Chapter 54 — The Buried Truth
Jay sat in the dim glow of the living room, his hand wrapped around a glass of untouched whiskey. Lena stood in the doorway, eyes fixed on him, unsure whether to speak or let the silence carry the weight of what he’d just revealed.
“She planned it,” he repeated, voice hollow. “Ava was the one who fed them everything. Where Elijah would be. What time. His habits. She acted like she was in love with me, but it was always about him.”
Lena’s chest tightened. “Why him?”
Jay finally looked at her. His eyes were distant, almost haunted.
“Elijah had a gift for tech,” Jay said. “More than I ever did. The kind of mind that could hack systems governments couldn’t even touch. Someone found out… and they wanted him. Not to kill. To use.” His jaw tightened. “They kept
