Chapter – The Blood That Remains

Lucien’s words echoed in my chest long after he’d said them.

Wallace had a daughter.

Alive. Real. Out there. And she wanted to meet me.

I sat on the edge of the bed in the coastal house, still in my pajamas, gripping the edge of the blanket like it could hold me together.

“She reached out through someone on the inside,” Lucien explained, pacing near the window, shirt rumpled, hair a mess of restless fingers. “Didn’t give a name—just an encrypted message. Said she’s ready to talk, but only to you.”

“Why me?” I whispered.

“Because she knows who took her father down.”

My...