THE INTERROGATOR

The Truth About Nora

Cole didn't go to the café.

He stood in the hallway for a full minute, the phone clutched in his hand, his mind racing through possibilities. Katya was lying. Her sister was dead. The woman in the café was someone else entirely. A trap. It had to be a trap.

But why? What was Katya's endgame?

He typed a response to the unknown number: *Who is the woman in the café?*

The reply came almost instantly: *Her name is Elena. She's a former intelligence operative. She works for Shaw. Katya is delivering you to her.*

Cole's stomach turned. Elena. The same name as his wife. A cruel coincidence. Or maybe not. Maybe Shaw was playing games with him. Taunting him.

He pocketed the phone and made a decision. He wasn't going to the café. He was going to find out who was sending the texts.

The Warren was the key. The unknown texter knew about the Warren. They knew about Maksim. They knew about everything. That meant they had access to the same networks Cole did. Maybe they were in the Warren right now.

Cole moved through the compound with practiced silence. He avoided the guards, slipped through shadows, and made his way to the entrance to the Warren. The grate was hidden behind a maintenance shed. He lifted it and climbed down into the darkness.

The tunnels were empty. Silent. His footsteps echoed off the damp walls. He walked for twenty minutes, following the path to Maksim's safe room.

The door was open.

Cole's hand went to his weapon. He eased forward, his back to the wall, and peered inside.

The room was empty. The cot was overturned. The lamp was shattered. The walls were covered in scratches—deep gouges that looked like they had been made by fingernails.

Someone had been here. Someone had torn the room apart looking for something.

And then Cole saw it. A piece of paper on the floor, weighted down by a broken piece of the lamp. He picked it up and read it.

*I know who you are. I know what you're looking for. Meet me at the Night Owl. Come alone. I'll give you the answers you need.*

It was signed with a single initial: *E.*

Elena. The woman in the café. The one who worked for Shaw.

Cole's grip tightened on the paper. It was a trap. Every instinct screamed that it was a trap. But he had no other leads. No other options. The trail was cold.

He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Then he turned and walked back through the tunnels.

---

The Night Owl was a small café near the docks. Neon sign. Chipped paint. A few tables outside with umbrellas that had seen better days. The kind of place that was easy to miss. Easy to overlook.

Cole walked through the door and scanned the room. A few customers. A barista behind the counter. And in the corner booth, a woman.

She was in her late forties. Gray-streaked hair pulled back in a tight bun. Sharp eyes that missed nothing. A scar ran across her left cheek, faded with age. She was drinking tea and reading a newspaper.

She looked up as Cole approached. "Mr. Brennan. I was wondering when you'd arrive."

"Elena, I presume."

She gestured to the seat across from her. "Please. Sit. We have much to discuss."

Cole sat down, his eyes never leaving her. She was calm. Collected. The calm of a predator who knew she was in control.

"You wanted to meet," Cole said. "Here I am."

"Yes. Here you are." She folded her newspaper and set it aside. "You've been busy, Mr. Brennan. Interrogating Viktor. Meeting with Konstantin. Visiting the Blue Door. The Red Lotus. You've been making quite an impression."

"You've been watching me."

"I've been protecting you. There's a difference." She leaned forward. "You're being hunted, Mr. Brennan. Not just by Shaw. By people you haven't even considered. People you trust."

"Like who?"

"Like Maksim Volkov. He's not what he seems. He's been working for Shaw for years. He feeds information to the family. He trades in secrets. And he's been leading you by the nose since the moment you arrived."

Cole's jaw tightened. Maksim. The friendly informant. The man who had given him shelter. The man who had pointed him toward Anya at the Red Lotus.

"How do you know this?"

"Because I was the one who gave him his orders." Elena's voice was flat. "For the last six months, Maksim has been reporting to me. He's been Shaw's eyes and ears in the city. And he's been trying to get you killed."

Cole felt a cold fury building in his chest. Maksim had betrayed him. Set him up. Led him into traps.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want out. I've been Shaw's puppet for too long. I'm tired of the killing. The lies. The games." Elena's eyes met his. "I want to give you the one thing you've been looking for. The name of the mole."

Cole's heart stopped. "Who is it?"

Elena was silent for a long moment. Then she said, "Your daughter's aunt. Your sister. The woman who's been raising Riley. She's working for Shaw. She's been feeding him information about you for years."

Cole's blood turned to ice. His sister. The woman he trusted with his daughter's life. The woman who had promised to protect Riley.

No. It couldn't be true.

"You're lying," he said. "That's not possible."

"It's absolutely possible. Shaw offered her protection. Money. A new life. All she had to do was keep an eye on you. Report your movements. Make sure you never got too close to the truth."

Cole's hands were shaking. He could feel his carefully constructed world crumbling around him. His sister. The one person he had trusted. The one person who had been there for him when he had nothing else.

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she was afraid. Afraid of what Shaw would do to her. To Riley. She made a choice. The wrong choice. But she's still your sister. And she's still the only family Riley has left."

Cole stared at Elena. His mind was a maelstrom of emotions. Rage. Betrayal. Grief. But beneath it all, a cold clarity.

"If you're telling the truth, why are you helping me?"

"Because Shaw is planning to kill her. The sister. She knows too much. She's become a liability. And Shaw doesn't tolerate liabilities."

"When?"

"Tonight. He has a team moving into position as we speak. They're going to make it look like an accident. A home invasion. A robbery gone wrong."

Cole was already on his feet. "Where is she? Where's my sister?"

Elena handed him a slip of paper with an address. "Her house. She's there with Riley. You have maybe an hour before they arrive."

Cole took the paper and turned to leave. He was halfway to the door when Elena's voice stopped him.

"One more thing, Mr. Brennan. The person who's been sending you texts. The unknown number. It's Katya. She's been watching your back this whole time. I wouldn't trust her entirely, but she's not your enemy. Not today."

Cole paused. Katya. The woman who had lied about her sister. The woman who was working for Shaw. And also the woman who had been protecting him.

He didn't have time to process it. He had to move. Had to save his sister. Had to save his daughter.

He ran out of the café and into the night.

---

Cole drove like a madman through the streets of Red City. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. His mind was a blur of calculations. Time. Distance. Obstacles.

The address Elena had given him was a suburb on the outskirts of the city. Twenty minutes away. Maybe less if he pushed it.

His phone buzzed. A text from the unknown number.

*I know what Elena told you. Don't believe everything she says. Shaw's men are already on their way. You're running into a trap.*

Katya. It had to be Katya.

Cole ignored the message. He didn't have time for games. He had to get to Riley.

He pushed the accelerator to the floor. The city blurred past him. Buildings. Streetlights. Cars swerving out of his way.

Fifteen minutes. Ten. Five.

The suburbs appeared. Quiet streets. Well-maintained houses. The kind of place where nothing bad ever happened.

Cole skidded to a stop in front of his sister's house. He was out of the car before the engine died, running toward the front door.

He pounded on it. "Elena! Riley! Open the door!"

Silence.

He tried the handle. Locked. He stepped back and kicked the door open. It flew off its hinges.

"Elena! Riley!"

No answer.

Cole moved through the house. Living room. Kitchen. Stairs. He took them two at a time, his heart pounding in his chest.

The bedroom door was open.

Cole walked inside. The room was empty. The bed was made. Everything was in its place.

But something was wrong. Something was missing.

Riley's backpack. Her phone. Her jacket. All gone.

And on the bed, a single piece of paper.

*You're too late, Brennan. She's already mine.*

Cole crumpled the paper in his fist. His world came crashing down around him.

They had taken Riley. They had taken his daughter. The only thing in his life that mattered.

And he had no idea where they were taking her.

Cole pulled out his phone and dialed the unknown number. It rang once. Twice. Three times.

A voice answered. Katya's voice. "I warned you. It was a trap."

"Where is she?" Cole's voice was raw. Desperate. "Where is my daughter?"

"Cole, listen to me. Elena is not your ally. She's Shaw's right hand. She used you to get to Riley. She's delivering her to Shaw right now."

"Where. Is. She?"

Katya was silent for a moment. Then she said, "The docks. Old shipping yard. Sector 7. They're meeting on a container ship called the 'Elena.' That's where Shaw is waiting."

Cole was already running. "Don't hang up. Stay on the line."

"I won't. But Cole—"

"What?"

"Shaw isn't going to kill Riley. He's going to use her. To control you. To make you do what he wants. Whatever happens, don't let him see your fear. It's the only weapon you have."

Cole didn't answer. He was already in the car, the engine roaring to life.

His daughter was in the hands of the man who had killed his wife. The man who had destroyed his life.

And he was going to get her back. Whatever it took.