Crowded by Fire

The fire escape groaned under their weight as Annalise and Cole climbed down into the maze of alleyways. Behind them, the parking garage lit up with sirens and shouts as Victor's men fanned out. Annalise's breath came in short gasps, her caramel skin damp with sweat, while her heart pounded with the realization that every certainty she'd clung to had crumbled in a matter of moments.

Ethan wasn't gone.

Victor was playing her.

And the hooded figure? They could be friend or foe—or both.

"We need to split up," Cole said, his voice low and urgent.

"No way," Annalise snapped. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this on your own."

Cole's expression was grim as he pulled her deeper into the alley. "This isn't a negotiation, Annalise. Victor's men will focus on me because they know I'm the muscle. You need to disappear—find out what's really going on."

"You're not expendable," she argued.

He gave her a half-smile, his gray eyes softening. "Neither are you. Get to the backup car. I'll meet you there in an hour. Trust me."

Before she could protest further, Cole turned and slipped into the shadows, his silhouette vanishing as shouts grew louder behind them. Annalise hesitated for a heartbeat, then forced herself to move, adrenaline fueling her steps.

A Stranger's Offer

Thirty minutes later, Annalise sat in the backup car, parked in a dark, empty lot outside the city. She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel, glancing at her phone every few seconds.

No call. No message.

The silence pressed in on her like a heavy blanket.

Then, without warning, a figure emerged from the shadows, their steps slow and deliberate. Annalise's hand went to the pistol in her coat, her body tense as the figure approached.

The car door opened, and Cole slid into the passenger seat. He looked rattled—his shirt was torn, and a thin line of blood trickled down his temple—but he was alive.

"Lose them?" Annalise asked, relief flooding her voice.

"Barely," Cole said, wincing as he adjusted his seat. "But I found something—or someone."

Annalise's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Cole reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone—one that wasn't his. He handed it to her, his expression serious.

"It belonged to one of Victor's men," he said. "Before he went down, he said something strange."

Annalise unlocked the phone, her fingers trembling. The screen lit up with a series of messages, each one more alarming than the last.

Unknown Number: Move Ethan to the safe house. Crane is getting too close.

Unknown Number: Victor doesn't need to know yet. Timing is critical.

Unknown Number: If she learns the truth about her father, it's all over.

Annalise's blood ran cold.

"My father?" she whispered.

The Ghost of a Lie

Annalise leaned back, her mind racing. Her father, Charles Crane, had died years ago—an apparent suicide after his company went bankrupt. That tragedy had shaped her, fueling her drive to rebuild the Crane name from the ashes.

But now…

"Victor knows something about your father," Cole said, breaking into her thoughts. "Something big. And it's tied to Ethan."

Annalise clenched her fists. "He's been manipulating me this entire time. He didn't just want Ethan gone—he wanted me distracted."

"Why?" Cole asked.

She shook her head. "Because Victor doesn't make moves without calculating every angle. If he's hiding something about my father, it's because that secret gives him power."

Her mind drifted to the hooded figure in the parking garage. They had known something, too—enough to warn her, even if cryptically.

Annalise glanced at the phone in her hand. "Who's behind these messages?"

Cole shrugged. "The number's encrypted. We'll need a hacker to trace it."

Annalise smirked faintly. "I know just the person."

An Unlikely Ally

The hacker was an old acquaintance—Mina, a tech prodigy who had worked with Annalise during her company's early days. Mina operated out of a tiny apartment cluttered with monitors, cables, and empty coffee cups.

When Annalise and Cole arrived, Mina greeted them with a suspicious look.

"This better be good," Mina said, pushing up her oversized glasses. "I'm risking a lot just letting you in here."

Annalise handed her the phone. "I need you to trace the origin of these messages. Quickly."

Mina frowned, scanning the screen. "Encrypted, huh? This isn't amateur work. Whoever sent these knows their way around firewalls."

"Can you do it?" Annalise asked.

Mina grinned. "Of course I can. But it'll cost you."

Annalise didn't flinch. "Name your price."

"An invite to your next board meeting," Mina said. "I want in on whatever you're building."

"Done," Annalise said without hesitation.

Mina set to work, her fingers flying across the keyboard as code flashed on the monitors. Cole stood by the door, watching the street through a crack in the blinds.

Minutes stretched into an hour before Mina leaned back, her face pale.

"Got it," she said. "The messages came from a private server. One that belongs to… Victor Kline."

The Truth Beneath the Truth

Annalise's chest tightened. Victor had been orchestrating everything—from Ethan's downfall to her involvement.

But why?

Mina hesitated. "There's more. I found a buried archive on the server. It's… a dossier on your father."

Annalise's heart stopped. "What kind of dossier?"

Mina turned the monitor toward her, revealing a series of documents—bank transfers, offshore accounts, and a confidential memo with Victor's signature.

"It looks like Victor was involved in your father's downfall," Mina said quietly. "The bankruptcy wasn't an accident. He sabotaged your father's company and pushed him to the brink."

Annalise felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her. Everything she thought she knew about her past, about her father's death, was a lie.

"He didn't just ruin my father," she said, her voice shaking. "He killed him."

Cole placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "What do you want to do?"

Annalise's eyes burned with fury as she stared at the screen. "I'm going to destroy him."

The Next Move

As they left Mina's apartment, Annalise's mind was already spinning with plans. She had the evidence she needed to expose Victor, but it wouldn't be easy.

"He's going to come after you the second he realizes you have this," Cole said.

"Let him," Annalise said. "I'm done running. It's time I took back control."

The hooded figure's words echoed in her mind. You're just a pawn in his game.

But not anymore.

Annalise Crane was about to flip the board.