Chapter 10: The Ghost From the Past
1030 Words
"He's supposed to be dead."
The words sent a chill through me.
I turned back to the screen.
The man standing beside Olivia looked calm.
Too calm.
As if kidnapping a woman and threatening her life were just another Tuesday.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Cold eyes.
There was something unsettling about him.
Something familiar.
Not because I'd seen him before.
Because he looked like the kind of man who belonged in nightmares.
"Aiden who?" I asked.
Damien didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained locked on the screen.
Every muscle in his body was tense.
The video ended.
The room fell silent.
Finally, Damien spoke.
"Aiden Cross."
The name meant nothing to me.
Apparently, it meant everything to him.
"Who is he?"
A shadow crossed Damien's face.
"A mistake."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means he should have died five years ago."
My stomach tightened.
Five years ago.
Again.
Everything kept leading back to the same point.
The same year.
The same mystery.
The same secret Damien refused to fully explain.
I folded my arms.
"I'm getting tired of half-truths."
His gaze shifted toward me.
"Aria—"
"No."
I stepped closer.
"If I'm involved enough to be kidnapped, stalked, and traded for your sister, then I'm involved enough to know what's happening."
The panic room fell silent.
For a moment, Damien looked ready to refuse.
Then something changed.
Perhaps he realized I wasn't backing down.
Perhaps he was simply tired of fighting me.
Either way, he sighed.
And finally started talking.
---
"Five years ago, Project Eclipse wasn't a project."
I frowned.
"What was it?"
"A program."
The answer came quietly.
"Funded by people with power."
Politicians.
Business leaders.
Government officials.
The kind of people who controlled everything.
And answered to no one.
A knot formed in my stomach.
"What kind of program?"
Damien's jaw tightened.
"A dangerous one."
Not helpful.
At all.
I opened my mouth.
He held up a hand.
"Let me finish."
Surprisingly, I did.
Damien looked away briefly.
As if revisiting memories he hated.
"There were scientists involved."
My pulse quickened.
Scientists.
Like my father.
"The program was supposed to change lives."
His expression darkened.
"Instead, it destroyed them."
Silence followed.
Heavy silence.
Then he continued.
"Aiden Cross worked for Eclipse."
The name instantly brought my attention back.
"The kidnapper?"
Damien nodded.
"He was one of the lead researchers."
My stomach dropped.
Researchers.
Not soldiers.
Not criminals.
Researchers.
Which somehow felt worse.
Because intelligent people could create terrifying things.
"What happened?"
For several seconds, Damien said nothing.
Then—
"There was an accident."
The words sounded rehearsed.
Practiced.
Like he'd repeated them a thousand times.
I immediately knew there was more.
A lot more.
"What kind of accident?"
His eyes met mine.
Cold.
Haunted.
"The kind that left twelve people dead."
My breath caught.
Twelve.
Not one.
Not two.
Twelve.
The number echoed in my mind.
"Twelve people died?"
Damien nodded.
"The facility exploded."
A chill raced through me.
Suddenly, memories surfaced.
Old newspaper articles.
A story buried deep in the archives.
A fire.
An explosion.
A government investigation that disappeared almost overnight.
I had read about it years ago.
Most people forgot.
Apparently, they weren't supposed to.
"What happened to Aiden?"
"He died."
I stared at him.
"Clearly not."
For the first time in hours, Damien almost smiled.
Almost.
"He was declared dead."
The distinction mattered.
A lot.
Aiden Cross had disappeared.
The world assumed he was dead.
Now he was back.
And he had Olivia.
Which raised an important question.
Why?
"What does he want?"
Damien's expression hardened.
"Revenge."
The answer came too quickly.
Too confidently.
As if he'd already known.
As if he'd expected this day.
I swallowed.
"Against who?"
His eyes met mine.
And suddenly I understood.
Not Olivia.
Not me.
Damien.
Aiden wanted Damien.
Everything else was collateral damage.
---
Several hours later, the lockdown remained active.
Security teams flooded the estate.
Phones rang nonstop.
Nobody relaxed.
Nobody smiled.
Nobody slept.
Meanwhile, I sat alone in the panic room reviewing files.
Something wasn't adding up.
Aiden.
Project Eclipse.
My father.
The dead journalist.
The pieces existed.
They just didn't fit together yet.
I rubbed my tired eyes.
Then noticed something.
A file.
Hidden among hundreds of others.
A personnel document.
My pulse quickened.
The name at the top made my breath stop.
Dr. Richard Bennett.
My father.
Hands shaking slightly, I opened it.
Page after page appeared.
Research records.
Project reports.
Security clearances.
Then I found something unexpected.
A photograph.
Not of my father.
Of my father and Damien.
Together.
I froze.
The image looked old.
At least eight years old.
Damien appeared younger.
Less guarded.
Standing beside my father.
Both men smiling.
My heart pounded.
How was this possible?
Why had Damien never mentioned it?
A terrible feeling settled inside me.
Because suddenly the connection between us seemed far more personal.
Far more complicated.
The panic room door opened.
I looked up.
Damien entered.
The second he saw the photograph, he stopped walking.
Silence filled the room.
Neither of us spoke.
Neither of us looked away.
Finally, I broke first.
"You knew him."
The accusation hung in the air.
Damien remained still.
"You knew my father."
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Yes."
The single word shattered something inside me.
Every conversation.
Every warning.
Every secret.
He had known all along.
And he had hidden it from me.
Anger exploded through my chest.
I stood abruptly.
"How dare you."
"Aria—"
"How dare you keep this from me?"
Pain flashed across his face.
Real pain.
But I was too angry to care.
"My father is dead."
My voice cracked.
"He died without answers."
Damien took a step forward.
I stepped back.
Immediately.
The movement hit him harder than I expected.
His expression darkened.
Not with anger.
With hurt.
Good.
Let him hurt.
I had been drowning in questions for days.
Now it was his turn.
"Tell me everything."
My voice shook.
"Right now."
Silence.
Then Damien finally nodded.
And the look in his eyes made my blood run cold.
Because whatever he was about to tell me...
Was worse than I imagined.
Much worse.
To Be Continued.
- Writer
