killed my best friend,” my mum breathes. “If you’re still alive, it’s because I respected Iris’ wishes.”

“You fucking bitch! You played me.”

“Drop your gun, Dad .” We all turn to face the entrance of the lounge. Iris appears as if she is ready for war, her bare face making the vividness of her eyes even more pronounced as she nonchalantly continues, “Miss Rose can end your life right now.”

Miss Rose?

1 ? I’m fine

2 ? What happened?

3 ? We were at Jolie’s and a fire started. We have no idea what happened.

4 ? What’s happening? Why are you suddenly speaking French out of nowhere?

5 ? I have my reason.