Chapter 3 - The Order That Led Me Into The Dark
The elevator stopped between floors.
The lights flickered once.
Then everything went silent.
I stood there with my back against the cold metal wall, listening to the faint hum of the machinery above me.
My heart was beating fast.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I was thinking.
The message on Tanner’s phone kept replaying in my head.
Don’t let her reach Hayes.
Not "stop the intruders."
Not "protect Declan."
Not "secure the building."
Me.
They were trying to stop me from reaching Declan.
That meant one thing.
Declan was the only person left who could expose them.
And I was the only person who knew where to look.
I reached up and tapped my earpiece.
"Declan."
Static answered.
Then silence.
I hit it again.
Nothing.
The signal had been cut.
Of course it had.
Whoever planned this knew exactly what they were doing.
They had isolated me.
Separated me from help.
Made me disappear without making it look like I disappeared.
I looked at the elevator control panel.
The emergency button was still working.
I pressed it.
Nothing happened.
No alarm.
No response.
That was when I smiled.
Not because it was funny.
Because now I knew.
Someone inside the building had complete control.
The elevator wasn’t broken.
It was locked.
I reached into my jacket and pulled out the small blade I carried for emergencies.
Not a weapon.
A tool.
People always misunderstood preparation.
They thought carrying something meant expecting danger.
The truth was simpler.
Danger didn’t announce itself.
The doors suddenly moved.
I stepped back immediately.
The elevator opened.
A security guard stood outside.
Not one of mine.
One of Tanner’s.
"Ms. Brooks."
His expression was neutral.
Too neutral.
"Are you okay?"
I studied him.
A normal person would have answered.
A normal person would have been relieved.
But something felt wrong.
"Why did the elevator stop?"
He hesitated.
Only for half a second.
But I saw it.
"The system malfunctioned."
I stepped out slowly.
"Interesting."
He looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because the emergency system was disabled before the elevator stopped."
His face changed.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But enough.
I walked past him.
He didn’t try to stop me.
That worried me more.
People who had nothing to hide usually asked questions.
People who were guilty waited.
The hallway outside the elevator was empty.
The gala downstairs was still chaotic.
Security lights flashed.
Guests had already been moved away.
I walked toward the main ballroom.
I needed Declan.
Not because he was powerful.
Not because he could protect me.
Because he was the only person in the building who could make everyone else listen.
When I reached the entrance, two guards blocked my path.
"Ms. Brooks, you can’t enter."
I looked at them.
"Move."
They exchanged a glance.
That was all I needed.
They had orders.
"Whose orders?"
Neither answered.
I stepped closer.
"Whose orders?"
One of them looked away.
The other finally spoke.
"Mr. Vale."
Of course.
Tanner.
I almost laughed.
The man who had been standing beside Declan all night.
The man responsible for protecting him.
The man who had just tried to make me disappear.
I pushed past them.
This time, they didn’t stop me.
Because someone else entered the room.
Declan.
Everyone became quiet.
He stood near the center of the ballroom, surrounded by security officers.
His jacket was slightly torn from the attack.
His expression was colder than before.
But his eyes found me immediately.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he walked toward me.
"What happened?"
I looked around.
Too many people.
Too many ears.
"Tanner sent me downstairs."
Declan’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
"You followed his orders?"
"I needed to know why."
"And?"
I looked directly at him.
"Your security chief knew about the attack."
The room went completely still.
Several guards looked at Tanner.
Tanner, standing near the stage, didn’t move.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
"That’s an accusation."
Declan turned toward him.
"Tanner."
The entire room felt different.
Because everyone understood something.
Declan trusted very few people.
And Tanner was one of them.
Or he had been.
"I was handling the situation," Tanner said.
Declan’s voice was quiet.
"By taking my bodyguard to an empty garage?"
Tanner didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Declan looked back at me.
"Tell me everything."
So I did.
The garage.
Marcus.
The hidden phone.
The message.
The threat.
I watched every person in the room as I spoke.
Who looked surprised.
Who looked nervous.
Who avoided eye contact.
By the time I finished, Declan’s face had become unreadable.
That was when I knew he was angry.
Declan Hayes was not a man who showed anger.
He became quieter.
More dangerous.
"Tanner."
Everyone looked at him.
Tanner slowly stepped forward.
"You’re making a mistake."
Declan stared at him.
"I trusted you with my life."
A pause.
"And you used that trust against me."
Tanner shook his head.
"You don’t understand what’s happening."
"Then explain."
Silence.
The kind of silence that told everyone the answer before he said anything.
Tanner looked at me.
Not Declan.
Me.
"You should have stayed out of this."
My stomach tightened.
Because that sentence wasn’t a threat.
It was a warning.
Declan noticed too.
"What does that mean?"
Tanner didn’t respond.
Instead, he reached into his pocket.
Every guard in the room immediately raised their weapons.
But Tanner didn’t pull a gun.
He pulled a small envelope.
He placed it on the table.
"For when you finally realize who she really is."
My eyes narrowed.
"Who I really am?"
Tanner smiled.
Not kindly.
"You still don’t know."
Declan picked up the envelope.
The room waited.
He opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
His expression changed.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
Shock.
Real shock.
I stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Declan didn’t answer.
He turned the photo over.
On the back was a handwritten note.
I watched his fingers tighten around the paper.
Then he looked at me.
Not with suspicion.
With confusion.
And something close to fear.
"Sadie."
The way he said my name made my entire body go cold.
Because I had never heard fear in Declan Hayes’ voice before.
"What?"
He looked down at the photograph again.
Then back at me.
"Why does my father’s old security file have your name on it?"
I froze.
"My name?"
Declan slowly placed the photograph on the table.
And when I looked closer, I saw the date written in the corner.
A date from before I was born.
My breathing stopped.
Because beneath the date was another name.
A name I had spent my entire life trying to forget.
My mother’s.
Then Declan’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
The caller ID was hidden.
Everyone watched him answer.
He said nothing.
He just listened.
Then his face changed.
The color disappeared.
"That’s impossible."
A pause.
Then he looked directly at me.
"She’s alive."
I felt the entire room disappear.
Because the voice on the other end had just revealed the one secret that could destroy everything I believed about my past.
May you like
And then the caller said one more thing.
My mother wanted to see me.
