Chapter 3

I practically fled back to my apartment.

Every step felt like torture, wondering if every person I passed was watching me. My hands were shaking so bad it took me three tries to get the damn key in.

The first thing I did after rushing inside was grab my phone and call the FBI hotline. I had the number memorized—I'd thought about calling so many times over the past three years, but never needed to as desperately as now.

"FBI hotline, how may I help you?"

"This is Aria Winters, case number..." I rattled off my info, my voice shaking. "I need to report something important about Ghost..."

The operator was about to take notes when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

The sound cut through the silence and my blood went cold.

"Ma'am? You still there?" the voice asked.

I stared at the door as the bell rang again, more urgently this time. I knew who it was. I knew he was waiting outside.

Footsteps, then gentle knocking.

"Aria? It's Kai. Got us some dinner."

His voice came through the door, still so polite, so... normal. But I knew it was all bullshit.

"Ma'am, would you like us to send someone to your location?" The voice on the phone sounded concerned.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Kai's voice came again: "I know you're home, Aria. Door's unlocked - I'm coming in."

What? Unlocked? No way, I definitely locked it...

The lock clicked, and the door slowly swung open.

Kai stood in the doorway, holding a bag of Thai takeout, with that creepy fake smile.

He glanced at the phone in my hand, then calmly walked in. "Dinner time. Got your favorite Thai food," he said, casually closing the door behind him.

I'd never mentioned liking Thai food to anyone.

"Ma'am? You still there?" The voice got more urgent.

Kai walked up to me and pressed the end call button. Like it was nothing, like turning off the TV.

"No need to bother them," he said. "We need to talk."

I clutched the dead phone, backing away. "How did you know where I live?"

"I know a lot of things, Aria." He put the takeout bag on the coffee table, still moving like he owned the place, but his eyes had completely changed. That fake nice-guy act was gone, showing the coldness I remembered. "Like what you were about to tell the FBI."

The room suddenly felt freezing. I wanted to run, but I couldn't move.

"You..." my voice was barely a whisper, "you really are..."

"I'm done pretending," he cut me off, sitting down on my sofa like he lived here. "Yeah, I'm Ghost. But I'm not here to hurt you."

Hearing that name from his lips, my world completely collapsed. Three years of nightmares came flooding back: the cold basement, the sound of chains, his threats.

"You held me captive for three fucking years!" I got so pissed I forgot to be scared. "And now you're saying you want to protect me?"

"El Serpiente's guys are already here in California." His face got serious. "They want payback for their dead guys. You think witness protection can actually keep you safe? They don't even know I'm still alive."

"Is this your new game?" I demanded, still shaking. "Let me think I escaped, just so you could grab me again? You get off on watching me break?"

He looked directly at me, his eyes showing emotions I couldn't read. "If I wanted to take you, do you think you'd be sitting here giving me shit?"

I didn't know what to say to that. He was right—if he really wanted to drag me back, with his skills, I wouldn't stand a chance.

"What do you want then?" I managed to ask.

"I want you alive." Simple and direct. "El Serpiente won't fuck around like I did. They'll kill you outright, then send the video to the FBI to show everyone how useless witness protection really is."

"I don't believe you." But my voice had lost its anger, just tired and scared now.

"You don't need to believe me, but you need to stay alive." He stood up from the sofa.

I watched him, trying to figure out if he was lying. But I could never read Ghost, even at my most desperate moments, I never knew what he was thinking.

"Why?" I asked. "Why protect me?"

He was quiet for a moment, something complicated flashing in his eyes. "Because you're my responsibility."

That answer confused me even more, but I didn't get a chance to dig deeper. My brain was screaming that no matter what he said or why he was here, I couldn't trust him. I needed to get out, find real help.

When he turned to mess with the takeout, I made a run for the door.

But Kai was faster than I expected. He cut me off, though weirdly, he didn't get violent.

"Let me go!" I yanked on the door handle. "I'm calling the cops!"

"You really want to do that?" he asked calmly, pulling out his phone.

"The FBI will protect my family!" I shouted.

He didn't say anything, just showed me his phone.

In the photo, my dad sat in that coffee shop on Fifth Street, his usual latte in front of him. Time stamp said fifteen minutes ago.

My blood turned to ice.

"Your dad's at that coffee place on Fifth Street right now," Kai's voice was scary calm. "Your mom's getting your little brother from daycare..."

He swiped the screen, showing another photo: Mom holding Tommy's hand as they walked out of the preschool.

"If you touch them..." I couldn't finish.

"You think there's anything I can't do?" He put his phone away. "But I don't want to hurt anyone, including you. I just need you to understand how fucked your situation really is."

I slumped down against the door. I had nothing left to fight with.

He'd won, just like three years ago. He always knew exactly how to break me.

"I need you to work with me," he crouched down to look at me. "Act like we're friends. Play along with the cousin thing. Let me handle El Serpiente, then you'll actually be free."

"How do I know you're not bullshitting me?"

"You don't," he said straight up. "But what choice do you have?"

We both went quiet. I could smell the Thai food, but it made me want to puke.

He was right and I knew it. Just like before, I was trapped.

But this time was different. This time I wasn't locked in a basement - I was in a bigger cage, but still a cage.

What scared me most was not knowing how this would end, or if I'd survive it.