The fallout hit faster than I expected.
Within hours, every news anchor in the country was shouting Vale's name. "Philanthropist turned Predator!" "Secret Network of Horror!" "The Vixen Who Exposed It All!"Yeah. They loved giving me a nickname.
Meanwhile, my burner phone wouldn't stop ringing — threats, bribes, and even desperate pleas from people who once smiled at Vale's charity galas.
Too late, suckers.You can't un-ring a bell.
But in the chaos, something else crept in.Something worse.
"We have a rat," Liam said, voice low, eyes cold. He threw a USB drive onto the kitchen table. "Intercepted this. Someone leaked our location to Vale's men."
My heart iced over.
"Who?" I asked.
He looked at me grimly. "Someone inside. Someone we trusted."
I scanned the room. Mira sat frozen, wide-eyed. She shook her head violently. "I swear it's not me! I would never—"
I believed her.Mira was too broken, too raw still. She had no motive except survival.
That left only a handful of allies we'd used for fake IDs, safehouses, and clean money.
And one name kept coming up.
Jace.
My stomach twisted.Jace — the first person who ever helped me escape Vale's clutches years ago. The one who taught me how to survive when the world wanted me dead.
Was he really selling me out now?
I clutched the edge of the table, forcing down the tidal wave of fury rising inside me.
"Set up a meet," I told Liam. "We find out if he's friend or snake."
Liam nodded. "What if he's a snake?"
I stared at the flickering candle on the table, watching the tiny flame dance wildly.
"Then we cut off the head."
That night, under the cover of darkness, I slipped out with Liam and Mira tucked away safely behind heavy locks and tripwire traps.
Jace agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse — classic. Predictable.
I showed up alone.Or at least, I looked alone.Liam had my back, hidden in the shadows, sniper locked and loaded.
Jace strolled in, hands in pockets, whistling like this was just another night in paradise.
"You look good, Vix," he said with a lazy grin. "Heard you made quite a mess on the news."
"Cut the crap, Jace," I snapped. "Did you betray me?"
He raised a brow, playing innocent. "That's a heavy accusation from a girl who used to rob armored trucks for lunch money."
"Answer me."
The grin slipped.He sighed and pulled something from his jacket — a flash drive.
"I didn't sell you out," he said. "But you've got bigger problems than Vale."
I stared at him, heart hammering.
"There's another player on the board," Jace said grimly. "Someone worse. Someone who doesn't care about exposing you—only owning you."