Liam had just closed his laptop in the tech lab when the back door clicked open a door only staff with high clearance had access to. He frowned and stood, ready to confront whoever bypassed protocol. But then a figure stepped into the fluorescent-lit room, tall, wiry, and wrapped in a dark leather jacket soaked with rain.
Felix.
Liam's breath caught. It had been years since he'd seen his foster brother. Their last conversation had ended in sharp words and even sharper silence.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Liam asked, his voice low but tense.
Felix gave a crooked smile, the kind that used to mean trouble. "Nice to see you too, Carter."
Liam locked the door behind him. "No one's called me that in a long time. How did you get in?"
Felix held up a worn access badge. "You're not the only one who knows how to spoof a reader. I figured if I went through reception, I'd be thrown out before I made it ten feet."
"You would've," Liam muttered. "Start talking."
Felix leaned against the server cabinet, glancing around the lab like he was searching for ghosts. "You're playing a dangerous game here, you know. Working inside Roth of all places. After what happened... after what you did"
"I'm aware," Liam cut in sharply. "Things have changed."
"Have they?" Felix tilted his head. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're getting cozy with the heiress of the very man you once hacked."
Liam's jaw tightened.
Felix's voice lowered. "Do you even know what you're stepping into, Liam? Dominic Roth wasn't just a billionaire. He was part of something bigger. And now that he's gone, someone else wants control of it."
Liam's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
Felix hesitated.just a flicker but Liam caught it.
"You shouldn't be here," Liam said, moving to the terminal. "If anyone sees you, it'll be"
Felix grabbed his arm, a voice suddenly serious. "I didn't come to stir up the past. I came to warn you: There are eyes on Roth Industries. And not the kind you can trace on a network log."
Liam swallowed, unease crawling up his spine. "What does that mean?"
"It means this place holds secrets worth killing for," Felix said grimly. "Your past is catching up to you and hers."
Felix turned to leave but paused at the door. "Don't trust the board. Especially not the one who smiles the most."
Liam stared after him, heart pounding. The door clicked shut behind Felix, leaving nothing but humming servers and a whirlwind of questions.
He didn't know what scared him more: that Felix had broken into Roth headquarters… or that every word he said felt true.