Chapter 26: Leverage and Lies

Rain's POV

Therese had called it a night, and she and Ikaris left us alone at the bar. The noise of the other patrons faded into the background, leaving just me, Khai, and the weight of the truth I was about to unload.

Khai leaned against the counter, swirling the last remnants of her whiskey in her glass. "You've been quiet," she noted, her voice softer now that it was just us. "Something's on your mind."

I exhaled sharply, my fingers gripping the edge of my own drink. "I need to tell you something," I started, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Khai straightened, sensing the shift in my tone.

Then, I told her everything.

I told her what Frederick had revealed to me—the truth that had been buried for so long. The day of my accident, the day I lost my parents and my memories, wasn't just an accident. It was orchestrated. My father, Theodore Chadwick, wasn't just some businessman caught in the Stanton family's web—he was the executioner of every dark deal Lucious Stanton ever made. Back when my father was still Lucious's right-hand man, he carried out orders without question, eliminating threats, silencing enemies.

I saw Khai's jaw tighten, her grip on the glass turning white-knuckled.

Then I told her about the breach of the Stanton Corporation, how it wasn't just corporate sabotage but something bigger—a calculated move that tied back to Lucious himself. And then the worst of it: Lucious Stanton had ordered the assassination of John Whitmore.

Frederick's father.

Khai's biological grandfather.

Khai's breath hitched, but she didn't speak. She just stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

And so I did.

I told her about Letty Harrington's revenge plan, how it wasn't just about her granddaughter, Lia, or even about avenging her ruined legacy. It was personal. Lucious double-crossed John Whitmore, but not just him—Mario Harrington too.

And then, there was Lucan.

Khai's father. My breath was shaky when I told her. "Lucan was the reason Letty's only son took his own life."

Barbara and Lucan had betrayed him. Used him. Broke him. Until he saw no other way out.

I could feel the fury rolling off of Khai in waves. The muscles in her jaw clenched, her fingers flexing as if resisting the urge to break something. She took a long, slow breath, trying to ground herself.

And then, finally, I told her the last, most important piece of it all.

"I have it, Khai," I whispered, barely able to hear my own voice over the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears.

She turned to me sharply. "Have what?"

I swallowed hard, my next words feeling like they weighed a ton.

"The black book."

Khai's eyes widened.

"The one that holds every name, every deal, every crime Lucious ever committed. The proof that can finally end him." I met her gaze. "For good."

The silence between us was suffocating. Then Khai slowly leaned back, exhaling a long breath before letting out a humorless chuckle.

"Rain..." She ran a hand down her face. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

I nodded. "It means we have a way out. A way to destroy him."

Khai was still, processing. Then, as if something clicked, her eyes darkened with something lethal.

"If we do this," she murmured, voice low and dangerous, "there's no turning back."

I knew that.

So I met Khai's gaze, unwavering.

"I know."

For the first time in a long time, Khai Stanton smiled.

But it wasn't amusement.

It was war.

Khai's eyes remained locked onto mine, unreadable, yet heavy with unspoken thoughts. Then, after a beat of silence, she asked, "Who else knows about this? Aside from you and me?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering. "Therese," I admitted. "But I told her to keep her mouth shut until this is over."

Khai exhaled sharply, her jaw tightening as she ran a hand through her hair. "Shit, Rain," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her temple as if piecing together a puzzle that was far bigger than either of us.

Then she looked at me again, her tone more urgent this time.

"The Black Book. Where is it?"

I swallowed, glancing around to make sure no one was listening before leaning in slightly. "It's in Waddle's hidden pocket."

Khai blinked. "Waddle?"

"My stuffed penguin," I clarified.

For a second, she just stared at me, and if the situation weren't so serious, I would've laughed at the way her expression twisted between disbelief and exasperation. "Jesus Christ, Rain," she muttered, shaking her head. "Only you would hide the most dangerous evidence against Lucious Stanton inside a damn stuffed animal."

But then, her amusement faded, replaced by something far more serious.

"Listen to me," Khai said, her voice dropping lower, more urgent. "Do you even know what's in that book? I mean, really know?"

I frowned. "It's everything. The transactions, the contacts, the proof of Lucious's crimes—"

"It's more than that," she cut in. "The book itself isn't just a ledger of Stanton's operations. It's a cipher."

I stilled. "What do you mean?"

Khai exhaled, leaning in. "The Black Book contains codes—encrypted folders—linked to the biggest drug cartels in Colombia, North America, the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. It's not just about Stanton's empire; it's about every major syndicate he's ever dealt with. If this thing gets exposed, it won't just take Lucious down. It'll burn the entire underworld to the ground."

A chill ran through me. I thought I had understood the power of the Black Book, but I hadn't realized it was this big.

Then Khai's expression turned even graver.

"And that USB?" she continued. "The one that came with the book?"

I nodded. "Yeah. What about it?"

Khai let out a slow breath, as if bracing herself for the weight of what she was about to say.

"It doesn't just contain documents," she said. "It holds billions of dollars in offshore accounts. Shell companies, ghost investments—the entire financial backbone of Lucious's empire."

I felt my stomach drop.

"That's what Letty is after," Khai added, voice grim. "She doesn't just want revenge. She wants the power that comes with it."

Everything clicked into place then. Letty's relentless pursuit, her desperation, the reason she had orchestrated so much destruction just to get her hands on the Black Book.

She wasn't just trying to end Lucious.

She was trying to replace him.

I gripped the edge of the bar counter, my mind reeling. "Then we have to destroy it."

Khai's gaze hardened. "No," she said. "We have to use it."

And just like that, the night didn't just carry the weight of old wounds and resurfaced emotions.

Khai was silent for a moment, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass before she spoke again.

"Why are you so set on ending Lucious?" she asked, almost absentmindedly, as if she already knew the answer but needed to hear it from me.

I let out a slow, measured breath, feeling the weight of my past press against my chest. "Because I want justice," I said, my voice steady but laced with something deeper—something raw. "For what he did to my family. For what he stole from me. If Lucious made one mistake—one fatal miscalculation—it was letting me live with shattered, crumpled memories. He should have killed me that night, but he didn't."

Khai reached for my hand then, her grip warm, grounding me in a way that made my heart lurch. "We will take him down," she murmured, her voice a quiet promise, unwavering. Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she added, "And after that, you can marry me."

I blinked. My breath hitched. What?

Before I could even process her words, before I could ask if she was joking or if she meant it, she spoke again—softer this time, but the weight of her words was even heavier.

"I'm sorry for letting you go, Rain," Khai said, her eyes searching mine, filled with a regret that reached deeper than words. "I thought it was the only way to keep you safe. I thought keeping you away from me would make things easier—for both of us. But fate has its own twisted truths, doesn't it?" She exhaled, shaking her head slightly. "Because in the end, it all comes back to us. Just us. Together."

Her words wrapped around me like a spell, pulling at wounds that had never quite healed.

Fate was cruel. Twisted. Unforgiving.

But if it always led me back to her—

Then maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all tragedy after all.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by the sharp vibration of my phone. My heart pounded as I squinted at the screen. Aunt Joanne.

I exhaled, rubbing my temples before answering. "Hello?"

But it wasn't her voice on the other end. It was a man.

"You should've walked away."

The voice was low, distorted, crawling under my skin like ice.

"You should've walked away from everything—this chaos, this drama. But somehow, you just had to be stubborn, didn't you?"

A chilling silence stretched between us. Then—

"Listen to this."

And then I heard it.

A scream. A gut-wrenching cry of pain.

"Arrrggghh! Rainnnnn—don't give it to them... Arrggghhh!"

My blood ran cold. Aunt Joanne.

I shot up from the bed, my grip tightening on the phone until my knuckles turned white. "Joanne? JOANNE!"

The voice chuckled darkly. "How does it feel, Rain?" he taunted. "Listening to the only family you have left in agony—knowing you can't do a damn thing about it?"

My chest constricted. My pulse roared in my ears.

They had her.

And if I didn't act fast—

I sprinted down the hall, my heart hammering against my ribs as I reached Therese and Ikaris' room. My fist pounded against the door.

"Therese! Therese!" My voice cracked, my breath uneven.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing a groggy and irritated Therese.

"Rain, calm down—it's five fucking o'clock in the mor—" She stopped mid-sentence, her expression shifting as she took in my pale face and trembling hands. "What the hell happened? Come in."

I pushed past her, barely able to catch my breath.

"They have her! Aunt Joanne—they have her!"

Therese blinked, still half-asleep. "What? Wait—slow down. Who has her?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I don't know! I—I got a call this morning. A man, his voice was distorted, and then I heard Aunt Joanne—she was screaming, Therese! She was in pain. I need to go back to Chicago—"

"Rain, you can't just go back there!" Ikaris interjected, his voice sharp with concern. "It's obviously dangerous, and you don't even know who took her."

I turned to him, my jaw tightening. "I know exactly who took her." My voice was ice. "Either your grandfather or Letty is behind this."

The room was thick with tension. No one could refute it.

Before anyone could respond, the door swung open again. Khai stood there, her eyes darting between us, sensing the urgency in the air. "What's going on?"

I turned to her, my voice breaking. "They have Aunt Joanne, Khai. They took her—the only family I have left."

Her expression hardened in an instant. And just like that, I knew—Khai wouldn't let me go through this alone.

Without a word, Khai pulled me into her arms, holding me tightly as if she could shield me from the chaos unraveling around us.

Then, she turned to Ikaris. "Call Glen. Have the plane ready. We're leaving in an hour."

An hour later, we arrived at a private airport in Calgary. The jet was prepped and waiting, engines humming softly in the dim morning light. But just as we were about to board, I noticed Khai wasn't following.

"Wait—you're not coming?" I asked, confusion and panic lacing my voice.

Khai shook her head. "Listen to me. When you land in Jackson, Jessica will be there to meet you. Ikaris and Therese will take you to the penthouse. But I need to go to Chicago—I have to meet with Frederick. I'll work with him to figure out who's behind your aunt's abduction."

My stomach twisted at her words. "Khai, that's dangerous. What if something happens to you? What if—"

She gently pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Nothing will happen to me. Okay? Trust me."

Then, she pulled me aside, away from Ikaris and Therese. Her voice dropped to a serious whisper. "The Black Book—Waddles. Where is he?"

I took a shaky breath. "He's hidden beneath the carpet in the living room. There's a small safe underneath. The password is your name in numbers—Khai, 5424."

She nodded, memorizing it in an instant. I reached into my bag and pulled out my apartment key, pressing it into her palm.

"Here. Take this."

Khai closed her fingers around the key, her grip firm. Our eyes met, and for a fleeting second, I saw something there—something unspoken, something heavy.

"Be careful," I whispered.

She gave me a small, reassuring smirk. "You too."

And just like that, we went our separate ways.

The private jet touched down in Chicago just before dawn. As I stepped onto the tarmac, Frederick's men were already waiting.

"Ms. Stanton, your father is expecting you at the safe house," one of them said, his voice gruff yet formal.

I nodded but didn't move. "Before that, take me to Rain's apartment. I need to pick up something."

The man hesitated for a second before giving a curt nod. "Understood."

A short drive later, we pulled up in front of Rain's apartment building. The moment I stepped inside, an eerie silence settled over me, pressing against my skin like a warning. The place had been ransacked—furniture overturned, shattered glass glinting under the dim glow of the hallway light.

My jaw clenched. Whoever had done this wasn't just looking for something. They wanted to send a message.

Ignoring the wreckage, I made my way to the living room, my boots crunching over broken pieces of a picture frame. I knelt down, peeled back the carpet, and found the small safe exactly where Rain said it would be.

5424.

The lock clicked open, revealing Waddles tucked inside. I lifted the stuffed penguin and quickly unzipped the hidden pocket, retrieving the Black Book and the USB.

Got it.

I exhaled and stood up, tucking them securely into my jacket.

Then, without wasting another second, I turned to Frederick's men. "Let's go."

We drove straight to the safe house, where Frederick Whitmore was already waiting for me.

The drive to the safe house was long, stretching into an hour as we left the city behind. The roads thinned out, buildings gave way to dense woods, and the sky darkened with looming storm clouds.

I kept my eyes on the road ahead, gripping the Black Book tightly inside my jacket. Something about this felt off. Too quiet. Too easy.

Then—

BANG!

A deafening gunshot shattered the silence.

"GET DOWN!" someone shouted as the windshield exploded into shards.

Tires screeched. The SUV swerved violently. More gunfire erupted from both sides of the road.

Ambush.

I barely had time to react before the driver lost control, sending us skidding across the pavement. My heart pounded as I ducked low, reaching for my gun. Outside, figures emerged from the tree line, masked and armed.

Shit.

A strong hand yanked me out of the car, and I spun, ready to fight—until I saw who it was.

"Ms. Stanton, can you run?" Gori, one of Frederick's men, barked, his voice sharp and urgent.

I nodded, my breath coming fast.

"Run as fast as you can. Take this—I'll cover you."

He shoved a static phone into my hand along with a gun. No hesitation. No second chances.

Gunfire erupted again, closer this time. The metallic scent of blood mixed with the burning rubber of our wrecked vehicle. My pulse pounded in my ears.

"Go! Now!" Gori shouted.

On his mark, I turned and ran—sprinting into the dense woods, the cold air slashing against my face.

Behind me, bullets tore through the night.

ran—fast, without looking back. The adrenaline pumped through my veins, drowning out the sting of the cold rain slashing against my skin.

Shouts echoed behind me. Heavy footsteps crashed through the wet underbrush. They were following me. Hunting me.

But I didn't stop. I couldn't.

The forest was thick, the ground slick with rain and mud. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but I pushed forward—dodging branches, leaping over fallen logs, my grip tightening around the gun Gori had given me.

Minutes passed. Maybe longer.

Then—silence.

I slowed, chest heaving, every muscle screaming for rest. Had I lost them?

My hands trembled as I pressed against the rough bark of a tree, trying to steady my breath. The rain poured harder, masking every sound.

I swallowed hard. I needed to keep moving.

I pushed forward, my breath ragged, my body screaming for rest. The rain had turned the ground into a slick mess of mud and fallen leaves, but I didn't stop—not until I was sure I had lost them.

Then, through the dense fog and darkness, I spotted it.

A small, abandoned cabin stood in the middle of the forest, its wooden walls weathered and rotting, barely visible through the heavy downpour. It looked deserted—forgotten. But right now, it was my only chance for cover.

I forced my aching legs to move, stumbling toward the door. It creaked loudly as I pushed it open, my gun raised, heart pounding. The inside was cold and damp, filled with the stale scent of decayed wood and rain-soaked earth.

I shut the door behind me and pressed my back against it, my fingers trembling around the gun. For now, I was safe.

But I knew it wouldn't last.

As I caught my breath, I sat on the creaky wooden floor, my back against the door. My hands were still trembling, but I forced myself to focus.

I grabbed the static phone Gori had given me and turned the small dial, searching for a signal. The device crackled with white noise, the sound grating against the eerie silence of the cabin.

Nothing.

I adjusted the frequency again. Come on... work.

Then, a faint voice broke through the static. "--Khai? If you can hear this, respond."

My pulse spiked. Frederick.

I pressed the button. "I'm here." My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"Where are you?" he asked, his tone sharp with urgency.

I glanced around the dark cabin, listening to the rain pounding on the roof. "Somewhere in the forest. I ran west from the ambush site. I found a cabin—looks abandoned."

There was silence for a beat. Then, Frederick's voice returned, firmer this time. "Stay where you are. I'll pick you up with a chopper. Give me a landmark."

I swallowed hard, peering out the grimy window. "There's a clearing about fifty yards north of the cabin. Trees are sparse there—it should be wide enough."

"Good. Keep your head down. We'll be there soon."

I gripped the gun in my lap, exhaling shakily. Just hold on a little longer.

Thirty minutes later, the distant sound of rotor blades sliced through the night. I looked up through the cabin's broken window, spotting a chopper approaching my location. The rain had eased, but the cold still clung to my skin.

I grabbed the static phone. "I see you," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still pumping through me.

"Good. Move to the clearing now," Frederick instructed.

I tightened my grip on the gun and pushed the door open, stepping carefully over the damp forest floor. My legs ached from running, but I forced myself forward. As I reached the clearing, the chopper descended, its searchlight sweeping the area.

Just as I was about to step into the open, a rustling sound came from behind me. I spun around, gun raised, my heartbeat hammering in my ears.

Was I alone? Or had they found me?

But it was just a wild boar, startled by the noise. Letting out a shaky breath, I didn't waste another second—I sprinted toward the chopper. The wind from the rotor blades whipped against my face, my legs burning with exhaustion.

With one final haul, I pushed myself up onto the floor of the chopper. Strong hands grabbed me, steadying me. "I got you," Frederick said, his voice firm as he helped me into a seat.

I exhaled sharply, my body finally registering the ache from the chase. My clothes were soaked, my hands trembling slightly from the cold and adrenaline. As the chopper lifted off, I glanced back at the dark forest below, knowing that this was far from over.