Granger.The name sits like poison in my mind. He wrote these reports. He pulled the trigger. He turned a rescue into an execution.
And Logan? Logan tried to save them.
The realization hits me with the force of absolution. All this time, I've been carrying my father's lessons like armor:
Don't trust. Don't connect. The truth matters more than anything.
But Logan's truth isn't what I feared. It's so much worse—and so much braver.
I lean back, letting my head rest against the wall.
The weight of everything I've uncovered presses against my chest like a stone. This isn't just about exposing corruption anymore. This is about understanding why I'm being hunted.Why my father disappeared. Why some truths get people killed while others lurk in shadows, waiting to be found.
The laptop hums softly beside me, its screen still illuminating the evidence that could blow this whole thing wide open.
But now I'm torn between two instincts—the drive to expose every secret, and the need to protect the man who's already lost so much trying to do the right thing.
What would you do, Dad?Would you tell me to publish it all? Or would you understand why some truths cost too much?
A soft knock at the door startles me from my thoughts.
"Sloane?"
Lucia stands in the doorway, her young face pinched with concern. "Thank God I found you! Everyone's worried."
I try to smile, but it feels brittle. "I just needed some space. It's... complicated."
She steps into the room, all gangly limbs and earnest eyes. The daughter of a woman who teaches other women to fight back. To stand their ground.
The kind of kid who shouldn't have to understand why adults sometimes hide.
"But you don't have to deal with it alone," she says, kneeling beside the mattress. "I know things are weird right now, and I'm not sure what's happening. But if something's bothering you, I want to help!"
My heart twists. She's so young. So sure that honesty fixes everything. That truth always sets you free.
I used to believe that too.
"It's not that simple," I murmur, glancing at the laptop. "I've learned things about what happened before I got here... things that might change everything."
Lucia tilts her head, brow furrowed. "That sounds really hard," she says softly. "But maybe you should talk to Logan? I mean, if something's wrong, he should know!"
Her innocence hits me like a physical ache. She still believes in heroes—in right and wrong, black and white. She hasn't learned yet that sometimes the bravest people carry the heaviest shadows.
"I don't know, Lucia," I admit, my voice barely steady. "What if it just makes everything worse?"
"I don't think it could be worse than being alone with it." She says it with such conviction, such simple wisdom. "You're not alone here. We all trust each other. It might help to talk to him, even if you're scared."
Before I can respond, a shout echoes down the hallway: "Get ready! We've got a situation!"
"That's Eli." Lucia jumps to her feet, worry flashing across her face. "We need to check what's happening!"
"No, wait—" I start to protest, but she's already tugging me toward the door with surprising strength.
"We need to know what's going on outside," she insists. "You can't hide forever."
The hallway buzzes with tension as we step out. But before we can reach Eli's voice, another figure rounds the corner?—
Logan.
