CHAPTER 117: WRAPPED IN THE COIL

He sighed. "She was the niece of Silas Veyne."

I stumbled back instinctively, shaking my head.

"What! No..." My heel caught the leg of a chair, and I crashed into the table behind me.

"Silas Veyne..." I gasped, placing my hands on my mouth. "You mean, the leader of the Coil?"

"Oh my God," I whispered.

Blake stepped toward me. "So now you see. It wasn’t just some senseless attack on Liam. It was a declaration. And Silas hasn’t forgotten. The Glass Circle painted a target on themselves that night. And anyone tied to them..." His gaze flicked over me like a warning. "...is already on his list."

My ears started ringing from taking the information all in at once.

Dominic’s face flashed in my mind that smirk, that easy calm that always made me feel safe. But what if that was just a mask? What if underneath... he’s something else entirely? Something I don’t want to see.

Ian, sure...I could believe anything about him. But Dominic? The one person I let in, the only one I trusted? God, if even he’s not clean... then what’s left for me?

And Liam... God, Liam didn’t seem like a bad guy either. He saved me from Ian that night, pulled me out when I thought I was done for. Someone like that couldn’t be rotten all the way through. Could he?

And the twins? I don’t even know. Yeah, they party too much, yeah, they flirt with anything that breathes....but hurting someone? Leaving them to die on a highway? That doesn’t fit.

What if... what if it does, though? What if I’ve been blind this whole time?

Blake’s jaw tightened. For a second, he almost looked like he might put a hand on my shoulder... but then he pulled back, his fingers curled into a fist instead.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"What do I even do now?" My voice cracked. "Should I....should I ask Dominic straight up? Or tell him to turn himself in at the station? I don’t even know what’s right anymore, I just..."

My voice kept shaking as badly as my hands. "Because I’m scared, Mr. Blake. More scared than I’ve ever been."

His eyes softened...just for a second. Like he wished he’d never had to say those words. But the softness vanished as quickly as it came.

He dragged his hands on his face, like the weight of it all was pressing on him too. "Kid, you think I like scaring you? I don’t. But better you’re scared now than dead later."

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with an expression I couldn’t read, like he was weighing how much to say. Finally, he spoke.

"The ball’s in your court, kid. You want to confront him? Do it. You want to stay quiet? Do that. But understand, whichever path you choose, you live with the consequences.

You can keep pretending Dominic is clean, or you can start asking questions you might not want the answers to."

My chest heaved as I clenched my fists. "But if the Coil already knows about all this... why haven’t they done anything? Why wait? Why not report it to the police, drag them all down? Seems like they’re waiting for something."

"Because there’s nothing left to report," Blake said flatly.

"What do you mean?"

Blake’s eyes flicked toward the board. "They don’t move unless it’s clean. That’s how they’ve lasted this long."

"Clean?" I asked.

He didn’t answer right away, just rubbed his jaw. "Evidence disappears, witnesses vanish. When the Coil comes for you... it’s because they know no one can stop them."

My chest squeezed. "But they’re so powerful..."

"Powerful, yes

. Untouchable, no. If they strike without proof, they risk exposing themselves."

His eyes flicked to the board. "And don’t forget who the Glass Circle are. Sons of dynasties. Old money. Politicians. The kind of men who built Estrella. Legacy that keep the city standing."

He leaned closer. "You think they won’t protect their children?"

My throat tightened. "Omg. I can’t believe this."

"You wanted the truth, right?" His voice lowered. "Here’s the truth. The coil are waiting, watching. Deciding whether to strike. And when they do... you won’t see it coming."

I swallowed hard, then forced out the question gnawing at me. "Is that why you’re at Blackwell? Because of this case? To... what... to keep watching them too?"

For the first time, his mask slipped, just slightly. His eyes hardened, and he exhaled like I’d touched a bruise.

"Mr. Blake..."

"Confidential." He cut me off. The kind of finality that told me if I pushed, I’d regret it.

He stood, then crouched down until his eyes were level with mine.

"The best thing you can do, huh?" His voice was low, which only made it scarier. "Leave Estrella. Take your family and get out while you still can."

"Leave?" The word tore out of me. I shook my head immediately. "I can’t. My mom’s still at the hospital. June, Marcus...their whole life’s here. Alia’s just a kid, she can’t start over somewhere else. And Dominic...." My throat locked. "God, Dominic... I can’t just disappear on him."

I heard how desperate I sounded, but I couldn’t stop. My chest heaved. "Do you get that? This isn’t just about me. If I run, I rip them all apart. I can’t. Besides, I’m still a suspect in Liam’s case. If I run now, it’ll look like I really pushed him off that roof."

His mouth tightened, and his face softened again. Like he remembered something.

"Kid," he said. "You think I don’t know what it costs to walk away? I do. I know it too damn well. But better they hate you safe than mourn you in the ground."

For a moment,I believed him. He wasn’t just warning me. He was remembering something.

There might not be a way out that didn’t cost me everything.

Better they hate you safe than mourn you in the ground. The words kept ringing in my ear.

Sweat prickled on my forehead. I couldn’t breathe well.

Then...

Grrrrrr.

The vibration shot through my pocket. My heart jumped.

Blake’s eyes flicked to me. "Your phone’s ringing."

My hands shook as I fumbled for it. The screen lit my face.

June.

I just stared at her name glowing bright in the dark room.

My stomach flipped. I was relieved for a second. Like if I answered, she’d somehow hear everything, see everything....the board, the strings, the name SilasVeyne etched into my brain.

I swallowed hard, my thumb kept hovering over accept.

Blake’s voice cut in. "I’d leave you to answer the call." He stood, moving toward the door. "Let me bring you water, or coffee. Anything to calm your nerves."

The floor creaked as he moved.

I kept staring at June’s name flashing on my screen, my hand was trembling so bad I almost dropped the phone.

And then the ringing stopped.