The Ghost Of Riverton Manor

Bella had always thought the hardest part would be finding the truth.

She was wrong.

Trusting those who were assisting her in finding it was the most difficult aspect.

---

Her hands trembled as she closed the duffle bag. Monroe had just gotten off a call with a contact in Zurich. The account was still open. The deposit box still secure.

Tomorrow morning, they would leave for Switzerland under false names. The plan was simple.

Get in. Get the files. Get out.

Mason sat at the edge of the room, watching her.

"You really trust him?" he asked, nodding toward Monroe, who was in the kitchen, checking a map.

"I don't have the luxury not to," she said.

He exhaled, frustrated. "He's not in this for justice. You know that, right?"

Bella paused. "And what are you in it for?"

Mason didn't answer.

That told her everything.

---

Later that night, Bella was alone, scrolling through one of Emily's old journals Mason had recovered. It was mostly codes and shorthand, except for one section—neatly written in soft cursive.

> "Everyone wants something from you eventually. The trick is knowing when they'll want it."

Bella stared at that line, reading it over and over.

Then Monroe's voice echoed down the hall: "Bella? Can we talk a minute?"

She went to the hallway.

Monroe looked uncomfortable. "I got a call. From Lang's people."

Her blood turned to ice.

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"They're offering immunity," he said slowly, "for you. If you hand over the key."

Bella's voice was cold. "You didn't accept it."

"Of course not," he said too quickly. "But you need to know what's coming. If Lang is offering a deal, it means he's desperate."

Or it means Monroe was lying.

Bella nodded slowly, then excused herself.

She walked straight to Mason's room and closed the door behind them.

"He got an offer."

"I told you," Mason said darkly.

"You think he'll flip?" She asked him.

Mason leaned in. "I think he already has."

---

Hours later, the house was quiet.

Too quiet.

Bella crept through the hallway barefoot, key hidden under her shirt, breath shallow. Something was wrong. She knew it. Her instincts were screaming.

When she reached Monroe's study, she hesitated.

Then she pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

No Monroe. No bag. No map. No documents.

Gone.

Her pulse slammed against her throat.

She spun back to Mason's room, only to find his bedroom window wide open.

He was gone too.

---

Bella stood in the center of the hallway, the silence pressing in on her.

They both left me.

She laughed, bitter and breathless.

One had the contacts.

The other had the cover.

But only she had the key.

And now, they were racing to Zurich to beat her to what Emily had died for.

---

The next morning, Bella was at the airport, in line with a forged passport and a new resolve.

She didn't need anyone to protect her or come to her rescue anymore.

She was going to finish what Emily started.

Even if it killed her.