Chapter Eight #2
Olivia’s laugh was sharp. “Right. Because it’s just a coincidence you were visiting the one place our grandfather had us locked away in?”
Vivian’s eyes searched Grant’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she pled.
Grant turned toward her, laying a hand lightly on her arm. “Because I didn’t want to upset you. I found out about Lawrence’s connection to Hale and I went looking for answers. I was trying to find out where he put your daughters. I had no idea they were in that place until after Olivia escaped.”
Eli crossed his arms and watched Grant closely. He had the tone of a man covering his tracks, not one seeking the truth. Maybe parts of the story were true. But it still stunk.
So did the way Vivian’s shoulders dropped in quiet relief.
“I believe him,” she said, gently touching Olivia’s shoulder. “Honey, he didn’t know.”
But Olivia wasn’t buying it. She stepped back from both of them, her voice hoarse. “You’re all so quick to forgive lies. I’m not.”
Eli exchanged a look with Delaney. He didn’t buy it either.
And the uneasy flicker in Delaney’s eyes told him she’d be checking into Grant’s visit herself.
Delaney gently touched Olivia’s arm. “Come on,” she said in a low voice. “Let’s go back inside. Sit down. Take a breath.”
Olivia hesitated, eyes still burning with anger, but then gave a jerky nod and let Delaney guide her back into the room. Eli watched them go, then turned to the two local officers standing just inside the door.
One of them, a young deputy with a square jaw and nervous hands, gestured toward the hallway. “Nurses called us. Said there was a disturbance they couldn’t de-escalate.”
“We’ve got it now,” Eli said calmly, showing his Crossfire Ops badge. “The situation’s under control. Appreciate you coming out.”
The older officer gave him a long look but finally nodded. “We’ll clear out. Just make sure it stays calm.”
“It will,” Eli promised.
As they left, Eli turned to find Grant and Vivian still hovering near the door like they planned to follow him in.
Vivian looked weary, worry etched into her face. Grant had that forced neutral expression again, like he was waiting to be told how to play his next move.
Eli stepped in front of them, blocking the doorway. “Why don’t you give her a minute? Let us talk to her alone.”
Vivian frowned. “I think she needs her mother right now.”
“Maybe. But she definitely doesn’t want him in there,” Eli said, cutting a look at Grant. “And if we’re going to help your daughters, we need to keep things calm.”
Grant didn’t like it. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push. Vivian looked conflicted but gave a small nod.
Eli waited until they both stepped back before he turned and walked into the room.
Inside, Olivia was sitting stiffly on the edge of the hospital bed, arms crossed tight, her eyes rimmed with red. Delaney sat beside her, close but not crowding, her tone low and steady.
He stepped in quietly and shut the door behind him. Olivia looked up—and then she broke.
Tears burst from her eyes as her shoulders collapsed forward. “He could’ve gotten us out of that hellhole,” she choked out, her voice raw. “Grant knew. He could’ve done something.”
Her sobs grew louder, rougher, as if everything she’d bottled up finally cracked wide open. “This isn’t my fault. I didn’t try to kill Ava. I never would. That recording has to be fake.”
Eli exchanged a look with Delaney, then walked slowly to the foot of the bed. “It’s her voice,” he said gently. “But we don’t know the circumstances. She might have been coerced.”
Olivia’s head shot up, fury flashing through her grief. “Of course she was forced. Do you really think she’d say that on her own? Maybe Grant made it happen. He’s probably behind all of this.”
Eli didn’t respond right away. Her pain was sharp, but so was her rage. And while he couldn’t rule out what she said, that flare of anger—it stirred something uneasy in him.
She was spiraling, and he saw it. But he also couldn’t shake the question forming in the back of his mind.
What if there was a sliver of truth in what Ava said?
Delaney shifted a little closer to Olivia. “Did your mom know about your grandfather’s connection to Dr. Hale?”
Olivia gave a small shrug and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I don’t know. Maybe? She never said anything.”
Eli stayed silent, but in his gut, he was already sure. Hale had said he treated Vivian years ago. That meant she had to know who he was. And if she knew that much, what else had she known?
Delaney’s voice stayed soft. “Do you think your mom knew you and Ava were at the institute?”
Olivia looked up, startled. “Why? Do you think she did?”
Delaney opened her mouth, then hesitated. “No,” she said finally.
But Eli heard it. The slight hitch in her tone. That brief pause. It scratched at the edge of his instincts like a warning.
He studied Delaney for a second, then turned his attention back to Olivia. She looked exhausted, confused, and utterly betrayed. But Eli’s thoughts were racing now.
Vivian had been desperate to find the girls. She’d made noise, pushed authorities, hired help. But what if all that effort was smoke and mirrors? What if the search was more for show?
But why would she fake it? What did she gain from pretending to look for her own daughters?
Eli didn’t like the direction his thoughts were heading, but he wasn’t about to ignore them either.
Not anymore.
Hell. Now, he might be chasing his own tail. It was entirely possible that Olivia and Vivian were both victims in this.
Olivia dragged in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. Her hands were still trembling, but the anger in her voice had started to cool.
“I wanted to talk to you both,” she said, glancing between him and Delaney. “To tell you… I didn’t try to hurt Ava. No matter what she said, I swear I didn’t.”
Eli gave a small nod, steady and sure. “We hear you.”
Delaney’s voice was soft. “And we believe you.”
Olivia looked between them for a moment longer, as if trying to gauge whether that was the truth. Then she stood, her movements slow but determined.
“They told me I’m being moved today. Crossfire Ops is taking me to another safe house,” she said. “My mom’s coming too. But not Grant. I made that clear.”
“Good,” Eli said.
Her expression cracked just a little. “Will it really be safe this time?”
Eli met her gaze without hesitation. “If Noah set it up, yeah, it will be. You’ll be checked for trackers, and so will your mom.”
Olivia gave a tight nod, her shoulders lifting and falling with a long breath. Some of the panic in her eyes faded.
“I’m tired of running,” she whispered.
Eli understood that more than she knew. But he just said, “Then we’ll make sure this is the last time.”
He walked beside Delaney as they stepped out of Olivia’s hospital room and into the hallway. Two Crossfire Ops guards stood at attention near the elevator. He recognized both of them.
“Diaz. Renner,” Eli greeted in a low voice.
Diaz, a former Marine with eyes that missed nothing, gave a slight nod. Renner, lean and sharp with a no-nonsense presence, tipped his chin in silent acknowledgment.
“She’s ready,” Eli said quietly. “Do not let her out of your sight. Not for a second.”
“Understood,” Diaz assured him.
Renner checked his earpiece and muttered into his mic, likely alerting the transport team they were about to move. Across the hall, Vivian stood speaking with a nurse, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Grant paced beside her, his jaw clenched.
As the guards moved toward Olivia’s room, Grant stepped forward. “I’m going with them.”
“No,” Eli said, his tone flat and final.
Grant’s eyes narrowed. “She’s my fiancée. I have a right—”
“You don’t,” Eli cut in. “Not on this op. Olivia made it clear she doesn’t want you there. And until we know more about what’s going on, we’re not taking any chances.”
Grant looked to Vivian, but she didn’t say anything. Just stared at the floor, her mouth drawn tight. After a long beat, Grant stepped back, his jaw working like he wanted to say more but thought better of it.
Eli met Delaney’s eyes, and she gave the smallest nod.
Time to keep moving. There were still too many unanswered questions, and the pieces weren’t falling into place fast enough.
They went out of the hospital and to their SUV. Eli climbed into the driver’s seat while Delaney shut her door on the passenger side. He was just about to start the engine when his phone buzzed with a call from Isla.
He hit speaker. “Go ahead.”
“I just found something,” Isla said, her voice clipped. “Lawrence Melborne filed paperwork this morning. He’s petitioning to have Vivian declared legally incompetent. Not just over her finances, but also as guardian to Ava.”
Delaney sucked in a breath. “What?”
“He’s claiming emotional instability, poor decision-making, and mental health issues,” Isla went on. “It’s a fast-track petition with a hearing set for later today. I double-checked it with a contact at the courthouse.”
Eli’s knuckles tightened on the wheel. “He doesn’t even need the money.”
“No, but he wants control,” Isla said. “Vivian’s got money. And if he gets legal guardianship of Ava, he gets access to her trust fund. Olivia’s eighteen, so she’s out of his reach. But Ava isn’t. Not yet.”
“Damn it,” Delaney muttered. “He’s playing a long game.”
“And with Hale backing him, the odds are decent he’ll get what he wants,” Isla added. “Vivian’s therapy records, anxiety meds, past dependency on Lawrence. It’s all getting rolled into the case.”
Eli looked over at Delaney, jaw tight. “We’re not just walking into that place to take a tour anymore.”
Delaney nodded grimly. “We’re walking straight into a power play.”
He shifted into drive. “Then, no matter what it takes, we get Ava out now.”
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