Emma dropped to her knees beside Isabella, hands trembling as she tried to staunch the flow of blood.
"What happened? Who did this to you?"
Isabella's breathing was shallow, her skin pale beneath the harsh light. "You need to leave. Now. He's coming."
"Who?"
"Alex," she rasped. "He knows you're here. And if you stay, you'll end up like me."
Emma's mind reeled. "Why would he—he was trying to save me!"
Isabella coughed, a wet, rattling sound. "That's what he wants you to think. But Alexander Blackwood doesn't save people. He owns them."
Before Emma could respond, the hallway outside echoed with footsteps.
Isabella's eyes widened in terror. "Run."
But it was too late.
The door burst open.
Alexander stood there, flanked by two of his security men. His suit was torn, his lip bleeding, but his eyes—his eyes were locked on Emma with pure focus.
"Emma," he said, breathless. "You're hurt?"
She stood slowly, shielding Isabella's body with her own. "She's dying, Alex. Tell me you didn't do this."
He didn't answer. Not right away.
Instead, he walked forward. His gaze dropped to Isabella, then back to Emma. "She broke into one of my secured facilities and shot two of my men."
Emma's voice rose. "She's bleeding out!"
"I've called for medical."
"Is she lying?" Emma demanded. "Did you use me to get to Dante?"
He hesitated. "I did. In the beginning."
Her heart cracked open.
"But I never expected you to matter." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And you do, Emma. More than you should."
"Then let me go," she said. "Let me choose for once."
Alexander's jaw clenched. "If you walk away, Dante will kill you. Or worse—use you."
"He already offered me a deal," she said quietly. "And I didn't take it."
His eyes darkened. "What was the deal?"
"To destroy you."
Silence.
And then he stepped closer. "Why didn't you?"
She stared at him. "Because I don't know if I'm fighting you or falling for you. And that terrifies me."
Suddenly, behind them, Isabella groaned—her eyes fluttered open, and she muttered something under her breath.
Emma bent closer. "What is it?"
"Not Alex," Isabella whispered. "Matteo... working with Dante... playing both sides."
Emma froze.
"What?"
But Isabella was unconscious again.
Alexander turned sharply. "What did she say?"
"She said Matteo's working with Dante. That he's betraying both of you."
Alexander's expression darkened. "We need to go. Now."
Before Emma could argue, a sudden explosion rocked the hallway outside. The lights flickered. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"She was right," Alexander said grimly. "This was never just about you. It's a coup."
Gunfire erupted in the distance.
Alexander grabbed Emma's hand. "This building isn't safe anymore. We need to get to the vault. I can keep you safe there."
"But what about Isabella?"
He turned to his guards. "Get her stabilized. If she dies, we lose our only leverage."
"Leverage?" Emma whispered, horrified.
But there was no time to argue.
They ran.
Through smoke, debris, and corridors lit only by emergency lights.
And somewhere behind them, the fortress of secrets Alexander Blackwood had built…
Was beginning to crumble.
---
The vault door was six inches of reinforced titanium. It hissed open as Alexander keyed in a code and pressed his palm to the reader. Emma stumbled inside, heart pounding, breath caught in her throat. The room was large, sterile, lined with digital displays and backup servers. A control hub—part bunker, part sanctuary.
"You planned for this?" she asked, watching him as he locked the door behind them.
"I plan for everything."
Her gaze hardened. "Except me."
He turned to face her fully. "You were the only variable I didn't calculate."
"Why? Because I was weak?"
"No." His voice softened. "Because you made me feel like I didn't have to be a monster to survive."
A pause stretched between them.
Emma crossed the room, trying to steady her thoughts. "Matteo… why would he turn on you?"
"Ambition. Blood. Maybe both." Alexander's eyes were far away now, stormy with thought. "My father always said a man's greatest threat is the one who shares his name."
The monitors lit up with motion—feeds from the compound's surveillance system. Fire, chaos. Matteo's men swarming the perimeter.
Then one screen flickered. A new feed. A camera placed deep within the mansion.
Emma's blood ran cold.
It showed her.
Not current—past footage. Days ago.
She was asleep. Alone in a bedroom that hadn't been hers.
The camera was hidden in the mirror.
Her hands flew to her mouth. "You were watching me?"
Alexander turned. "I had to. For your safety."
"That's a lie." Her voice broke. "You said you didn't know me. That you didn't trust me."
"I didn't. Not until I did."
She shook her head, stepping back. "I should've listened to Isabella. Or taken that plane Matteo offered me."
His voice grew urgent. "Emma, listen to me. If Matteo is working with Dante, then that plane was a trap. They never intended to let you leave alive."
"Then what do you want me to do?" she cried. "Trust you instead?"
Another explosion rattled the compound.
Alexander walked toward her, slowly. "I want you to survive. I want you to believe that what we have—however twisted it began—it's real now. I'd burn this entire empire down if it meant keeping you safe."
She blinked at him. "Then prove it."
"How?"
She stared at the locked vault door. "Let me go."
His eyes flashed with pain.
"I can't. Not yet."
She stepped closer. "Then we're back where we started. A contract. A cage."
Silence fell between them.
And then the power cut out.
All the screens went dark.
An alarm blared from outside.
"Backup generator should've kicked in," Alexander muttered. "Something's wrong."
The vault lights flickered. Faded. Then emergency red lights bathed them in a warning glow.
"Alex," Emma whispered.
From behind the vault wall—a mechanical drill began to whir.
Someone was trying to break in.
"They found us," he said.
And for the first time since she'd met him—
Alexander Blackwood looked afraid.