Chapter 8 - THREE HOURS BEFORE DAWN
Kalista worked faster than anyone in the room could follow.
Three laptops surrounded her.
The transfer was layered through shell companies, trusts, and offshore accounts.
Gabriel had designed the transaction to become irreversible once completed.
“Can you stop it?” Leonardo asked.
“Yes.”
Deari noticed the hesitation.
“But?”
Kalista looked at him.
“I need access to the Castellano Foundation’s master authorization.”
Deari understood.
“That’s me.”
“Your biometric confirmation.”
Leonardo shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
Kalista frowned.
“Why?”
“Because granting master access exposes every legitimate Castellano account.”
Deari answered before Leonardo could continue.
“Do it.”
Leonardo stared.
“Deari.”
“Do it.”
Kalista looked at him.
“You understand what you’re giving me?”
“Everything.”
“That is a terrible amount of trust.”
“I know.”
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Deari placed his thumb against the scanner.
Access granted.
Kalista stopped the transfer with eleven minutes remaining.
Leonardo exhaled.
Then every screen went black.
A message appeared.
THANK YOU.
Kalista’s face drained.
“No.”
“What?”
“The transfer was bait.”
Deari understood immediately.
Gabriel had wanted them to access the master account.
Now he had Deari’s biometric authorization token.
A second transaction appeared.
This one was not money.
It was ownership.
Gabriel was attempting to seize control of Castellano Holdings itself.
Kalista fought the intrusion.
Lines of code raced across the screen.
Then her phone rang.
Gabriel.
She answered.
“You’re clever,” he said.
“You’re predictable.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Men like you always think betrayal makes them smarter than everyone they betrayed.”
His voice cooled.
“Put Deari on.”
“No.”
“Kalista.”
She froze.
Gabriel laughed.
“You sound exactly like Thomas when you’re angry.”
Deari reached for the phone.
Kalista stopped him.
“What do you want?”
“A trade.”
“For what?”
“Deari’s authorization token.”
“You already stole it.”
“Half of it.”
Kalista understood.
Gabriel needed a physical secondary key.
Deari wore it around his neck.
Gabriel continued.
“Bring it to Union Station at four.”
“And why would I?”
“Because I have someone you want.”
A muffled voice came through the phone.
Aris.
Their doctor.
Gabriel had kidnapped him.
Deari’s expression hardened.
“Don’t go,” he said after the call ended.
Kalista stared at him.
“He saved my life.”
“I know.”
“Then we save his.”
“No.”
She stood.
“You don’t get to decide which lives matter because you’re afraid of losing me.”
Deari’s jaw tightened.
“That isn’t what this is.”
“It’s exactly what this is.”
Leonardo quietly left the room.
Kalista stepped closer.
“You protected me when doing so made no sense.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
Deari finally broke.
“Because I love you.”
Silence.
Kalista stared at him.
Deari seemed almost angry that the words existed.
“I love you,” he repeated. “And I have buried enough people.”
Her eyes filled.
She touched his face.
“Then stop trying to love me like I’m something you can lock in a safe.”
Deari closed his eyes.
She kissed his forehead.
“We do this together.”
At 3:58 a.m., Kalista entered Union Station wearing a wire.
Deari and Leonardo watched from opposite platforms.
Gabriel appeared beside Aris.
He smiled.
“Give me the key.”
Kalista held it up.
“Release him.”
Gabriel pushed Aris forward.
Kalista tossed the key.
Gabriel caught it.
Then smiled.
“Thank you.”
A red laser appeared on Kalista’s chest.
Deari saw it.
“Sniper!”
He ran.
The shot cracked through the station.
Kalista fell.
Deari reached her and saw blood spreading across her coat.
For one horrifying second, history repeated itself.
Kalista bleeding.
Deari unable to stop it.
Then she opened her eyes.
“Bulletproof vest.”
Deari stared.
Kalista winced.
“Still hurts.”
Behind them, Gabriel disappeared into the tunnels.
But Kalista smiled.
“What?”
She opened her hand.
The real key rested in her palm.
The one Gabriel had taken was fake.
May you like
And hidden inside it was a tracker.
This time, they would know exactly where he ran.
