Blood Oath

Adrian Kane stood across the street from Hart International, watching the massive glass tower disappear and reappear behind the rain. Seven years. Seven years since he had last seen this city. Seven years since the world had buried him. Seven years since his family had mourned him. And seven years since Adrian had learned that the people he trusted had betrayed him. He reached into his coat and pulled out an old photograph. Four men stood together in the picture. They were younger then. Smiling. Confident. Alive. Adrian looked at the man standing beside him. Daniel. His older brother. The only person Adrian had trusted more than himself. Adrian's thumb moved slowly across Daniel's face. Daniel had disappeared on the same night Adrian's team was betrayed. Officially, he was presumed dead. But Adrian had never believed it. Not completely. He folded the photograph and slipped it back into his coat. His eyes returned to the building. HART INTERNATIONAL. The company belonged to Victor Hart. One of the most powerful businessmen in the city. A man whose public reputation was spotless. Philanthropist. Investor. Family man. But Adrian had spent seven years uncovering another side of Victor Hart. Money transfers. Shell companies. Secret meetings. Names that disappeared from records. And one connection that kept appearing whenever Adrian followed the trail far enough. Marcus Vale. Adrian's former commander. The man who had been with his team the night everything went wrong. The man Adrian believed had betrayed them. And the man who had disappeared immediately afterward. Adrian looked at his watch. 8:17 p.m. A black SUV pulled up outside Hart International. The rear door opened. A woman stepped out. Cream-colored coat. Black handbag. Long dark hair. She hurried toward the entrance while speaking on her phone. Adrian already knew who she was. Isabella Hart. Twenty-seven. Victor Hart's only daughter. University educated. Independent. No criminal record. No known involvement in her father's questionable business dealings. Adrian had spent weeks studying her. She appeared innocent. That made her dangerous in a different way. Because innocent people sometimes knew things without realizing their importance. Adrian watched as Isabella entered the building. He turned toward the man waiting beside the parked car. "Is that the driver?" Adrian asked. The man nodded. "Yes." "How long has she been working late?" "Almost every night this week." Adrian looked back at the tower. "Good." The man hesitated. "You sure about this?" Adrian's expression remained unreadable. "I didn't come back for revenge." The man looked surprised. "Then why?" Adrian's eyes hardened. "Answers." He walked toward the building. Inside Hart International Isabella stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her father's office. She knocked. No response. She knocked again. "Dad?" Still nothing. She opened the door. Victor Hart stood near the window with his back turned. He didn't appear surprised to see her. "You shouldn't be here." Isabella frowned. "It's almost nine." "I know." "You told me to bring these documents." She placed a folder on his desk. Victor didn't touch it. Instead, he stared through the window. Isabella noticed something unusual. Her father's office was normally immaculate. Tonight, several documents were scattered across the desk. And one drawer was open. "Is everything okay?" Victor turned. "Everything is fine." She didn't believe him. "Dad…" "Go home, Isabella." "You're acting strange." Victor walked toward her. "Please." The word stopped her. Victor rarely said please. She studied his face. "What happened?" "Nothing." "Then why are you frightened?" Victor's expression changed. "I'm not frightened." "You are." He looked away. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then Victor said quietly, "If someone asks you about the past, you tell them you don't remember anything." Isabella stared at him. "What past?" Victor realized his mistake. He immediately turned away. "Forget I said that." "Dad." "Go home." Isabella didn't move. "What's going on?" Victor's voice became firmer. "Isabella, go home." She picked up her handbag. But before leaving, she looked at him one last time. "You know you can tell me anything." Victor couldn't meet her eyes. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of." She left. The door closed. Victor remained motionless. Then his phone rang. Unknown number. He answered. "Yes?" A distorted voice spoke. "He's back." Victor's face drained of color. "Who?" Silence. Then: "You know who." The call ended. Victor slowly lowered the phone. His eyes moved toward the photograph sitting inside his desk drawer. A photograph he had not looked at in seven years. He opened the drawer. There were four men in the picture. One of them was Adrian Kane. Victor whispered, "Impossible." Outside Isabella walked toward the entrance. Rain hammered against the glass doors. She stopped beneath the awning. Her phone was dead. "Perfect," she muttered. She stepped outside. A gust of wind blew several papers from her handbag. "Seriously?" She crouched to collect them. One sheet slipped across the pavement toward the road. Isabella reached for it. A car suddenly approached. Its headlights flooded her vision. She froze. A hand grabbed her arm. She was pulled backward. The car sped past. Isabella stumbled. She looked up. A stranger stood in front of her. Dark coat. Wet hair. Hard eyes. There was something about his face that made her uneasy. He released her immediately. "Are you hurt?" She stared at him. "No." "Good." He turned to leave. "Wait." He stopped. Isabella picked up her papers. "Thank you." He nodded once. She studied him. "Do I know you?" "No." There was something strangely cold about the answer. "But you look familiar." Adrian's expression barely changed. "You've probably seen someone who looks like me." He walked away. Isabella watched him disappear into the rain. She didn't know why, but something about him unsettled her. Not because he had saved her. Because when he looked at her… it felt as though he already knew her. Adrian crossed the street. His phone vibrated. One message.. UNKNOWN NUMBER I KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE. He stopped walking. Another message appeared. SO DOES VICTOR HART. A third message arrived. ASK HIM WHAT HAPPENED TO DANIEL. His expression changed. For seven years, nobody had given him anything useful about Daniel. Not the authorities. Not his former colleagues. Not the people who had supposedly investigated the operation. Nobody. Adrian stared at the screen. Then another message appeared. YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE. Adrian typed: WHO ARE YOU? Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. No answer. Adrian looked up. Across the street, Isabella was still standing beneath the entrance. Their eyes met. For one brief moment, neither looked away. Then Isabella's phone rang. She answered. Adrian couldn't hear the voice on the other end. But he saw her expression change. Fear. She turned toward the dark street. Adrian immediately became alert. Someone was watching her. He scanned the surrounding buildings. Nothing. When he looked back, Isabella had disappeared inside. Adrian slipped his phone into his pocket. His investigation had just changed. He had returned to uncover the truth about Daniel. He had expected Victor Hart to be connected to it. He had expected Marcus Vale to be somewhere in the shadows. What he hadn't expected… was Isabella. Because there was something Victor Hart was hiding. Something connected to Adrian's brother. And somehow, Isabella Hart was standing at the center of it. Adrian looked up at the dark windows of Hart International. Seven years ago, he had lost everything. Now he had one chance to discover why. He wasn't going to waste it. But he didn't know yet that someone inside the building had already recognized him. And that person had just made one phone call. "Adrian Kane is alive."