Z

Felix Ward appeared at Harper’s apartment at 4:16 the following morning.

He was bleeding.

That was how security found him.

Collapsed beside the private elevator.

No weapon.

No phone.

One bullet wound through the shoulder.

Harper woke to Gabriel shaking her gently.

“Harper.”

She opened her eyes.

“What?”

“Stay here.”

Instantly awake.

“No.”

His expression almost became annoyed.

Then he remembered who he was dating.

“Felix is downstairs.”

Harper sat up.

“Felix?”

“He’s injured.”

“What happened?”

“We don’t know.”

She got out of bed.

“Harper.”

“You’re wasting time.”

Ten minutes later, Felix lay inside the secure medical room beneath Gabriel’s building.

Dr. Bell worked on his shoulder.

Gabriel stood against the wall.

Marco beside him.

Harper sat across from Felix.

He looked terrible.

Pale.

Sweating.

But conscious.

“You,” Felix whispered.

Harper folded her arms.

“You broke into my home.”

“Yes.”

“Pointed a gun at me.”

“Yes.”

“Helped kidnap women.”

His eyes closed.

“Yes.”

“And now you came here.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Felix looked toward Gabriel.

“Because your boyfriend hates my father more than he hates me.”

Gabriel’s expression did not change.

“That assumption may be premature.”

Felix laughed and immediately winced.

Harper leaned forward.

“Who attacked the transport?”

“Pike’s men.”

“Arthur’s lawyer?”

“His cleaner.”

“And who took you from them?”

Felix looked at her.

“My people.”

“You have people?”

“Everyone has people.”

Gabriel’s voice was cold.

“You ran trafficking operations.”

Felix met his eyes.

“I ran what Arthur built.”

“That is not a defense.”

“I’m not defending it.”

“Then why are you here?”

Felix hesitated.

“Because Arthur is going to kill everyone connected to Elena and Diane.”

Harper’s stomach tightened.

“Emily.”

“Already targeted.”

Gabriel immediately looked at Marco.

Marco left the room.

Harper stared at Felix.

“Where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then you’re useless.”

Felix smiled weakly.

“You’ve changed.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know Mitchell described you as obedient.”

Harper’s face turned cold.

“Mitchell was wrong.”

“I noticed.”

Gabriel stepped closer.

“Where is Vale?”

Felix looked at him.

“Which one?”

Silence.

Harper frowned.

“Arthur.”

Felix smiled.

“You still think Arthur is the problem.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.

“You said he built it.”

“He did.”

“Then?”

“He’s dying.”

Nobody moved.

Felix continued.

“Pancreatic cancer. Months, maybe weeks.”

Harper stared.

“So he’s cleaning up before he dies?”

“No.”

Felix shook his head.

“He’s transferring control.”

“To you?”

Felix laughed.

“My father hates me.”

“You said you run it.”

“I run logistics. He owns loyalty.”

Gabriel’s patience thinned.

“Who is taking control?”

Felix looked toward Harper.

“Jonathan Pike.”

Dominic, standing near the door, swore.

“The lawyer?”

Felix nodded.

“He controls judges, police contacts, money.”

“And Arthur?”

“Figurehead now.”

Harper thought about the dinner.

Arthur’s confidence.

His willingness to confess partial truths.

A dying man had less to fear.

“What does Pike want?” she asked.

“To erase the old ledger.”

“We have copies.”

“He wants originals.”

“Why?”

Felix looked at Gabriel.

“Because the originals contain something Diane didn’t understand.”

Harper’s pulse quickened.

“What?”

“Account codes.”

“For what?”

Felix swallowed.

“Judges who are still active. Federal officials. Corporate executives.”

Dominic’s face changed.

“How high?”

Felix whispered, “High enough that Connor died inside federal custody.”

Silence filled the room.

Gabriel looked toward Marco returning.

“Emily?”

“Moved. Safe.”

Harper exhaled.

“Pike knows?”

“No.”

Gabriel nodded.

Felix watched them.

“You can move her forever.”

Harper turned.

“What?”

“That’s what men like Arthur do.”

His voice was tired.

“They make everyone live in reaction.”

Harper stared.

“You sound like you hate him.”

“I do.”

“Then why work for him?”

Felix laughed bitterly.

“Why did you stay with Mitchell?”

Gabriel moved instantly.

Harper held up one hand.

“No.”

Gabriel stopped.

Felix saw the reaction.

“I’m sorry.”

Harper studied him.

“You should be.”

“I was raised inside this.”

“That explains you.”

She stood.

“It doesn’t excuse you.”

Felix looked away.

Harper continued.

“If you want help, you give us everything.”

“I already gave prosecutors—”

“No.”

She stepped closer.

“No deals. No half-truths. No deciding which parts we can handle.”

Gabriel glanced at her.

The words sounded familiar.

Felix swallowed.

“What do you want?”

“Names.”

“All of them?”

“All.”

“Locations?”

“Yes.”

“Accounts?”

“Yes.”

Felix looked at Gabriel.

“And then?”

Gabriel’s voice was flat.

“You stand trial.”

Felix smiled weakly.

“That’s honest.”

Harper crossed her arms.

“Get used to it.”

For six hours, Felix talked.

Dominic recorded.

Marco verified.

The network was larger than anyone imagined.

Vale money had financed trafficking routes disguised through construction companies.

Labor brokers.

Private aviation firms.

Charities.

Some operations had already collapsed.

Others still functioned.

Felix provided safe houses.

Bank numbers.

Aliases.

And one piece of information that mattered more than all the rest.

“Pike keeps his master files offline,” Felix said.

“Where?” Gabriel asked.

Felix looked at Harper.

“Sorrento Graphics.”

The printing company.

The building bought in Elena Rossi’s name.

Harper understood.

“The first message.”

Felix nodded.

“Pike sent it.”

“Why use Gabriel’s mother?”

“To destabilize him.”

Gabriel looked unimpressed.

Felix continued.

“And to see if Diane left anything.”

Harper’s blood turned cold.

“He didn’t know about the bank box.”

“No.”

“How did Arthur know?”

Felix hesitated.

“My father lies.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Arthur probably guessed.”

Gabriel looked toward Dominic.

“He told us he knew about the tape.”

Dominic frowned.

“If Pike didn’t know—”

“Then Arthur and Pike aren’t sharing everything,” Harper finished.

Felix smiled faintly.

“Now you understand the family.”

Harper thought.

Arthur dying.

Pike taking control.

Felix betraying both.

Connor dead.

This was not one organization.

It was an empire eating itself.

That made it more dangerous.

“When will Pike go to Sorrento Graphics?” Harper asked.

Felix looked at her.

“He’s already there.”

Gabriel immediately stood.

“How do you know?”

“Because once Arthur realized I escaped, Pike would start burning anything that could connect him.”

Marco checked his weapon.

Dominic called federal agents.

Harper reached for her coat.

Gabriel looked at her.

“No.”

She stared.

He sighed.

“I had to try.”

Twenty-three minutes later, three vehicles moved toward Cicero.

Harper sat beside Gabriel.

Neither spoke.

Then his phone rang.

Unknown number.

Gabriel answered.

Jonathan Pike’s voice came through.

“Mr. Rossi.”

Gabriel’s eyes hardened.

“Pike.”

“I understand Felix survived.”

Gabriel looked at Harper.

“Yes.”

“Unfortunate.”

“What do you want?”

Pike laughed softly.

“Nothing from you.”

Gabriel’s expression changed.

“Then why call?”

“Because Harper Monroe is sitting beside you.”

Harper went cold.

Pike continued.

“And she should know her sister is not where Marco DeLuca thinks she is.”

Harper stopped breathing.

Gabriel looked toward Marco’s vehicle ahead.

Pike whispered one final sentence.

“She’s with me.”