Chapter 12
Emerson reached for the knife, his movements calm and intentional. He didn’t snatch it or even threaten. Instead, his hand closed around the handle with quiet authority. In a smooth motion, he flipped it closed and slid it into his pocket.
“The interrogation is over. Get your fucking coat on—now. And remember, I saw you murder someone,” he said, voice thick with warning, making it clear this was an order, not a suggestion.
Any pretense that she’d had a choice vanished.
Emerson’s prior civility had been only a tool; now it was clear: she was being conscripted whether she wanted to be or not.
He wanted her to help him bait Sophia out of hiding, to serve as both lure and shield.
Audrey remained silent and carefully put on her coat.
Each button was fastened deliberately, as if donning armor rather than wool.
“Did anything romantic happen between Ryker and my mother?” Audrey fiddled with her coat buttons, feeling awkward.
Emerson laughed darkly. “I doubt it. Your mother is laser-focused on her work, and Ryker is…different. And he’s much younger than Sophia.”
She rubbed her temples as her assumption unraveled. Another false certainty was exposed. Shame flickered—quickly fueled into anger. She refused to let either of them escape responsibility for the fire’s devastation.
“I’ve seen Ryker recently,” she announced.
“You’re mistaken,” Emerson said bluntly.
“You saw Mihail. Easy mistake to make. We think they’re brothers because they look so much alike.
He’s been careful to hide his presence, but he’s slipped up a few times; I noticed it—and I guess you did, too.
It’s hard to hide from telepaths, which is probably why the Separatists want them.
Telepathy is rare, even among our kind. There are only a few hundred known across the entire system. ”
“I don’t give a fuck if you don’t believe me—that’s your mistake, not mine.”
“I rarely miscalculate,” was all he said.
“What about you then?” she asked. “Wouldn’t the Separatists be after you, too, for being a telepath? You must be half-Voírían.”
“Oh, they are—and I am,” he said, smiling without warmth. “But they know I’ll never join them. They want me for a staged execution, as an example. Of course, they want Sophia alive, and probably even you, too, since you’re a telepath. That said, they’d prefer Sophia more than anyone.”
Her throat clenched. “For what?”
“The Simas family is gifted with many abilities,” he admitted. She felt the truth of it. “Ryker believes the strongest Voíríans should stand together,” Emerson continued. “He’s been gathering them for years. Not to destroy the system, but to build something powerful enough to replace it.”
“Would my mother ever work with Ryker again? Is that why he was there the night my family died?”
“Sophia stopped believing the Voíríans could win years ago,” Emerson said. “She probably thinks people like Ryker will destroy the galaxy before they ever win freedom. She could be right.”
Audrey searched Emerson’s face, a wave of uncertainty flooding her. She probed, hoping for understanding not just of his motives but his heart. “You think power corrupts,” she guessed, her voice tight with suspicion and something like hope.
“Power destabilizes.”
She stepped closer, acutely aware of the risk. As she did, the fragile space between them was just enough to unbalance him. Her hand, trembling at first, reached up without permission. She traced the pale scar along his neck. The contact sent a current of unwelcome adrenaline through her.
He didn’t flinch. His breath shifted—barely perceptible. He caught her wrist gently, not to stop her, but to anchor her hand between them. Beneath her skin, his pulse beat steady.
Grief snagged in her throat, scraping it raw, quickly hardening into anger and disbelief. “If she hasn’t cared enough to reach out all these months,” she choked, “why would she care now?”
“She just hasn’t been able to find you. That club and the organization running it kept you well hidden,” he replied.
“You found me.”
“I know how to get what I want.” He let the words linger, then added, “That’s why I’m sure she’ll move if you’re broadcast at the Si-ID forger. With an exact location, she’ll believe you’re trying to run.”
Emerson turned toward the table, fully waking the tablet. The Tolusa grid expanded outward in concentric layers. Data nodes lit up like veins. Audrey moved to stand beside him. “Walk me through it,” she said.
“If we flag you at the Si-ID forger,” he said, fingers already moving, “the broadcast routes through the Aggregate relay.”
“How visible?”
“To anyone monitoring unauthorized movement.”
“Which includes?”
“The Separatists. Other rogue cells. Internal auditors.”
“And you’re comfortable lighting that flare?” she asked, trying to discern if he truly grasped the risk his plan posed to her safety. Her intent was both to challenge and to test his conscience.
His mouth curved slightly. “Comfortable isn’t the metric.” He expanded another layer in the mapping. A permissions tree opened, requiring authorization codes. Several nodes flashed amber.
“They’ll see you,” she said.
“They’ll see you,” he corrected. “But I’ll be attached to the access request.”
She glanced at him. “You’ll burn yourself.”
“If necessary.”
There it was. Emerson didn’t strike her as reckless. Yet something raw glinted in his eyes—his obsessive commitment to this hunt edged into desperation. He must have loved his family deeply, for even now, pain tightened his jaw at their loss.
They moved toward the door as he holstered his weapon with one hand and handed her one of hers. “Safety’s here,” Emerson said, flicking the lever with his thumb. “Point and pull. Don’t overthink it.”
Audrey stared at the gun, her hands uncertain. She had never used one before. Although heavy, it felt oddly comforting. She slid it into its holster, slinging it over her shoulder the way he did.
Emerson shrugged his coat on with one hand while managing system permissions on the tablet with the other. The motion was fluid, practiced.
A flare of worry pulsed in her aura. “Do you have a plan if this backfires?”
“It won’t.” A pause. “But worst case, if Sophia escapes, I’m recalled, and you’re extracted with me as a strategic asset.”
“Recalled where?”
He didn’t answer, but silence said enough. It didn’t bode well for their freedom. They stepped into the hallway, and Emerson pressed a button for the elevator.
“And Ryker? Will he come, too, since this involves Sophia?”
The name subtly changed his demeanor. “No. He wants Sophia, but this isn’t enough to draw him out. He trusts Mihail for operations like this, while he keeps building his empire.” The elevator continued descending.
“And even though he’s a ghost, you still chase him?”
“Of course. He’s a fucking monster. And monsters need to answer for their actions.”
“Well, I think this might draw him out. I told you I saw him.”
“I think you thought you saw him.”
“It was him,” she grated, anger heating her hands. “In my backyard, before my family was killed, he was there. And recently, I saw him at the club. I’ll never forget those eyes.”
“You’d better hope you’re wrong. We’re not ready to confront him today. He’s even more unhinged than Sophia.”
“How do you know? The crimes in his file seem pretty similar to hers.”
“There are dozens more unconfirmed incidents. Most of what we know comes from rumors. I’ve been tracking him for years. He remains elusive, and while he's dangerous, it’s his ability to remain hidden that's unmatched. No one credible has seen him in fifteen years—not even unofficially.”
“How is that possible?” Audrey asked, aghast.
“Systems fail wherever he shows up. Surveillance drops. The electrical grid glitches. It almost feels like the infrastructure itself rejects him. There have been too many incidents for coincidence,” he admitted. “If he were here, every intelligence system in the Aggregate would be screaming.”
Audrey frowned slightly, remembering the night of the fire and how the lights flickered. Even the security cameras died. The house alarms even cut out seconds before the flames spread. “So, he breaks digital systems somehow?”
“No,” Emerson said. “The system breaks itself when he shows up.”
“Well, it was him. I’d recognize the aura anywhere.”
A smirk tugged on his mouth, and Audrey hated it. “Auras are nonsense. If we’re going off them, it definitely wasn’t him.”
“Nothing gets past my mind.”
His face grew serious. “You have a photographic memory?”
“Even when I wish to forget, I can’t.”
“Fucking Voíríans,” he muttered. His words pissed her off, especially since he was half Voírían himself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Audrey snarled, demanding he clarify his insult.
“You’re a Voírían, not a human. And let’s just say they’re…difficult. But not infallible. Trust me, it wasn’t him.”
Her teeth ground, but she ignored the jibe. “Why watch me for years? Why not just focus entirely on Ryker?”
“He’s nearly impossible to catch. My work needs results to keep superiors satisfied.”
They reached the garage, their footsteps echoing against the concrete walls, Emerson’s severe face bathed in fluorescent light. His car was black and sleek, and Emerson slid into the driver’s seat as she sat on the passenger side.
As they started driving, Audrey half-expected Emerson to shut her out again, but much to her shock, he continued.
“I was waiting for Sophia, but I think everyone underestimates you.”
“How so?” Her brow wrinkled. Tolusa blurred past in dark industrial lines.
Emerson gripped the wheel harder. “You’re a Simas, and they tend to be powerful. People are fools to ignore your potential.”