Twisted Hearts.

Chapter Three: Masks and Motives

The air was electric as night fell, the city lights flickering like stars trying to outshine the dark. Aurora slipped into her black jeans and charcoal-gray turtleneck, pulling her hair into a low, neat bun. Her heart raced beneath her skin, every beat a countdown to the moment they’d step back into the game—into the shadows.

Kael was already suited up in a dark jacket, fitting earpieces into place. He looked like he belonged in the chaos that was coming. Too calm. Too practiced. Like slipping into danger was second nature. And maybe, for him, it was.

“Ready?” he asked, adjusting the volume on his comm link.

Aurora gave a short nod. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. Selene’s already tracking Thorne’s movement. We’ll intercept at the charity gala tonight. Leland’s daughter is expected to speak.”

“Won’t security be tight?”

“Tighter than your resolve when you first met me,” he smirked.

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

But her pulse still jumped when he looked at her like that—like she was more than just another mission.

They headed down the fire escape, Selene waiting in a nondescript sedan parked in the alley. Her eyes scanned them quickly.

“You clean up well, Blake,” she said with a smirk. “Kael? You still look like a walking felony.”

He smirked. “Charming as ever, Rook.”

Selene tossed Aurora a tiny velvet box. “Your entry badge. Leland’s daughter has a weakness for exclusive donor circles. Your cover is that of a tech investor looking to sponsor youth robotics programs. She’ll be intrigued.”

“What about Kael?”

“He’s going in as security detail for the investor—you. Thorne’s used to spotting fake agents. But he won’t expect one of his own.”

Aurora opened the box and pulled out the badge. It shimmered under the streetlight. Official. Elegant. Dangerous.

“Get close,” Selene said as she started the engine. “But not too close. Thorne is smart. One wrong move and he’ll shut you out—or worse, signal the senator’s private security team. And those guys don’t play nice.”

As they pulled into the traffic, Aurora’s nerves buzzed beneath her skin. She wasn’t afraid of danger. She was afraid of losing control.

Kael glanced at her. “We’ve done worse.”

“Doesn’t make this easier,” she muttered.

“No. But it means we know how to survive it.”

As the gala venue came into view—an elegant museum nestled between embassies and marble-clad government offices—Aurora’s breath caught.

Golden lights spilled across the sidewalk, cameras flashed, and figures in sleek gowns and tailored suits flowed through security like a tide of privilege and power. And somewhere inside, surrounded by all that glamour, was the key to unlocking a national conspiracy.

And maybe, just maybe, her father’s death.

Aurora stepped out of the car like she belonged—shoulders squared, chin high, every step measured. The glittering glass entrance of the museum reflected her sharp silhouette as Kael followed closely behind, his demeanor cool and alert, scanning the crowd like a trained predator.

They passed through security with minimal scrutiny. Selene’s forged credentials held strong, and within minutes, they were inside the grand atrium, bathed in warm golden light and classical music.

“Eyes on the target,” Kael murmured into the comm link.

Aurora spotted her almost immediately.

Amara Leland.

Draped in sapphire silk that matched her eyes, she moved through the crowd like she owned it. Her smile was practiced, her handshake polished, but her eyes—those gave her away. There was an edge in them, a sharp glint of someone who’d seen too much and trusted too little.

Thorne stood a few feet behind her, just out of reach, watching everything. Broad-shouldered and stern-faced, he blended in with the other bodyguards, but his eyes were too sharp to be dismissed. He didn’t scan the room—he dissected it.

Aurora’s nerves fluttered as Kael nudged her shoulder.

“Now or never, sweetheart.”

She forced her feet forward.

Amara turned slightly as Aurora approached, offering that same diplomatic smile she’d given everyone else. But Aurora was ready.

“Amara Leland,” Aurora said, with just enough confidence to sound like she belonged. “I’m Aurora Blake. I’ve been following your education initiative for years.”

Amara’s expression warmed with polite interest. “Aurora. That’s kind of you. Are you involved in tech outreach?”

“I fund a few robotics labs across inner-city schools,” Aurora lied smoothly, holding out her hand. “I’d love to support your program.”

Amara shook her hand. “We need more people like you. Someone who sees beyond policy papers and actually helps these kids.”

As they spoke, Aurora subtly shifted her weight to give Kael a clear angle on Thorne. The bodyguard was watching. Every twitch of his eye tracked her like a hawk. Kael, in turn, moved into Thorne’s peripheral view—letting the man notice him without appearing to engage. Letting the veteran instincts kick in.

Amara gestured toward the art gallery wing. “Let’s talk in a quieter corner?”

Aurora nodded. “I’d like that.”

As they walked, Kael lingered back, falling in step beside Thorne with the casual confidence of someone who didn’t need to prove himself.

“Military?” Kael asked quietly.

Thorne gave a sideways glance, eyes narrowing slightly. “You?”

“Afghanistan. Embedded recon. 2011.”

“Fallujah. 2006.”

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken memories.

“I clocked your stance when you walked in,” Thorne said, finally. “You’re not just security detail.”

Kael shrugged. “And you’re not just a watchdog. But we play the parts we’re given, right?”

Thorne gave a tight nod, gaze flicking back to Amara and Aurora as they disappeared around the corner.

“She trusts easily,” Kael said, keeping his voice low.

“She trusts carefully,” Thorne corrected. “And she’s not stupid. So if you and your investor friend are here for more than funding...”

Kael met his gaze. “We’re here to stop something before it’s too late. Leland’s involved in something dirty. I don’t want her caught in the crossfire.”

Thorne’s expression didn’t shift, but the spark in his eyes dimmed slightly. Suspicion replaced with hesitation. Doubt.

“She’s all I’ve got left,” he muttered. “If you’re lying...”

Kael didn’t flinch. “I’m not.”

Thorne said nothing more. But he didn’t walk away.

Inside the gallery, Aurora and Amara stood beneath a massive sculpture made of twisted steel and broken glass.

“I lost someone close to me in a tech explosion,” Aurora said softly, leaning into her lie. “I know how dangerous secrets can be.”

Amara’s face softened. “You remind me of someone I used to know. A little too honest for this world.”

Aurora swallowed. “Maybe honesty’s the only weapon I have left.”

Outside, Kael’s voice came through her earpiece. “He’s listening. Keep going.”

“Tell me something,” Aurora said gently. “Why do you always have Thorne so close?”

Amara blinked. “He saved my life once. My father doesn’t trust anyone else to keep me safe.”

“And you trust him more than your father?”

There it was—just the flicker. A flash of something wounded in Amara’s eyes.

“I trust him to protect me. I don’t trust anyone else to tell me the truth.”

Aurora reached into her purse and discreetly placed a small encrypted chip on the edge of a nearby sculpture base. A data bug. Temporary. Clean.

“Then trust me when I say this,” Aurora whispered. “Someone close to you is hiding something very dangerous. If you want to know the truth, let Thorne meet with us. One time. Alone.”

Amara didn’t reply right away. But when she walked away minutes later, she left a folded napkin in Aurora’s hand.

On it: a time. A location.

And one word.

“Come.”

Midnight pressed down on the city like a velvet curtain, muffling sound, hiding sins. Aurora sat at the edge of the rooftop across from the meeting point—an abandoned courthouse with its broken pillars standing like relics from a forgotten empire.

Kael crouched beside her, watching the street through his binoculars.

“You think he’ll show?” she asked, fingers trembling slightly around her comms receiver.

Kael’s jaw clenched. “He’s ex-black ops. If he said yes, he’s coming. But we need to be sure he’s alone.”

Below, a black sedan rolled to a slow stop. No headlights. No guards. Just one man in a dark coat stepping out, his posture taut and defensive.

Thorne.

“Damn,” Kael whispered. “He’s risking a lot.”

Aurora adjusted her earpiece and took a breath. “Then let’s not waste it.”

She descended the fire escape quickly, boots hitting the concrete with a soft thud. She entered the courthouse through a side door, the building groaning around her like it remembered better days.

Thorne waited in the center of the marble floor, beneath a shattered chandelier.

“I could have killed you just now,” he said without looking at her.

“You could still try,” Aurora replied, stepping into the moonlight.

He turned to face her. No gun. No backup. Just that wariness that never really left a soldier’s eyes.

“Why me?” he asked. “Why not go straight to Amara?”

“Because you’d never let her near the truth until you were sure of it,” Aurora said. “And because I think you already suspect something.”

Thorne didn’t deny it. He simply crossed his arms.

“She’s all I have,” he said again, voice tight.

“We’re not trying to hurt her,” Aurora said. “We’re trying to stop whatever her father started. The Senator is involved in a covert operation. He’s funding a black-budget surveillance program. Experimental A.I. tech. Illegal. Dangerous.”

“Proof?” he asked.

Aurora pulled out a flash drive and set it on the cracked stone ledge between them. “It’s encrypted. You’ll need Kael to unlock it.”

Thorne gave her a long, unreadable look. “I don’t trust either of you.”

“Good,” she said. “Trust will only get you killed.”

Thorne hesitated, then reached for the flash drive. He tucked it into his coat.

“If this is real,” he said, “I’ll help you. But if it’s a setup—”

“It’s not,” Aurora said, stepping back. “And if you’re going to protect Amara, you’ll need more than brute force. You’ll need to outthink Leland.”

Thorne nodded slowly. “He was different before the election. Colder now. More paranoid. I’ve noticed things.”

“Then let’s find out what he's hiding—together.”

As Thorne turned and disappeared into the shadows, Kael’s voice crackled in her earpiece. “We’ve got him.”

Aurora exhaled, heart racing.

One step closer.

One mask cracked.

But in a world where lies wore suits and truths got people killed, trust was still the most dangerous weapon of all.