Shards of glass crunched beneath Ivy's bare feet as she clutched Leo tighter to her chest, crouched behind the upturned coffee table. Aiden's arm stayed firmly across her, his body shielding hers as he surveyed the room.
"Is he gone?" she whispered.
Aiden didn't answer.
Not yet.
He moved swiftly, scanning the broken kitchen window, his gun still in his grip, his jaw locked. The apartment was silent now—too silent. Even the distant hum of city life outside felt wrong.
He turned to Ivy. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, clutching Leo, who had gone silent from shock. His little arms were around her neck, his small chest rising too quickly.
Aiden crouched beside her. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Minutes Later – Aiden's SUV
Ivy held Leo close in the backseat as the car sped through the dark streets. Aiden drove with a tense focus, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping a hidden button on the dashboard.
Within seconds, the windows darkened to black.
Leo had fallen asleep—trauma or exhaustion, she couldn't tell. Ivy looked at Aiden's reflection in the rearview mirror.
"You knew something like this would happen," she said softly.
"I didn't expect it so soon," he muttered.
She bit her lip. "Who are they?"
"I wish I knew for sure. But whoever's after you—they're not amateurs."
"And Vincent?"
"He's not working alone. This is bigger than just a grudge."
Undisclosed Location – Aiden's Private Safehouse
The SUV pulled into an underground garage. Ivy stepped out, barefoot, her clothes rumpled and face pale. Aiden led her and Leo through a coded door into a quiet, modern safehouse. It was sterile. Empty. Too quiet.
"Why do you even have this place?" she asked.
Aiden glanced at her. "Because people like me make enemies."
She lowered Leo onto a sofa, gently placing a blanket over him. Then she turned, arms crossed.
"Tell me everything, Aiden. No more secrets."
He exhaled. "You're not going to like it."
"Try me."
Flashback – Aiden's Past
"I've dealt with Raye before," Aiden said, sitting on the edge of the table. "He worked for one of my competitors—a company called Xentek. They were trying to steal proprietary data from my tech branch."
He paused. "I exposed him. The fallout nearly bankrupted them."
"And now he's back for revenge?"
"He vanished. No trail, no charges, just disappeared. Until recently. Then the threats started again."
Her hands trembled. "You think this is about you?"
"No. I think this is about us."
His gaze lingered on Leo sleeping peacefully.
"Because if they know who Leo is…"
Ivy's eyes widened. "He can't be dragged into this."
"He already has been."
Later That Night – Safehouse Bedroom
Ivy sat on the bed, staring at the wall. Aiden leaned against the doorframe.
"You haven't asked," she said.
"Asked what?"
"Why I never told you about Leo."
Silence.
"Because I knew," he said quietly.
Her head snapped up. "What?"
"I suspected. From the moment I saw him."
Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I needed you to tell me on your own."
She looked down at her hands. "I was scared."
"Of me?"
"No. Of losing him."
Aiden moved closer. "You won't."
She met his eyes. "You can't promise that."
Morning – Safehouse Kitchen
Aiden poured two cups of coffee, sliding one toward Ivy.
"Richard's coming in an hour. We've got security watching Leo's school and Maddie's apartment."
"You think they'll go after her too?"
"They already tapped into Leo's tablet. They're not just watching. They're planning something."
Ivy set the coffee down untouched.
"I need to go back," she said suddenly.
"To your apartment?" Aiden frowned. "That's insane."
"No—to my past."
He stilled.
"There's someone I need to see. Someone who might know why Vincent Raye's connected to me."
"Who?"
She hesitated. "My father's old partner."
"You said your father died years ago."
"He did. But not everything he built died with him."
Elsewhere – Vincent's Hideout
Vincent tapped his fingers against the table as his screen flickered with surveillance feeds. The shattered window, the scrambled comms, Aiden's SUV disappearing underground…
But he still had something.
He clicked open a file marked: Project Eden.
"Let's see how long you can keep her hidden, Thorne."
Back in the Safehouse – Private Conversation
Aiden's brows furrowed. "Project Eden?"
Ivy's voice was flat. "A failed merger. My father tried to build a pharmaceutical division with Xentek. When he pulled out, people got hurt. He died a few months later… car crash."
"Orchestrated?"
She nodded once.
"I've been hiding ever since. Changed names. Cut ties. But Vincent was one of the engineers behind it. He blamed my family for everything."
Aiden swore under his breath.
"You should've told me."
"I couldn't trust anyone."
"I'm not anyone, Ivy."
She met his gaze, her voice trembling. "That's what makes this so much harder."