Dante and Leo exchanged glances. They could hear the anger in her voice, the determination. But there was something else—something deeper.
Pain.
Leo exhaled. "If we go after him now, we risk exposing ourselves. He's still a powerful man. If he realizes we're onto him—"
"I don't care," Jillian cut in sharply. "If he's guilty, I need to know. And if he's innocent…" She swallowed. "Then someone set him up, and I need to know who."
Dante crossed his arms. "Alright, but we do this carefully. If your father is connected to this, then Victor might know something too. And if Victor finds out what we're up to before we're ready—"
"He'll use it against me." Jillian finished his sentence, eyes dark with resolve. "Then we better move fast."
Leo nodded, shutting down his laptop. "We start with the last recorded meeting. Your father's name appears in connection with a specific location."
He turned the screen toward them, revealing an address.
A place in the countryside.
Jillian's pulse quickened. "That's not far from where my grandmother's house was attacked."
Dante smirked. "Then we might have just found our next lead."
The revelation left Jillian shaken, but she didn't have time to dwell on her emotions. If her father was involved, she needed to know the truth.
Dante, Leo, and Jillian wasted no time. They gathered supplies, ensuring they were prepared for whatever they might find. The countryside location wasn't just a random place—it was tied to something bigger, and they weren't about to walk in blind.
As they drove through the quiet, rural roads, Jillian couldn't shake the unease creeping up her spine. Her father had never been an open book, but she never imagined he could be part of something like this.
"Are we sure this place is still active?" Leo asked from the back seat, scanning through his laptop.
"It was used recently," Dante replied, gripping the steering wheel. "Victor's men might already be onto it. We need to get there first."
Jillian stared out the window, her mind racing. If her father was involved, was he just another pawn like Victor? Or was he playing a bigger game?
As they approached the location, the road turned rougher, leading them toward an old estate surrounded by tall, rusting fences. The place looked abandoned, but Jillian had learned better than to trust appearances.
Dante parked a short distance away. "We go in quietly. No unnecessary risks."
Jillian nodded, her heart pounding as they slipped through a broken section of the fence. The air was heavy with silence, the wind rustling through the trees.
Then—movement.
Leo froze, pointing toward the side of the building. A shadow slipped through a doorway, vanishing inside.
They weren't alone.
Jillian exchanged a look with Dante before pulling out her knife. "Let's find out who's home."
With that, they moved forward, disappearing into the darkness of the abandoned estate, ready for whatever—or whoever—was waiting inside.
As Jillian, Dante, and Leo stepped inside the abandoned estate, the air smelled of damp wood and dust. The faint sound of footsteps echoed down the empty hallways, making it clear—they weren't alone.
Dante signaled for silence, drawing his gun while Leo stuck close, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. Jillian tightened her grip on her knife, her pulse steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins.
A dim light flickered from one of the rooms ahead. Someone was here.
Jillian crept forward, peeking inside. The sight made her breath hitch.
A man stood near a dusty table, flipping through a thick folder of documents. He looked rough, his coat worn from years of use, his boots caked in mud. But what caught Jillian's attention most wasn't his rugged appearance—it was his face.
Recognition hit her like a punch to the gut.
It was the same man who had tried to kidnap her that night.
Her grip tightened on the knife as Dante whispered, "That's him, isn't it?"
Jillian swallowed hard, her mind racing. This was the ghost they had been hunting, the phantom who left no trails.
But why was he here? And what was in those documents?
Leo shifted slightly, causing a loose floorboard to creak.
The man froze.
His head snapped toward the doorway, his eyes narrowing. Then, without hesitation, he reached for his gun.
"Move!" Dante shouted, shoving Jillian aside as a bullet whizzed past them.
The fight had begun.
As the gunfire erupted, Leo dove behind an old wooden cabinet, pulling out his phone to remotely shut down any exits. Dante returned fire, keeping the man occupied while Jillian circled around, staying low. She wasn't letting him get away this time.
In the chaos, the folder the man had been reading scattered across the floor. Pages flew everywhere, some landing near Jillian. She quickly glanced at them while keeping one eye on their target.
Her blood ran cold.
The documents weren't just random records. They were files on Victor Holloway's operations—shipments, deals, and more importantly… names.
And right there, written in bold letters, was Camilla Robbinson.
Jillian's stomach twisted. The documents detailed transactions between Camilla and Victor, showing evidence of backdoor deals, betrayal, and an operation that had been covered up for years.
But what shocked her even more was a second name—Harlond Smith.
Her father's name.
She barely had time to process it before the man made a break for the back exit.
"Dante! Stop him!" she shouted, scrambling to grab as many documents as she could.
Dante lunged forward, tackling the man just as he reached for the door handle. They crashed to the ground, struggling for control of the gun.
Jillian tightened her grip on the papers.
She had come here searching for a ghost, but instead, she had found a truth she wasn't ready for.
Victor stood in the dimly lit alley, his sharp eyes locking onto Phantom, who was restrained between Dante and Leo. Jillian tightened her grip on the small knife in her pocket, ready for anything.
"Well, well," Victor said, stepping forward with a slow smirk. "Looks like you got to him first."
Dante's stance remained firm. "What do you want, Victor? Here to take your bounty, or do you have another game in mind?"
Victor chuckled. "That depends. I could take him off your hands… or maybe we strike a deal. Phantom has something I want. And I'm guessing he has something you want too."
Jillian's heart pounded. Victor wasn't here just to capture Phantom—he wanted information. But the real question was: would he be willing to trade, or was this just another one of his traps?
Dante exchanged a look with Leo, weighing their options. Phantom, for the first time, smirked as if he knew something they didn't.
The alley was silent except for the distant hum of the city. The next move could change everything.
What will Jillian and her team do? Should they hear Victor out or take Phantom and run?