Chapter 4
1010 Words
A scream caught in Evelyn's throat as the stranger's hand tightened over her mouth.
She froze.
The cold concrete wall pressed against her back while darkness swallowed the narrow passage.
"Listen to me," the man whispered. "If they hear you, we're both dead."
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
Not like the frantic shouting echoing through the collapsing tunnel.
Evelyn forced herself to stop struggling.
Slowly, the man's hand slipped away.
She spun around.
A tall man dressed entirely in black stood before her. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his sharp gray eyes studied every movement she made.
He placed a finger over his lips.
Footsteps thundered past the entrance to the passage.
"They went this way!"
"Find her!"
Flashlights swept across the corridor outside.
Evelyn held her breath.
The stranger reached into his coat and pulled her closer into the shadows.
The beams of light stopped only a few feet away.
One of the gunmen frowned.
"I could've sworn she came in here."
Another shook his head.
"It's a dead end."
"Forget her. The boss wants Kingsley alive."
Their footsteps faded.
Only after several long seconds did the stranger release Evelyn.
She immediately stepped back.
"Who are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"My name is Evelyn Hart."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So you're Evelyn."
"You know me?"
"I know enough."
Her heart pounded.
"Are you one of them?"
"No."
"Then whose side are you on?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the tunnel entrance.
"We don't have much time."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."
For the first time, a faint smile crossed his face.
"You're braver than I expected."
"And you're avoiding my question."
He sighed.
"My name is Lucas."
"Lucas what?"
"You'll know when it's safe."
Evelyn folded her arms.
"Everything started because of Adrian."
Lucas's expression changed.
"No."
"It started long before Adrian was born."
She frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, a loud explosion shook the passage again.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Lucas grabbed her wrist.
"We have to move."
This time, she didn't resist.
He led her deeper into the hidden corridor until they reached a rusted metal door.
Lucas entered a code on an old keypad.
The lock clicked.
Behind the door was a small underground room lit by emergency lights.
Maps covered one wall.
Several computer monitors flickered with security camera footage from different parts of the cathedral.
Evelyn stared in disbelief.
"What is this place?"
"A safe house."
"Under a church?"
"It wasn't always a church."
Lucas walked to one of the monitors.
The screen showed Adrian fighting three masked men despite the blood pouring from his injured arm.
Evelyn instinctively stepped closer.
"He'll get himself killed."
Lucas glanced at her.
"You still love him."
She looked away.
"No."
"You lied."
"I said no."
"Then why are you shaking?"
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
Her hands were trembling.
She clenched them into fists.
"I hate him."
Lucas didn't argue.
Instead, he pressed a button.
Another camera feed appeared.
The mysterious woman in black had been captured.
She was tied to a chair inside a warehouse.
One of the masked men stood beside her.
The leader entered the room.
He removed his mask.
Evelyn's eyes widened.
She had seen that face before.
Not at Adrian's company.
Not at a party.
But...
In a photograph.
Inside Adrian's family home.
She whispered in disbelief,
"...He's a Kingsley."Lucas's eyes never left the monitor.
"You recognize him."
Evelyn took a shaky step closer to the screen.
The man's face was unmistakable.
The sharp jawline.
The piercing dark eyes.
The silver signet ring engraved with the Kingsley family crest.
She had seen old family portraits hanging in Adrian's mansion dozens of times.
This man was in several of them.
She turned to Lucas.
"Who is he?"
Lucas remained silent.
"Tell me!"
"He is Victor Kingsley."
Evelyn searched her memory.
"Adrian told me his uncle died years ago."
Lucas let out a cold laugh.
"That's what the Kingsley family wanted everyone to believe."
Evelyn stared back at the screen.
Victor slowly circled the woman tied to the chair.
He stopped behind her and leaned close to her ear.
"You should have stayed hidden."
The woman lifted her head defiantly.
"I'll never tell you where it is."
Victor smiled.
"You don't have to."
He looked directly into one of the cameras.
"Adrian will."
Evelyn felt a chill crawl up her spine.
Lucas quickly switched to another camera.
This one showed Adrian.
He had been chained to a steel beam inside another warehouse.
His face was bruised.
Blood dripped from a cut above his eyebrow.
Yet he sat perfectly still.
As if he were waiting.
Waiting for the right moment.
Evelyn's chest tightened.
"No..."
Lucas noticed.
"You still care."
"I just don't want anyone to die."
He didn't respond.
Instead, he opened a drawer beneath the monitors and removed a thick, weathered file.
Across the front, stamped in bold red letters, were the words:
PROJECT PHOENIX
Lucas handed it to Evelyn.
"What is this?"
"The reason your life was destroyed."
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Newspaper clippings.
Bank records.
Medical reports.
Then...
A family photo.
She frowned.
It showed a young Adrian standing beside an older couple.
Next to them stood another little girl.
She looked about six years old.
Evelyn's eyes widened.
The little girl looked exactly like...
"The woman from the wedding," she whispered.
Lucas nodded.
"Her name is Isabella."
Evelyn looked back at the picture.
"But... she grew up with Adrian."
"Yes."
"They're family?"
Lucas took a deep breath.
"They were raised as brother and sister."
Evelyn's mind spun.
"Then why did she say she was his wife?"
Lucas closed the file.
"Because she really is."
Evelyn stared at him in horror.
"That's impossible."
"It should be."
The room fell silent.
Lucas looked at the monitor showing Adrian in chains.
His voice became almost a whisper.
"Everything you think you know about the Kingsley family..."
"...is a lie."
- Writer
