First Rule: Don't Fall For The Enemy

CHAPTER 26

MIRA'S POV

I spent the entire night going through Jesse's financial records, following every digital trail I could find. By dawn, my eyes burned from staring at the laptop screen, but I'd uncovered something that made my blood run cold.

The five million dollars hadn't come from a government agency or even a rival corporation. It had come from Meridian Holdings, the same company that had tried to merge with Roth Corporation weeks ago and been rejected.

But that wasn't the worst part.

As I dug deeper into the shell companies and offshore accounts, a name kept appearing that made my stomach churn: David Hong. Adrian's former business partner. The man who'd betrayed him and nearly destroyed his father's company.

"Son of a bitch," I whispered, scrolling through encrypted communications between Hong and Jesse that dated back almost two years.

Phase One complete. Subject has accepted employment. Beginning surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Excellent. Remember, the goal is complete destruction. Financial ruin isn't enough.

Understood. Both targets will be eliminated.

Both targets. My father and Adrian.

My hands shook as I opened another file, this one containing newspaper clippings about my father's death. But these weren't the sanitized versions I'd seen in the official reports. These were the real stories, the ones that had been buried.

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST FOUND DEAD AFTER EXPOSING MERIDIAN HOLDINGS CORRUPTION

MARCUS WESTON DISCOVERED EVIDENCE OF MASSIVE FINANCIAL FRAUD BEFORE MYSTERIOUS DEATH

POLICE RULE DEATH ACCIDENTAL DESPITE EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY

"No," I breathed, reading through the articles with growing horror. "No, no, no."

My father hadn't been investigating Roth Corporation. He'd been investigating Meridian Holdings and their network of shell companies. He'd discovered that David Hong had been using his connection to Adrian to funnel money through Roth Corporation without Adrian's knowledge.

Adrian was innocent. He'd been set up by his former partner, just like I'd been set up by Jesse.

I called Adrian's number immediately, desperation making my fingers clumsy on the phone.

"The number you have dialed is no longer in service."

"What?" I tried again, getting the same message.

I called the office. "I'm sorry, but Roth Corporation is not accepting calls at this time due to the ongoing federal investigation."

"Margaret, this is Elise—"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot connect you to any employees at this time."

The line went dead. I stared at my phone, panic rising in my chest. Adrian had completely shut down, cut off all communication. And I couldn't blame him—after what the media had done to him, after the federal investigation that was surely tearing apart his company, he probably thought I was part of it all.

Which, in a way, I had been.

I opened another encrypted file, and my heart stopped.

Final phase to commence within 48 hours. Cleanup protocols in effect.

What about the girl?

She's served her purpose. Eliminate her along with Roth.

Understood.

The timestamp was from yesterday. Less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Oh God," I whispered, finally understanding the full scope of Jesse's plan.

He'd never been trying to bring Adrian to justice. He'd been hired to destroy both the Roth and Weston families completely. My father because he'd gotten too close to the truth. Adrian because he'd unknowingly been used as a money laundering front all these years ago. And me because I could connect the dots between them.

Jesse had played me perfectly. He'd convinced me that Adrian was responsible for my father's death, had made me fall for the lie so completely that I'd volunteered to be the weapon that would destroy the man I'd ended up loving. Even made me believe it was my idea.

And now that his plan was in motion, I was a loose end that needed to be tied up.

I grabbed my phone and tried Adrian's number again, knowing it was futile but unable to stop myself.

"Adrian, if you're listening to this, you have to know the truth. Your former partner David Hong killed my father and framed you for financial crimes. Jesse Morrison has been working for Hong all along. None of this is your fault. You're in danger. We're both in danger."

My voice cracked as I continued. "I know you hate me. I know you think everything between us was a lie. But I need you to know that falling in love with you was the most real thing that's ever happened to me. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth sooner. I'm sorry for everything."

I hung up and immediately called the FBI field office, but they couldn't confirm or deny any ongoing investigations. I tried local police, but without concrete evidence of an immediate threat, they couldn't help.

I was on my own.

I gathered all the financial documents, the communications between Jesse and Hong, everything that proved Adrian's innocence and revealed the true conspiracy. If something happened to me, at least there would be evidence.

As I was printing the last of the files, my laptop chimed with a new email. From Jesse.

Time's up, Mira. You've seen too much.

My blood turned to ice. I ran to the window and looked down at the street. A black sedan was parked across from my building, engine running. I couldn't see inside, but I knew Jesse was there, waiting.

I grabbed the printed documents and shoved them into a bag, along with backup drives containing all the digital evidence. I had to get this information to someone who could use it, had to warn Adrian somehow.

My phone rang. Jesse's number.

"Hello, Mira."

"Where are you?"

"Close. Very close." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Did you enjoy your research project?"

"I know everything, Jesse. I know about Hong, about Meridian Holdings, about what really happened to my father."

"I figured you would. You always were too smart for your own good."

"Adrian's innocent. You've destroyed an innocent man."

"Adrian Roth is collateral damage. Just like your father was. Just like you're going to be."

My hand tightened on the phone. "You killed my father."

"I facilitated his death. There's a difference."

"You bastard."

"I'm a bastard who gets paid very well for his work." His voice turned cold. "Now, I'm going to give you two choices. You can come downstairs quietly, and I'll make this quick. Or I can come up there and make it messy."

"Or I can call the FBI and turn over all the evidence I've gathered."

"With what? I disabled your landline an hour ago, and cell towers in this area are experiencing technical difficulties."

I looked at my phone. No signal.

"You planned this."

"I plan everything, Mira. That's why I'm good at what I do."

Fear clawed at my throat, but I forced my voice to stay steady. "What makes you think I'll just give up?"

"Because you're not a killer, Mira. You're an idealist who wanted to bring justice to the world. Unfortunately, sometimes justice requires sacrifices."

"Go to hell."

"After you."

The line went dead. I ran to the window again and saw the sedan's door opening. A figure in dark clothing got out, looked up at my building, and started walking toward the entrance.

Jesse was coming.

I grabbed the bag of evidence and ran for the back exit, but as I reached the door, I heard footsteps in the stairwell. He was already inside.

My apartment was on the fourth floor. No fire escape, no balcony. I was trapped.

The doorbell rang, its cheerful chime completely at odds with the terror coursing through my veins.

"Mira," Jesse called through the door, his voice conversational. "Open the door. Let's finish this like civilized people."

I pressed my back against the wall beside the door, clutching the bag of evidence. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"I know you're in there, Mira. Your cell phone might not work, but thermal imaging is a wonderful thing."

The doorbell rang again, followed by three sharp knocks.

"Last chance to do this the easy way."

I heard a soft click, then the sound of metal on metal. He was picking the lock.

"I should mention," Jesse called out, his voice muffled but clear, "I brought some insurance. Just in case you decided to be difficult."

The lock clicked open, and the door swung inward. Jesse stepped into my apartment, and my blood turned to ice when I saw what was in his hand.

A gun.