Chapter Twenty-five Amethyst
Room three is at the end of the hallway. Second door on the left. Jake is already there. Waiting. Leaning against the wall. Arms crossed. He straightens when he sees me. Looks me over. Assessing.
“You good?" he asks. His voice is low. Quiet.
I nod.
“Yeah."
He doesn’t look convinced. But he doesn’t argue. Just reaches for the door handle.
“He’s restrained," Jake says. “Hands. Feet. He’s not going anywhere."
“Good."
Jake opens the door. Steps inside first. I follow.
The room is small. Concrete walls. Single light overhead. Harsh. Fluorescent. Marcus is in the center. Chair bolted to the floor. Hands zip-tied behind his back. Ankles secured to the chair legs.
He looks up when we enter. His face is bruised. Swollen. Split lip. Black eye. Jake’s work. Or someone else’s. Doesn’t matter. When Marcus sees me, something shifts in his expression. Sharp. Hope. Desperation.
“Amethyst," he says. His voice cracks. “Thank god. I knew you’d come. I knew—"
“Shut up."
My voice doesn’t rise. Doesn’t need to.
He goes silent. Blinks. Confused. Jake moves to the corner.
Leans against the wall. Arms crossed. Hand resting on his sidearm.
Silent. Watching. I walk closer to Marcus.
Stop a few feet away. Stare down at him.
He looks smaller than I remember. Weaker.
Pathetic. This is the man I trusted. Worked with. Bled beside. Called family.
“Why?" I ask. Simple. Direct.
Marcus swallows.
“Why what?"
“Don’t play stupid with me." My voice is sharp now. Cutting.
“Why Enzo? Why did you choose him over The Raven? Why did you leak information? Why did you betray me?"
I pause. Let the weight of it settle.
“Why did you shoot Kade?"
Everything else can be explained. Fear. Self-preservation. Cowardice. But that—
That was a choice.
Marcus flinches. Looks away.
“It’s not—it’s not what you think."
“Then explain it to me."
He takes a breath. Shaky. Unsteady.
“When you dropped me off," he starts. “When you handed me over to The Raven and Jake—"
He glances at Jake. Fear flickers across his face.
“Jake beat the shit out of me. For hours. Wanted to know everything. Every detail. Every contact. Every operation."
Jake doesn’t react. Doesn’t move. Just watches. Marcus continues.
“They kept me locked up. Watched by operatives. Twenty-four seven. No privacy. No freedom. Nothing."
“You were a traitor," I say. “What did you expect?"
“I wasn’t—"
“You were working for Enzo. You leaked information. You put people at risk. You put me at risk."
“I didn’t have a choice!" His voice rises. Desperate. Pleading.
“Enzo had leverage. He had—"
“I don’t care." I cut him off. Cold. Final.
“Keep talking."
He swallows again. Nods.
“After about a week, I found an opening. One of the operatives got sloppy. Left a door unlocked. I took it. Escaped."
“And went straight back to Enzo."
“Yes."
“Of course you did."
Marcus looks up at me. Eyes red. Wet.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I had nowhere else to go. Enzo was the only option."
“You always have a choice."
“Not then. Not like that."
I don’t respond. Just wait. He continues.
“When I got back, Enzo didn’t trust me at first. Thought I might be compromised. But I convinced him. Told him I escaped. That I was loyal."
“And he believed you."
“Eventually. Yes."
“Then what?"
Marcus hesitates. Looks down at his hands. Bound behind him.
“I heard you were there," he says quietly. “At the facility. Working under Enzo."
My stomach tightens. I don’t let it show.
“And?"
“I didn’t say anything. Not at first. I thought—I thought maybe you were undercover. Maybe you were working for The Raven. I didn’t know."
“So you did nothing."
“Yes."
“People died.”“Yes.”“And you still did nothing.”
He looks away. Like he’s ashamed.
It’s a little late for that.
“Until I figured out who it was killing the higher ups.
“And you figured it out."
“Yes."
“That it was me."
“Yes."
Silence. Heavy. Thick.
“Enzo figured it out too," Marcus says. “He knew it was you. He was going to kill you. Torture you first. Make an example."
“So you leaked information."
“Yes."
“To who?"
“To The Raven. Through back channels. Anonymous. I didn’t sign it. Didn’t leave a trail. But I made sure she knew."
“Why?"
Marcus stares at me. Like the answer is obvious.
“To keep you safe."
A laugh escapes me. Short. Sharp. Completely humorless.
“Safe.”
“Yes."
“You leaked classified information. Put operations at risk. Got people killed. And you call that keeping me safe?"
“I was trying to help you!" His voice cracks again. Desperate.
“I was going to break you out. Get you away from Enzo. Away from all of it. But then—" He stops. Swallows.
“Then what?"
“Then the chaos happened. The facility. The firefight. Everything went to hell."
“And you saw an opportunity."
“Yes."
“To do what?"
Marcus looks away. Can’t meet my eyes.
“To get you out," he says quietly.
“To take you away. Somewhere safe. Somewhere Enzo couldn’t find you. Somewhere The Raven couldn’t find you."
“Just the two of us."
“Yes."
Silence. Heavy.
“And Kade?"
Marcus flinches. There it is. The truth.
“He was in the way."
“So you shot him."
“Yes."
The word hangs in the air. Cold. Final. I take a step closer.
“You shot him so you could run away with me."
“Yes."
“Because you thought that’s what I wanted."
“I thought—I thought I was saving you."
“Saving me." I repeat it. Flat. Emotionless.
“From what?"
“From him. From Kade. From that—that thing he is."
“That thing."
“He’s not right, Amethyst. You know that. You’ve seen what he does. What he’s capable of."
“I have."
“Then you understand—"
“I understand that you’re a coward."
Marcus frowns.
“What?"
“A coward."
I lean down. Close. Eye level.
“You shot Kade because you were jealous.”
“No—"
“Because you couldn’t stand the fact that I chose him."
Another step.
“That I wanted him.”
Another.
“That he was everything you would never be.”
My voice is sharp. Cutting.
“You didn’t do this to save me. You did this because you wanted me for yourself."
Marcus’s face crumples.
“I love you," he says. Broken. Desperate.
“I’ve always loved you. Since the beginning. Since we first met. I thought—I thought if I could just get you away from him, you’d see. You’d understand."
“Understand what?"
“That we’re meant to be together. That I’m the one who’s been there for you. Who’s protected you. Who’s—"
“Stop."
The word is cold. Final. Marcus stops. Stares at me. I straighten. Step back.
“I was never yours, Marcus."
My voice is steady now. Controlled.
“I never wanted you. Not like that. You were my partner. My friend. My family. And you destroyed that. All of it. On your own."
“Amethyst—"
“You made your choice. You chose Enzo. You chose to betray me. You chose to shoot Kade."
I pause. Let it sink in. Then I smile. Slow. Cold.
“And I can’t wait for Kade to wake up."
For the first time since I entered the room, Marcus looks afraid. Good. He should be.
“What?"
“You heard me."
“No. No, he’s—he’s dead. I shot him. I saw him fall. I—"
“You thought he was dead."
I laugh. Sharp. Bitter. The sound echoes off the concrete walls.
“Oh, Marcus.”
I shake my head.
“You really thought you killed Kade?"
“I—"
“He survived."
Marcus stares at me. Eyes wide. Terrified.
“No."
“Yes."
“He can’t—"
“He’s healing. Right now. Down the hall. And when he wakes up—"
I lean down again. Close.
“When he wakes up, I’m going to tell him everything. Every word you just said. Every pathetic, desperate reason you had for shooting him."
“No. Please. Amethyst, please—"
“And then I’m going to watch.”
I let that sit.
“Every second of it.”
Marcus struggles. Pulls against the restraints. The chair doesn’t move. Bolted to the floor.
“No! Please! I’ll tell you anything! I’ll—"
I straighten. Walk closer. Right in front of him. Lean down. My face inches from his. “Where the fuck is Enzo hiding?"
Marcus blinks. Breathing hard. Panicked.
“I—I don’t know—"
“Don’t lie to me."
“I’m not! I swear! I don’t know where he went!"
“Are there any other safe houses? Besides the three I already know about?"
“I—I don’t—"
“Answer me."
“I don’t know!"
His voice cracks. Desperate. Terrified.
I study him. Search for the lie. The hesitation. The tell. There’s nothing. Just fear. Just panic. Either he’s really scared and that’s clouding him. Or he really doesn’t know.
Rage flares. Hot. Immediate. My fist moves before I think.
Connects with his face. Hard. The impact jolts up my arm.
Pain explodes in my ribs. Immediate. Blinding.
I turn away. Fast. Before he can see. Before he can see the pain that crosses my face.
I press my hand to my side. Breathe through it. Count.
One.
Two.
Three.
Behind me, Marcus is gasping. Choking. Blood drips from his nose. His lip.
Jake is watching me. I see it in my peripheral vision. He saw the pain. Saw me flinch. He points his thumb toward the door.
Silent.
Clear.
Get out.
I nod. Compose myself. Straighten. Drop my hand from my ribs. Turn. Just enough. So Marcus is in the corner of my vision.
“You better hope Kade never wakes up."
I meet his eyes.
“Because if he does, death is the kinder outcome. And I won’t Kade from doing whatever he wants to you.”
My voice is cold. Final. A death sentence.
Marcus makes a sound. Broken. Desperate.
I don’t look back. Just walk to the door. Open it. Step into the hallway. And close it behind me. The sound echoes.
Final.
I lean against the wall. Breathe. The ribs scream. But I don’t care. Marcus doesn’t know where Enzo is. He’s useless. And when Kade wakes up—
When Kade wakes up, Marcus is going to wish he’d died in that facility.
It takes a long time just to make it halfway down the hallway. My ribs screaming in pain. I hear footsteps heading towards me.
“Amethyst." Jake’s voice.
I stop. Don’t turn around. Not yet. Need a second to compose my face. To hide the pain. “You good?" he asks.
Closer now. Right behind me. I turn. Slowly. Carefully. Keep my breathing even.
“Yeah."
He looks at me. Really looks. His gaze drops to my side. Tot he spot where I’d been holding my ribs. To the hand I thought I’d hidden.
“You punched him." Not a question.
“Yes."
“With broken ribs."
“Yes."
He shakes his head. Reaches into his pocket. Pulls out a small bottle.
“Here."
He hands me a bottle of painkillers. I take them.
“Thanks."
“Take two now. Before the adrenaline wears off completely."
I open the bottle. Shake two pills into my palm. Dry swallow them. Jake watches. Waits until I’m done.
“Sit," he says.
Points to a bench against the wall.
“I’m fine—"
“Sit."
His voice is firm. Not unkind. Just... final.
I sit. He sits next to me. Leans back against the wall. Silent for a moment. Then: “Marcus talked after you left."
I look at him.
“About what?"
“Everything. Once he realized Kade was alive, he started talking. Fast. Desperate."
Jake pauses.
“He confirmed what he told you. About escaping. About going back to Enzo. About the leaks."
“And?"
“He did send a tip. Anonymous. Through back channels. Warned us that Enzo knew who you were. That you were compromised."
I process that.
“When?"
“The same night when you didn’t check in. We got the info right after Kade had called us."
“But you were already moving," I say.
Jake nods.
“We were already getting ready to come to you. When Rafe and Lucia turned up dead, she knew the timeline was accelerating."
“So the tip didn’t matter."
“It confirmed what we already suspected. But yeah. Didn’t change the plan."
Silence. I stare at the floor. Process. Marcus thought he was helping. Thought he was saving me. But we were already coming.
“Kade," Jake says.
I look up.
“When you didn’t check in at eight,"
He pauses. Chooses his words carefully.
“Kade was already geared up. Already ready to move. He’d been watching the clock since seven. Waiting for you."
My chest tightens.
“When one in the morning hit and you didn’t call, he didn’t hesitate. Didn’t wait for confirmation. He just... moved."
Jake looks at me.
“He called me. Said you didn’t check in. That he was mobilizing. I told him that he needed to wait for backup."
“He didn’t wait."
“No."
Of course he didn’t.
“He was already in motion," Jake continues. “Already halfway to the facility by the time I got the team together. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. That focused."
He pauses.
“He knew you were in trouble. And nothing—nothing—was going to stop him from getting to you. I’m surprised we made it to the facility at the same time. We had to move, and move quick to make sure he had back up."
I close my eyes. Breathe. Kade came for me. Without hesitation. Without backup. Without a plan. Just... came.
“He loves you," Jake says quietly.
“In a way I’ve rarely seen. The kind of love that doesn’t calculate risk. Doesn’t weigh options. Just acts."
I open my eyes. Look at him.
“I know."
Jake nods. Stands.
“I’m going back to Marcus. Going to push him on the safe houses. See if he can come up with any locations besides the three you already have."
“You think he knows more?"
“Maybe. Maybe not. But fear is a hell of a motivator. And now that he knows Kade is alive—"
He doesn’t finish. Doesn’t need to. Marcus is terrified. And terrified people talk.
“I’ll cross-reference anything he gives me against your three locations," Jake continues. “See if there’s overlap. See if there are any additional sites we don’t know about."
“How long?"
“Give me a few hours. I’ll come find you when I have something."
I nod. Jake starts to walk away. Then stops. Turns back.
“Amethyst."
“Yeah?"
“You did good in there. Kept control. Got what you needed."
He pauses.
“Don’t go back in there."
He pauses.
“Marcus is desperate.”His expression hardens.
“And desperate people don’t care what they destroy trying to save themselves.”
“I won’t."
“Good."
He walks away. Down the hall. Back toward room three.
I sit for another minute. Let the painkillers start to work. Feel the edge of the pain dull. Just slightly.
Then I stand. Walk back to my room. I need to rest. Need to let my body recover. Because when Jake comes back with information—
When we finally find Enzo—
This ends. No more running.
I will finish this. Once and for all.