"Boss, we should wait until Hailey wakes up before going to the mountains."Leonard drove the replacement car through the early morning darkness. Jayce sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window without really seeing anything."The doctors said she might not wake up at all," Jayce's voice was hollow. "And even if she does, it could be days. We don't have days. Robert and The Collector know we're looking for my father's backup research. They'll beat us to it if we wait.""What if it's another trap? What if they're waiting for us at Master Chen's compound?""Then we deal with it." Jayce finally looked at Leonard. "I can't just sit in that hospital watching my wife die. I need to do something. Anything."Agent Santos had tried to stop them from leaving, but Jayce had slipped out while she was coordinating security. He'd left her a message saying he'd be back in twenty-four hours. She was probably furious by now.They drove in silence for another hour as the sun began to rise. The

They made it to the car and threw Leonard into the back seat. April got behind the wheel while Jayce sat with Leonard, trying to stop the bleeding."How bad is it?" April asked, starting the engine."Bullet went through. Clean wound. He'll live if we get him to a hospital." Jayce pressed his jacket against Leonard's shoulder."Boss," Leonard grimaced in pain. "The letter. Did you grab the letter your father left?""Yes." Jayce pulled it from his pocket. It was wet but readable. "I grabbed it while Robert was focused on the hard drive and journal.""Read it. Might be important."April drove down the mountain at dangerous speeds while Jayce opened the letter. His father's handwriting. Seeing it after all these years made his throat tight."My dear son," Jayce read aloud. "If you're reading this, it means I'm dead and you've found your way to Master Chen's compound. It also means The Collector has finally made their move against our family. I'm sorry you've been dragged into this war. I

Jayce dove to the side as the bullet hit the wall where his head had been. He rolled and came up beside the hospital bed, using it as cover."DON'T SHOOT!" Ella screamed at her brother. "Please! He's innocent!""Nobody's innocent," the masked man said. He fired again, this time hitting the bed. Feathers exploded from the pillow.Jayce grabbed the IV stand and threw it at the man. It hit him in the chest, making him stumble back. Jayce charged forward and tackled him.They crashed through the doorway into the smoke-filled hallway. Jayce grabbed for the gun but the masked man was strong. Trained. He flipped Jayce over and pressed the gun against his throat."Any last words?""Yeah. Duck."The man looked confused. Then Leonard's fist connected with his masked face, sending him sprawling. Leonard grabbed his wounded shoulder and winced but stayed standing."We need to move!" Agent Santos appeared through the smoke with April. "The helicopter is on the roof waiting to extract them! If we d

"Boss, you've been staring at that wall for twenty minutes. Talk to me."Leonard sat across from Jayce in the safe house's living room. Dawn was breaking outside, painting the sky orange and red. In twelve hours, they'd be heading to the island. Possibly to their deaths."Emma said one of you is the father," Jayce said finally. "One of you three is the mastermind behind The Collector.""And you believe her? The woman who poisoned Ella? The woman who's lied about everything since the day she started working for the Barker family?""I don't know what to believe anymore." Jayce turned to look at him. "Tell me the truth, Leonard. Are you the father?""No.""Prove it."Leonard stood up and pulled off his shirt, wincing as the movement hurt his wounded shoulder. His torso was covered in scars. Old scars. Torture scars."See these? I got them five years ago in a military prison. I was being interrogated by foreign agents who thought I knew classified information. They tortured me for six wee

"Boss, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."Leonard noticed Jayce standing frozen at the dock's edge. He walked over, concern on his face."I just got a call from the father. He claims Richard Cole is working for The Collector. That these fifty men are a trap."Leonard's expression hardened. "Do you believe him?""I don't know. But we can't take the chance." Jayce looked at Gregory and his team loading the boats. "We need to leave. Now. Without them.""Too late for that."They turned to see Gregory pointing a gun at them. Behind him, all fifty men raised their weapons. They were surrounded."Sorry, gentlemen," Gregory said, not sounding sorry at all. "But I have my orders. Mr. Cole wants you delivered to the island alive. Don't make this difficult.""Richard is working for them," Leonard said bitterly. "We walked right into it.""Richard is a businessman. He works for whoever pays the most. And The Collector pays very, very well." Gregory gestured with his gun. "Now, put down