POV: Amber Hayes
I woke up to the steady beep of hospital monitors and pain radiating through my entire chest.
"Don't move." Dante's voice, close by. "You've got three cracked ribs and severe bruising. The vest stopped the bullet, but you're going to hurt like hell for a few weeks."
I forced my eyes open. Hospital room. White walls, fluorescent lights, that antiseptic smell. And Dante sitting in a chair beside my bed, looking exhausted but alive.
"Lily?" I croaked. My throat felt like sandpaper.
"Safe. Unharmed. She's down the hall under guard, demanding to see you every five minutes." Relief flooded his expression. "You saved her life, Amber. If you hadn't jumped in front of that bullet—"
"Where's Brandon?" The question came out venomous.
"Custody. Along with eight of his associates. Martinez got it all on body cam—attempted murder of a federal witness, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon. He's not walking away from this." Dante leaned forward. "But we have a bigger problem."
Of course we did. "What?"
"Brandon's talking. Offering a deal. He'll give up names, evidence, the entire trafficking operation—in exchange for immunity."
Rage gave me strength. I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it as pain exploded through my ribs. "He kidnapped my sister! He shot me! He murdered Marcus Chen and God knows how many others!"
"I know. And I'm not taking his deal." Dante's eyes were cold. "But the FBI is interested. They want the bigger fish—the politicians, the police chiefs, the judges who've been covering for the operation. Brandon's offering to give them everything."
"Let me guess—Elena Voss is at the top of that list?"
"Among others. Apparently she's not just a fixer. She's the architect of the entire network." Dante handed me his tablet, showing surveillance photos. "Brandon's been recording conversations with her for months. Insurance policy in case she turned on him. Now he's using it to buy his freedom."
I stared at the photos—Elena meeting with men in expensive suits, exchanging briefcases, shaking hands. People I recognized from the news. A senator. A police commissioner. A federal judge.
"This goes all the way to the top," I whispered.
"Further. The quantum communication technology? It's not just in your apartment building. They've installed it in government buildings, police stations, courthouses. They've been eavesdropping on secure conversations for months, using the intel to stay ahead of investigations." Dante's expression was grim. "Your apartment was just a test site. You were the prototype."
The pieces clicked together with horrifying clarity. "That's why they couldn't figure out how I was hearing them. They were testing if the technology worked in reverse—if someone could accidentally receive their broadcasts. And I could."
"Because of your mother." Dante pulled up another file. "I did some digging. Your mother didn't die in mining accidents. She was a test subject for the original quantum experiments twenty years ago. Brandon's father ran the program. Your mother's brain frequency matched the exact wavelength needed for the technology to work. When she realized what they were doing, she tried to expose them."
My blood ran cold. "They killed her."
"Made it look like an accident. But before she died, she recorded everything she heard through the quantum network and encrypted it. Then she hid the files in the only place she knew would stay safe." He gestured to my neck. "The locket you've worn since childhood."
I touched the silver locket automatically. I'd worn it every day for twenty years, never knowing what it contained. "My mother's been dead for two decades and she's still fighting them."
"And she gave you the weapon to finish what she started." Dante's voice softened. "The locket contains recordings of hundreds of crimes—murders, trafficking deals, conspiracy at the highest levels. All encrypted with quantum technology that only someone with your exact brain frequency can access. That's why they've been so desperate to stop you. You're not just a witness. You're a walking evidence vault."
"How do I access it?"
"We're working on that. But Amber—once we decrypt those files and go public, everyone implicated will want you dead. We're talking about senators, judges, billionaires. The most powerful people in the country."
"Good." I met his eyes. "Let them come. I'm done being scared."
The door burst open and Lily rushed in, hospital gown flapping, IV pole rolling behind her. She was crying and laughing at the same time.
"You idiot!" She grabbed my hand carefully, avoiding the IV. "You jumped in front of a bullet! You could have died!"
"But I didn't. And you're safe. That's all that matters."
"You're such a superhero." Lily was definitely crying now. "I knew you'd save me. I knew it."
Looking at my sister—alive, safe, whole—made every broken rib worth it.
A nurse appeared in the doorway. "Ms. Hayes, you have visitors. They say it's urgent."
Two federal agents walked in, badges displayed. The woman spoke first.
"Ms. Hayes, I'm Agent Rivera, FBI. We need to talk about Brandon Ashford's cooperation agreement."
"No deal," I said immediately. "He kidnapped a minor, attempted murder, and ran a trafficking ring. He doesn't get to walk away."
"It's not that simple. The people he's offering to expose are—"
"I don't care who they are." I struggled to sit up straighter, ignoring the pain. "You want evidence? I have evidence. My mother recorded twenty years of crimes committed by these same people. It's all in this locket. Give me a few days to decrypt it, and I'll give you everything you need to put them all away—without giving Brandon Ashford immunity."
The agents looked at each other, then at Dante.
"Is this true?" Rivera asked.
"I've seen preliminary data. If it's all legitimate, you won't need Brandon's testimony." Dante's expression was carefully neutral. "You'll have something better—unimpeachable evidence from beyond the grave."
Rivera considered this. "How long to decrypt?"
"Seventy-two hours," Dante said. "Maybe less."
"Brandon's deal is on hold for one week while his lawyers negotiate terms. If you can deliver evidence before then, we'll consider rejecting his offer." Rivera handed Dante a card. "But if you can't, he walks. Those are the terms."
They left. Lily squeezed my hand.
"You can do it, right? Decrypt Mom's files?"
"I'll figure it out." I looked at Dante. "Where do we start?"
"With someone who understands quantum technology better than anyone." He pulled out his phone. "There's a researcher who helped develop the original prototype—before Brandon's father stole it and weaponized it. She's been trying to expose the program for years but had no proof."
"Will she help us?"
"She already agreed. She arrives tomorrow." Dante checked his watch. "You need rest. Doctor says you're staying here at least three days for observation."
"Three days? We only have a week to—"
"Which is why you need to heal fast." He stood up. "I'm posting guards outside both your rooms. Elena Voss is still out there, and she knows you have the evidence she's spent twenty years trying to destroy."
As if summoned by her name, my phone buzzed. Unknown number. Against my better judgment, I checked it.
A photo. Of me in the hospital bed. Taken from outside my window. Taken minutes ago.
Below it, a message:
UNKNOWN: Sweet reunion. Enjoy it while it lasts. You have something that belongs to us. The locket. Hand it over in 48 hours or everyone you love dies. Starting with the little sister you just saved. —E.V.
I showed Dante. His expression went dark.
"She's watching us right now."
"Let her watch." I closed my hand around the locket. "I'm not giving this up. This is my mother's legacy. Her proof. Her justice."
"Then we prepare for war." Dante moved to the window and closed the blinds. "Because Elena Voss doesn't make empty threats. If we don't give her the locket, she'll come for it."
"How do we stop someone who owns judges and senators and police commissioners?"
"We expose them all at once. Public, loud, undeniable." Dante's smile was sharp. "We burn their entire empire to the ground and make sure everyone's watching when it falls."
A knock at the door. A different nurse this time, carrying flowers.
"Delivery for Amber Hayes," she said pleasantly.
Something about her felt wrong. The way she moved. The way her eyes scanned the room too carefully.
Dante must have felt it too. "Who are the flowers from?"
"Card says they're from a well-wisher." She set them on the table and turned to leave.
"Wait." Dante's hand moved to his concealed weapon. "Show me your hospital ID."
The nurse smiled. Then she moved.
She was fast—inhumanly fast. Her hand went to her pocket, pulling out a syringe filled with something that definitely wasn't medicine. She lunged at me, needle aimed at my IV port.
Dante intercepted her, grabbing her wrist. They fought in brutal silence—no theatrical moves, just efficient violence. The syringe flew across the room and shattered.
Lily screamed. I tried to get up to help but couldn't move without agony shooting through my chest.
The fake nurse broke free from Dante, pulled a gun, and aimed it at Lily.
"Nobody moves or the girl dies."
We froze.
"Smart." She backed toward the door, gun still trained on Lily. "Elena sends her regards. You have 48 hours. The locket for your lives. Choose wisely."
Then she was gone, disappearing into the hospital hallway before Dante could follow.
He immediately hit the emergency call button. "Security breach, fourth floor! Armed suspect fleeing west corridor!"
Hospital security flooded the halls, but I knew they wouldn't find her. People like her didn't get caught by normal security.
Dante turned to me, his expression grave. "We're out of time. We need to decrypt that locket now, or Elena will keep sending killers until one succeeds."
"Then let's decrypt it." I looked at Lily, still shaking but trying to be brave. "I'm done running. I'm done being hunted. Mom left me this evidence for a reason. Time to use it."
Dante nodded. "I'll call the researcher. Tell her we need her tonight, not tomorrow."
He stepped into the hallway to make the call. Lily climbed carefully onto my hospital bed, curling up next to me like she used to when she was little.
"I'm scared," she admitted quietly.
"Me too, bug. Me too."
"But you're still fighting?"
"Always. That's what Hayes women do. We fight until we win."
Lily smiled through her tears. "Mom would be proud of you."
The words hit harder than the bullet had. Mom. Who'd died fighting these same monsters. Who'd left me a weapon I was only now learning to use.
I touched the locket. Somewhere in this tiny piece of silver was enough evidence to destroy an empire.
My phone buzzed again. Another message.
But this one wasn't from Elena.
BRANDON: Enjoy your victory? You think you've won? I'm walking free in a week while you're a dead woman. Elena's going to kill you, Dante can't protect you, and I'll be there to watch you die knowing you could have been mine. Could have been safe. Could have survived. But you chose wrong. You always choose wrong. That's why everyone you love ends up hurt. Sweet dreams, darling. What's left of them.
I stared at the message, rage burning away fear.
"Amber?" Lily asked. "What is it?"
"Just Brandon being Brandon." I deleted the message. "He's wrong though. I didn't choose wrong. I chose to fight. And this time, I'm going to win."
Dante came back in. "Dr. Sarah Chen is on her way. She'll be here in two hours. She says if your brain frequency matches your mother's, she can unlock the files tonight."
"Good. Let's end this."
But as I said it, the hospital lights flickered. Once. Twice.
Then went completely dark.
Emergency lighting kicked in, bathing everything in eerie red.
And in that moment, standing in the doorway backlit by red emergency lights, was a figure I recognized from surveillance photos.
Elena Voss.
She held a gun casually at her side, and her smile was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen.
"Hello, Amber," she said pleasantly. "I got tired of waiting. Let's discuss that locket. Right now."