bChapter /bb293 /b

Author’s POV:

The car tires screeched to a halt on the asphalt. Ethan Haxton pushed the door open before Connor coulde around to open it for him. Something was wrong–he’d never seen Jade like this before.

She stood in the glow of the streetlight, her face twisted with an emotion he couldn’t quite ce. Her eyes were rimmed red, ser threatening to spill over, yet her body was rigid with fury. The kind of fury that made the air around her feet electric and dangerous.

“Jade?” Ethan approached cautiously, like you would a wounded animal that might either flee or attack.

Connor stepped out of the driver’s seat, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at Jade.

“What the hell happened?” Connor whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

Jade’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her breathing in short, ragged bursts.

Ethan nced around, suddenly aware of the empty space surrounding them. “Ss? Did he run?”

Chris Jensen leaned against the hood of his sleek ck Audi, his expression unreadable in the shadows. “You let him go?” There was no usation in his voice, just simple curiosity.

Ethan turned to Connor. “Get a team out looking for Murphy right now.”

Connor nodded, already pulling out his phone, but Jade’s bitterugh stopped him cold.

“Don’t bother,” she spat, her eyes fixed on the empty street ahead. “If he dies, he fucking deserves it!”

The venom in her voice made Connor slowly lower his phone, looking to Ethan for direction. Ethan had never seen Jade so unhinged, so consumed by emotion. What the hell had Ss Murphy done to her? Or more importantly, who the hell was Ss Murphy really?

Inside Jade’s vi, Chris Jensen picked up the handcuffs from the floor and tossed them onto the ss coffee table with a metallic ng.

“Rx,” he said, dropping into an armchair with casual grace. “Have a seat.”

Ethan remained standing, his eyes tracking the blood spatter on the hardwood floor where Connor was now quietly cleaning. The broken chair in the corner of the room told part of the story–a violent struggle had taken ce here.

“Is she going to be okay?” Ethan finally asked, his voice low and strained.

Chris tilted his head, considering, “Of course. She’s probably hacking into Shadow Organization’s security systems right now, systematically destroying their firewalls.”

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s what?”

“It’s what she does when she’s upset,” Chris exined with a casual shrug, as if discussing someone’s habit of stress–eating or taking long

b99 /b

drives. “Targets whoever pissed her off. This is just the beginning. Wait and see.” fn02e6 ?????? ???? Find?Novel/fn02e6

The casual way Chris spoke about it–like this was normal behavior for Jade–made Ethan wonder just how much of her life remained hidden from him. He lowered himself onto the couch opposite Chris, suddenly feeling the weight of the night pressing down on him.

“What do you know about Ss? Ethan asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Chris’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “You should wait for her to tell you herself.”

Ethan leaned back, frustrated but understanding. He’d known from the beginning that Jade came with her secrets, her walls, her past. He wouldn’t push. But seeing her like this–raw and wounded–made him want to find Ss Murphy and tear the man apart with his bare

hands.

Morning light filtered weakly through the curtains as Ethan hovered outside Jade’s bedroom door. He’d spent most of the night in her living room, unable to sleep, waiting. For what, he wasn’t entirely sure.

He turned the doorknob slowly, careful not to make noise in case she was finally sleeping. The door swung open silently on well–oiled hinges. Herptop sat open on the desk in the sitting area, screen still glowing with lines of code. She’d been up all night, just as Chris had predicted.

Ethan moved quietly toward the bedroom, pausing at the doorway. In the dim light, he could make out a small lump under the covers, a few strands of brown hair spilling onto the pillowcase. His heart ached at the sight.

As if sensing his presence, the figure under the covers suddenly threw back the nket. In the shadowy room, with her hair partially covering her face, Ethan couldn’t read her expression, but he felt her eyes on him, watching, evaluating.

He hesitated, unsure if his presence was wee. Then she shifted, moving to one side of the bed, making space beside her.

An invitation. Or perhaps a request.

Ethan approached and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. Before he could say anything, Jade moved closer, resting her head on hisp. her arm draping over his thigh. The gesture was so unexpected, so vulnerable, that for a moment he didn’t know how to respond.

Gently, he brushed the hair away from her face, revealing red–rimmed eyes and pallid skin. “Are you feeling better?‘ he asked softly, his fingers lingering at her temple.

Jade closed her eyes at his touch. “I had a friend in Shadow Organization,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “His name was Dusk.”

Ethan remained silent, knowing this was a moment of rare openness from her.

“He had twin brothers. Ss… and that fake Ss.” Her voice caught on thest words.

iSo /iithat’s /iiwhy /iishe /iilet /iihim /igo, ieven /iithough /ishe was ifurious/i, Ethan realized. iShe /istill isaw /ia connection ito /isomeone she cared iabout/i.

“The real Ss is dead,” Jade continued, her eyes still closed. “Killed by his twin brother.”

Ethan’s hand stilled in her hair. “The man who was here?”

b8:19 /bTue, Sep 30

Jade nodded slightly against his leg.

“Does Dusk know? Ethan asked, wondering if her friend was the reason shed react so strongly. Are you going to see him next?

Jade’s body tensed under his hand. “Dusk is dead.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken grief. Ethan’s mind raced with questions. Was Dusk’s death connected to Shadow? Was that the source of Jade’s vendetta against the organization?

Carefully, he took her hand in his, offering a silentfort that required no words, no exnations.

As her breathing deepened and evened out, Ethan realized she had fallen asleep. He remained still, not wanting to disturb her, serving as a silent guardian while she finally surrendered to exhaustion.