07.Cracks In The Mirror
1237 Words
Previously on Ashes of Vengeance...
Alex Carter uncovered new links between the recent deaths of George and Henry, pushing him closer to the truth. Meanwhile, Mira—hiding in plain sight as Maya—has begun closing in on her next target: Louis, the manipulative puppet master of the group. But things are getting harder to control, as Alex’s suspicion grows... and Benny, now speaking and remembering more, is becoming harder to hide.
---
The sharp knock on Mira’s apartment door sliced through the silence like a warning bell. She was still holding a red marker, circling Louis Delacroix’s name on the board she’d pinned behind her bookshelf. Her heart skipped a beat. She shoved the cap back on and quickly flipped the board behind the false wall, masking the face of her next target.
The knock came again—firmer this time.
Mira stepped toward the door, forced calm into her breath, and opened it.
Alex stood there, in his grey CBI jacket, eyes darker than usual.
“Alex,” she said, pushing a smile to her lips. “Didn’t expect you this late.”
His eyes scanned her face—not with affection, but with something more clinical. Analytical. Suspicious.
“Can I come in?”
She stepped aside. “Of course.”
As he walked in, Mira's mind moved like a spinning wheel, calculating the timing. She had just returned from watching Louis from a distance. Just two nights ago, she’d infiltrated his elite charity gala as a masked server. Tonight, she was supposed to meet the hacker she’d paid to extract Louis’s past legal documents—the ones his family buried. Instead, Alex was here.
And something was wrong.
He turned to face her, arms crossed.
“We found something in George’s phone data,” he said.
Mira kept her expression neutral. “Really?”
He nodded. “He got a call just days before he died. Unregistered number. Voice modulated. But there’s one thing that slipped through—background noise. A church bell.”
Her stomach dropped, but she didn’t show it. There were dozens of churches in the city. Hundreds.
Alex continued, “There’s only one place in the city with that exact tone and ring timing. The bell tower in Westwood.”
Mira’s breath caught. That was the neighborhood Benny’s boarding school was in. She had spoken to George nearby, while returning from one of her secret visits to Benny. Had he recorded her call?
“You’re quiet,” Alex said, stepping closer. “You okay?”
She forced a laugh. “I’m just... surprised. Are you saying George might’ve spoken to someone from Westwood?”
Alex looked at her, long and hard. “Maybe. Or someone who was visiting someone there.”
The room felt like it shrunk.
Then his voice softened. “Mira, I have to ask. Where were you three nights ago? Around 9 PM?”
She blinked.
Was this it?
Was he finally suspecting her?
“I was... home. Writing. You know how I am with deadlines,” she said, gesturing vaguely to her laptop. “You can check.”
Alex didn’t move. He just looked at her. Studied her.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I don’t want to doubt you. I’m just under pressure. Henry’s family is making noise, and Louis...”
She tilted her head. “Louis?”
“He called me today. He’s scared. Thinks he’s next.”
He is, Mira thought.
Out loud, she said, “Maybe he should be. George and Henry weren’t exactly innocent, were they?”
Alex gave a tired chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “You sound like me now.”
But he was still watching her.
“I care about you, Mira. I really do. I just... I need to be sure about everything right now.”
She walked to him slowly, wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned her cheek against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat—strong, steady. He rested his chin on her head.
“You can ask me anything, Alex,” she whispered. “Anything.”
He kissed her forehead.
But something in him didn’t fully let go.
---
Later that night...
Mira sat alone, the soft hum of her laptop filling the air. The document from her hacker came in.
Louis Delacroix had buried more than money and bribes. There were photos. Videos. Letters from two girls who had accused him of coercion and abuse back in college. They’d disappeared—one confirmed to have taken her own life. The other still missing. Both cases quietly closed. Both families paid off.
He was worse than the others.
Worse because he knew the system. He used his clean reputation to destroy lives.
She clicked the screen and the video loaded.
It was grainy. A party. Laughter. A girl’s nervous face. Louis’s voice—low and threatening—before the screen cut to black.
Mira stared at the darkness, her hands trembling.
Her family burned while monsters like this lived free.
She wouldn’t let it happen again.
---
Two Days Later – Delacroix Estate
Louis Delacroix stood at the edge of his vast backyard, his phone pressed to his ear.
“I don’t care how much it costs,” he barked. “Get me security. Real ones. Not these buffoons my father hired.”
The call ended with a string of curses. He turned to head back into the mansion when a soft click echoed behind him.
He froze.
There, near the tree line, a figure stood. Black hoodie. Masked face. Something glinting in their hand.
Gun?
No. It was a recorder.
Then a voice came. Calm. Controlled.
“Do you remember Rachel Klein?”
Louis’s blood turned cold.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
The figure took a step forward.
“You took her voice,” they said. “Now I’ll return it.”
Suddenly, the recorder played. A distorted audio of Louis’s threat. The same one from the video. The voice of a frightened girl, begging.
Louis staggered back.
“I don’t know who you think you are—”
The figure threw something to the ground. Smoke burst in every direction. Louis coughed, stumbled, tripped—hitting the edge of the pool. He rolled over, gasping. The figure was gone.
But in the center of the backyard, nailed into the oak tree, was a message carved into wood.
"Confess. Or be consumed."
---
That Night – CBI Office
Alex Carter stared at the video footage security had caught of the Delacroix property. Smoke. Shadow. A figure, impossible to identify.
But one thing stood out.
After the smoke cleared, the camera briefly caught a glimpse of a bracelet on the figure’s wrist. A tiny chain with two charms.
A B and a star.
His mind went blank.
Mira had a bracelet like that.
He remembered her wearing it when she spoke about Benny.
---
Elsewhere...
Mira knelt beside Benny’s bed at the boarding house. He was half-asleep, clutching his toy truck.
She smoothed his hair back and whispered, “A few more steps, sweetheart. Then it’ll all be over.”
She kissed his forehead and slipped out.
In the shadows of the hallway, she paused.
The cracks in her double life were starting to show.
She had to finish what she started—before everything she loved was lost again.
---
To be continued…
- Writer
