KAIRA
The moment the heavy dungeon door closed behind Halston and Oliver, strength drained out of me.
I had been forcing myself forward one disaster at a time.
I had survived being sold, survived being dragged into a world I never asked for, and survived bullets and bloodshed.
But standing there now, staring at my uncle for the first time in over five years, all that strength cracked.
The word uncle barely left my mouth before my vision blurred.
He looked at me, really looked at me, and whatever strong wall I had spent time building collapsed.
“Oh, Kaira.”
That was all it took.
A sob escaped me before I could stop it.
Then another.
I crossed the room in hurried steps and threw myself into his arms, allowing myself to stop pretending that I was fine.
The scent of him was familiar.
Not exactly the same, but familiar enough to drag memories from places I had buried them.
Training sessions in the backyard.
Long drives home after school.
The way he used to bring me hot chocolate whenever I stayed up too late studying.
His arms wrapped around me immediately, the same way they had when I was younger.
I buried my face against his shoulder and cried.
He held me through all of it without rushing me, without interrupting me, simply letting me break apart until there was nothing left to hold in.
Eventually, when the storm eased enough for me to breathe again, he guided me toward one of the benches along the wall.
We sat beside each other in silence for a while.
It should have felt awkward after so many years apart, but it didn’t.
The silence felt familiar.
Safe.
For a few precious moments, I almost forgot where we were.
Then reality returned.
“Why?” My voice cracked as I looked at him.
“Why did you leave?”
The guilt that crossed his face was immediate.
“I’m sorry, Kaira.”
“You disappeared.” My hands tightened into fists.
“For five years, Uncle.”
Pain flickered across his face.
“I never meant to leave you.”
“Then why did you?”
“I’m here now.
I’m here.” He gave me another hug before continuing.
“I came back eight days ago to discover the house was gone.” His jaw tightened.
“Burned down.”
“I searched the property.” His eyes darkened.
“That’s when I found the camera.”
My head lifted.
“What camera?”
“The one your father hid.”
My brows furrowed.
“What?”
“A security camera.” He leaned forward slightly.
“Your father installed it years ago.
Hidden inside one of the stone walls overlooking the living room window.”
I stared.
My father had never mentioned it.
My stomach tightened.
“And it was still working?”
“Barely.” His voice hardened.
“But it worked enough.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“I watched your father die.” His voice cracked.
“I watched your mother try to reach him.”
“I watched you being taken away.” He swallowed.
“And I watched myself arrive too late to stop any of it.”
For a moment he looked completely broken.
“Do you know what that feels like?” His eyes were red.
“Watching people you love die from a recording because you weren’t there when they needed you?”
My heart hammered hard against my ribs.
I didn’t know I’d still feel hurt hearing about the death of the parent that sold me.
“I tracked every lead I could after that,” he continued.
“Eventually they led me here.
I’ve been watching the estate for over a week trying to figure out a way to get you out of here.
My eyes burned again.
“And here we both are.”
“Knowing Halston, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
“You know him?”
“Your father and his were best of friends, not until something happened and they split.
He has always blamed your father for the death of his parents.
So yes, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to get you out.”
“Father betrayed his father?”
Darion’s expression became complicated.
“Halston told you that, didn’t he?” Darion rubbed his jaw.
“Kaira.” He called softly.
“Yes?”
“Don’t accept every version of the story you’re given.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
His eyes lowered.
“It means some things happened that even I don’t fully understand.”
A silence passed between us before I finally asked.
“Uncle, was there some agreement between our families?
Any you know of?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes glanced around, hesitating before telling me what I had already known.
“A marriage contract Kaira.
But the contract was never meant to involve you both until adulthood.”
He paused and then looked at me.
“Don’t worry, as long as I am here with you, nobody can force you into what you don’t want for yourself.”
I swallowed hard.
How do I tell him it had already happened.
My hand clumped against my ring finger.
“My father made another deal.” I informed him.
Darion frowned.
“What deal?”
My eyes searched him.
There was just a lot to tell him.
“The one that sold me.”
Darion turned, facing me completely.
“What?”
“That was why he took me.”
“Then murdered your parents.” He added, his fist clenching.
“He didn’t murder my parents.” I said softly.
I wasn’t supposed to be defending him right now, yet, I had found myself doing it.
His face drained of color.
“How can you be so sure Kaira.
He had a reason to want your parents dead.”
“He did.
But he wasn’t the one.
He told me.”
“Told you…” Darion laughed humorlessly.
“I trained you better Kaira.” He breathed.
“In the video, after the assassins, he came in next, with his men.”
“It doesn’t mean he killed them uncle.
He was there to claim me.”
“So how did all the assassins that killed your parents turn up dead.”
“Dead?” I muttered.
I shook my head, trying to shake off the thought.
“You defend him.” Darion eyes narrowed.
“What has he been telling you.”
“I do not defend him.” My hands flared up.
I was too confused at the moment to know what I was even thinking.
“He hasn’t been telling me anything.”
Darion grabbed my hand and turned it over.
I froze.
I watched realization begin to form.First confusion, then disbelief and horror.
“Kaira…” His voice barely existed.
“Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”
I couldn’t.
Because it was exactly what he thought it was.
“We’re married.”
The words felt strange leaving my mouth.
His face looked like his heart had been shattered into a thousand pieces.
He stood up, a single tear dropped from his eyes.
“It is my fault.”
I stood up and walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“It isn’t.”
“I should have been here.
I should have protected you.” He turned to me, rage crossing his face.
“I am getting you out of here no matter what.”
“He wouldn’t let you.” My voice dropped so as my hand on his shoulder.
“I am his wife now.”
Darion turned, disappointment flickering in his eyes.
“Are you in love with him?”
“No.” I quickly said.
“No.
I am not.” I sighed, walking back to the seat as he followed behind me.
“I just don’t want you passing through another round of this.” I pointed towards the glass prison.
Neither of us said a word as we sat.
The air seemed heavy already with a lot of spoken words.
“Your mother did reach out to me to tell me your father had owed someone.
But she also told me the debt was cleared.
I didn’t know the payment was you.
I’m sorry.” He wiped a tear forming in his eyes.
“I just find it hard to believe my brother would sell you out.”
The sound came out hollow.
“I did also find it hard to believe.
Guess that makes two of us now.”
We both laughed, briefly.
A rush of a less tensed air passed between us before his expression turned serious again.
“You believe he didn’t do it?” He pointed his chin towards the path Halston had taken.
I nodded, twisting the ring on my finger.
“If we find one person from that footage, we can find out who wanted your parents dead.
Every single man visible in the footage ended up dead.
Except a woman… if we…”
“A woman” I repeated.
He nodded.
“She stood out, never entered the house.”
I leaned forward.
“What was she doing?”
“Watching.”
A chill slid down my spine.
My pulse accelerated.
“And?”
“She wore a mask.”
The world stopped.
For a moment I couldn’t hear anything except my own heartbeat.
Mask.
Mask.
The same word repeated inside my head.
“The Mask,” I whispered.
Darion frowned.
“You know her?”
“She attacked Halston’s convoy days ago.
She wanted me dead.”
I told him everything.
The highway, the ambush, the silver-line mask assassin and this morning confrontation with the captured man.
By the time I finished, Darion looked just as confused as I felt.
Everything was bigger than I originally thought.
I had so many questions spiraling in my mind now, added to the ones neither Darion or I had been able to solve.
Why had she killed my parents?
Why was she after me now?
Who was she working for?
But the major question was why did every path somehow lead back to her?
The deeper I dug, the darker everything became.
I straightened and cleared my voice.
“I need to see that footage.”
“It is not here, I can’t carry around such vital evidence.”
“Well, we better find a way to get out of here.”