The car ride was silent. The kind of silence that wasn't empty, but filled with a thousand unspoken words. Ceil's face was unreadable again, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but Velena could see the tension in his grip on the steering wheel. Whatever was on that flash drive wasn't just business. It was personal. And that meant something very dangerous—for both of them.
Velena leaned back, watching him carefully. "You're too quiet," she finally said.
Ceil didn't look at her. "I'm thinking."
She crossed her arms. "Thinking or calculating?"
That made him smirk, just a little. "Same thing."
Velena rolled her eyes. "Then think out loud for once. What the hell is on that drive?"
Ceil exhaled, fingers tapping lightly against the wheel. "We'll find out soon."
Not an answer. Not surprising. But the fact that he wasn't talking meant one thing—he already had a guess, and he didn't like it.
THE REVEAL...
Velena plugged the flash drive in, fingers moving quickly over the laptop keys. The screen flickered, then filled with files. Documents. Transactions. Bank records.
And then—a name.
Velena Nikolayevich.
Her blood ran cold.
"What the hell is this?" she whispered.
Ceil leaned over, scanning the files. His expression was calm. Too calm.
"It's a list," he murmured.
Velena scrolled down. The list was long—names, dates, locations. Some she recognized. Others were unfamiliar.
Then she saw it.
Classified Record: Velena Nikolayevich—Identity file
Her entire body went still.
Ceil's gaze flickered towards her. "I assume you weren't expecting to find yourself here."
Velena swallowed hard. "No."
She clicked the file. A document opened, but the text was encrypted—locked behind a security clearance she didn't have.
"Can you crack it?" Ceil asked.
Velena's hands felt still as she typed. "Give me a minute."
Her mind was racing. Why was she on this list? Who put her here? And why the hell was the file locked?
Ceil watched her closely but didn't say anything. Not yet.
THE FIRST BETRAYAL...
As the description ran, Ceil stood and poured himself a drink. He didn't offer one to Velena. That's when she knew—something was wrong. He was distancing himself. He only did that when he was preparing for something unpleasant.
Velena narrowed her eyes. "You already knew, didn't you?"
Ceil took a slow sip, then looked at her. "I suspected."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Velena laughed, but there was no humor in it. "So this was a test. Again."
Ceil didn't deny it.
Her hands curled into fists. "What, exactly, were you trying to find out?"
Ceil set his glass down. "If you already knew."
Her stomach twisted. "Knew what?"
The screen beeped. The decryption was complete.
Ceil turned toward the laptop. Velena's breath caught as she saw the first line.
Subject: Velena Nikolayevich
Status: Redacted
Classified level: Blackthorn Initiative
She barely processed the words before Ceil clicked another file.
A photo popped up.
It was her. But not just her. She was standing with a man. Tall. Dark hair. A face she didn't recognize.
Ceil's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes shifted.
"Who is that?" Velena whispered.
Ceil's voice was unreadable. "That's my father."
The world tilted. Velena felt like the ground had just been ripped from under her. She looked at the screen again. The photo was dated. Fifteen years ago.
Impossible.
She would have been a child.
Velena shook her head. "No, that can't be right."
Ceil's gaze stayed on her. Watching. Studying.
"Tell me the truth, Velena," he said softly. "Have you really forgotten?"
A memory flickered at the edge of her mind. A hand grabbing hers. A voice telling her to run.
But the face... the face was missing.
Velena's pulse pounded. "I don't know what this means."
Ceil exhaled slowly. "Neither do I."
And that was the problem. Because Ceil Blackthorn always knew the answers. But this time? Even he was in the dark.
And that meant they were both in trouble.