Chapter 9: Enemies in the Mirror
The air inside the penthouse was thick with urgency.
Killian loaded the encrypted files onto two separate hard drives. "We need to split these up. One stays with me. The other goes to someone I trust."
Elara folded her arms. "And what about me?"
"You stay close. From now on, we don't take separate steps."
She hated the way that sounded. Like she was a liability. But she knew he was right.
An hour later, they stepped into a black SUV. Elara's eyes scanned the streets through tinted windows, her heart hammering. Every pedestrian felt like a threat. Every car that turned behind them—suspicious.
They pulled up to a quiet townhouse in the Upper East Side.
"Who lives here?" Elara asked.
Killian cut the engine. "My older brother. Declan."
The name stunned her. "You never mentioned him."
"I don't trust easily. But he's ex-military, and the only one in my family who didn't sell his soul."
They stepped inside to find Declan—tall, broad-shouldered, with steel in his gaze and a guarded smirk.
"So this is the girl," Declan said, glancing at Elara.
"She's not just the girl," Killian replied sharply.
Declan raised his hands. "Relax. I've got your back."
Elara noticed the way the brothers interacted—tense but loyal. And for the first time, she wondered just how many enemies Killian had made while protecting her.
As they explained the situation, Declan nodded slowly. "If Thorne's watching you, he's probably not working alone."
Elara's stomach dropped. "You think someone else is involved?"
Declan looked at Killian. "You ever wonder how he found out the file was accessed within minutes?"
Killian's expression darkened. "Someone inside."
Someone close.
Elara whispered, "You think there's a mole?"
The room fell silent.
Killian nodded. "And whoever it
is… they've been watching us this whole time."