The police arrived within the hour, taking statements from the guards and photographing the abandoned bow before it was carefully bagged as evidence. Adrian answered their questions as thoroughly as he could, though he had little to offer beyond describing the archer's appearance and combat style."This isn't your first encounter with this individual," one of the officers said, reviewing his notes. "Ms. Garrett, according to your security reports, similar incidents have occurred before."Ezra nodded, her expression tight. "Several times over the past few months. He's always managed to escape before we could properly identify him."Adrian looked at her sharply. "Several times?""I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily," Ezra admitted. "The previous attacks were smaller, less direct. Arrows fired from a distance that never actually made contact. I assumed they were meant to intimidate rather than kill.""How many times has this happened?" Adrian pressed."Four, including tonight," Ezra

Selene Cross woke drenched in sweat for the third night that week, her breathing ragged as the fading fragments of her dream slipped through her fingers like smoke.Navine.That much had been clear, at least. His face, his presence, something about him threaded through every single dream she’d had over the past several nights, though the details themselves refused to settle into anything coherent. Sometimes he stood with his back turned, walking away into darkness she couldn’t follow. Other times he faced her directly, his expression unreadable, saying words she couldn’t quite hear no matter how desperately she strained to listen.Was she seeing something from the past, memories her subconscious mind had finally decided to resurrect after twenty years of carefully buried guilt? Or was this something else entirely, some kind of warning her mind was trying desperately to communicate?She sat up in bed, pressing her palm against her forehead, trying to steady her racing heart.Outside, t

Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Three - The HideoutAdrian waited patiently near his bedroom window that evening, watching the mansion’s driveway through the gap in his curtains, his patience finally rewarded when Sam emerged from the front entrance just past eleven, climbing into his car with the same unhurried confidence he’d displayed during previous late-night departures.This time, Adrian was prepared.He’d already arranged for a car of his own, parked discreetly along the mansion’s rear service road, understanding that following Sam directly from the main entrance would risk immediate detection.He slipped out through a side door, moving quickly to his waiting vehicle, keeping his headlights off as he pulled out just in time to catch sight of Sam’s taillights disappearing down the main road.He followed at a careful distance, maintaining enough separation to avoid detection while keeping Sam’s vehicle in sight as they moved through increasingly unfamiliar streets, eventually le

Adrian spent the following days quietly cross-referencing everything he’d photographed at Sam’s hideout against the details of the fabricated capture, methodically confirming what he’d already suspected the moment he’d laid eyes on the arrested man. The timeline didn’t match. The equipment recovered at the scene, while superficially similar to what he’d found in the warehouse, carried subtle manufacturing differences he hadn’t noticed until he’d enlarged his photographs for closer comparison. The bow used by the actual attacker had a distinctive, custom-carved grip, something Adrian remembered clearly from the moment he’d wrenched it from the archer’s hands during their fight. The weapon recovered from the staged suspect carried no such modification, a mass-produced piece purchased recently enough that the finish still held a slight sheen. Someone assembled this quickly, Adrian thought, reviewing his notes late one evening. Within days of the actual investigation beginning. That’s

The library had become familiar territory by now, Adrian and Joey settling into their usual corner table most afternoons after school, textbooks spread between them as they worked through whatever assignment demanded attention that week.Daniela noticed the pattern with growing irritation, watching from across the room one afternoon as Joey leaned closer to Adrian’s shoulder, pointing out something in her notes with a casual intimacy that made Daniela’s jaw tighten.“You’ve been here every day this week,” Daniela said, approaching their table with forced lightness.“Chemistry’s been brutal lately,” Joey said without looking up. “Adrian’s the only reason I’m passing.”“I could help you too,” Daniela offered. “I’m pretty good at chemistry.”“Adrian already knows what I’m struggling with,” Joey said. “It’s easier to just keep working with him.”Daniela’s expression tightened slightly, though she forced a smile. “Right. Of course.”She lingered a moment longer before finally retreating, f