Tracy's pov (point of view)
Immediately after Zane left, I didn't waste a single second. My heart was pounding, my thoughts racing, but I shoved my feelings aside. There was no time to get emotional, not when I was standing in what felt like a secret lair.
This bookstore—his so-called safehouse—was clearly more than just a dusty haven of fiction. The walls whispered secrets, and the air felt thick with the past. If Zane really was protecting me, I needed to know why. Who exactly was he protecting me from, and what the hell did I get dragged into?
I started with the old grey bookshelf. The dust made me cough as I pulled down book after book, scanning for anything—documents, pictures, even notes—that could make sense of all this.
Nothing.
Frustrated, I knelt and checked the shelves beneath. I opened nearly every single book, my fingers trembling. I didn't know what I was looking for, but I'd know it when I saw it.
Still nothing.
My eyes landed on a large rug beneath the shelf. Something about it looked… off. Too flat. Too deliberate. Like it was covering something.
I gritted my teeth, braced myself, and shoved the heavy shelf with all my strength. Pain exploded in my ankle as I twisted it awkwardly, but I didn't stop. With one final push, the shelf groaned and slid just enough for me to yank the rug aside.
Underneath was a bundle of old newspapers, yellowed and brittle.
Why would Zane hide these?
I picked up the top one and froze.
"Regina Georgie's Body Found on Riverbank."
The article detailed a mysterious death—no CCTV footage, no suspects. The only known connection? Her father had owed money to some very dangerous people.
A gambler.
My hands began to shake.
Zane had told me my father had debts. That he'd made enemies.
The girl in the picture—Regina—she looked like she was in her twenties. Just like me. Her eyes were hollow, her smile frozen in time.
Why was this article hidden here?
Could Zane have been involved in her death?
Was I the next target?
Or… was I part of some twisted plan for revenge?
I dropped the newspaper, my breath hitching.
What if Zane wasn't protecting me… but preparing me?
I sat back on the floor, staring at the pile of newspapers, each one a piece of someone's unfinished story. Were they all connected? How many more girls had stories like mine—or worse? Had they trusted the wrong person too?
I touched the edges of the newspaper, and suddenly, it felt like my skin was crawling. As if someone had been watching me the whole time. I whipped my head around, but no one was there.
I tried to calm my racing mind.
This was too much. And I was alone.
I thought about Zane—his scar, his strange calmness, the way he seemed to carry the weight of entire secrets in his silence. He wasn't ordinary. He wasn't safe. But for some reason, being near him had felt safer than this moment now.
And that scared me more than anything.
—---------------------
Meanwhile...
"Boss, we tracked his location," Phil said over the comms.
Zane stood by the window of a high-rise suite, backlit by the city skyline.
"Any leverage for attack?"
"Unfortunately, no. But we're getting close."
"I want every piece of information on Jake's movement. He shouldn't even suspect we've tracked him down," Zane said, his tone cold and sharp.
"Yes, sir. But, sir... Jake—your brother—he's got experience. Almost as much as you."
Zane's eyes narrowed. "Experience doesn't mean invincibility. When the time comes, I want him alive. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Anything else?"
Phil hesitated. "The list…"
"What about it?" Zane asked, his voice tightening.
"We've confirmed. Every name on the list has been eliminated. All except one."
Zane's jaw clenched. "Let me guess."
"Tracy Hills."
Zane said nothing.
Phil continued, "The higher-ups believe someone from the inside is protecting her."
Zane turned away from the window, a shadow passing over his face. "Good."
"Should we proceed with the main plan?"
Zane thought for a moment.
"…No. Change of plans."
Phil paused. "But sir… you've never made changes to a plan before—"
Zane shot him a look sharp enough to kill.
Phil swallowed. "Understood. I'll make the changes."
Zane walked to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a black file.
Inside was a photo.
Tracy.
He stared at it for a long time.
"I said I'd never make this mistake again," he whispered to himself.
But his voice trembled, just slightly.
Because this time… it wasn't just a mistake.
It was personal.