My Dad is the CEO who wants me Dead

Bunker

The safe house was underneath a laundromat.

Elena led them through a back door, down a flight of creaky stairs, and into a room that looked like it hadn't been updated since the 1990s. Old computers lined the walls. Maps were pinned everywhere. And in the corner, a stack of weapons that made Liam's stomach turn.

"Nice place," Maya said, still catching her breath. "Very cozy."

Elena ignored her. She walked to one of the computers and started typing furiously. "Julian's people are everywhere. They've got eyes on every major road out of the city. We're stuck here for now."

Liam leaned against the wall, his heart still pounding. "How long have you had this place?"

"Since I went into hiding." Elena didn't look up from the screen. "I knew I couldn't stay in one spot forever. So I set up a few backup locations. This is the last one."

"Last one?"

"Julian found the others." Elena's voice was flat. "He burned them down. Killed the people who helped me hide."

Liam felt sick. "How many?"

"Six." Elena finally turned to look at him. "Six people died because they helped me. And I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Maya sat down heavily on an old crate. "This is insane. He's insane. We can't fight someone like that."

"Yes we can." Liam's voice was quiet but firm. "We just need to be smarter."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Got any ideas?"

Liam walked over to the wall of maps. His eyes scanned the city, the neighborhoods, the buildings he'd memorized during his years as a janitor.

"Julian's operation is based at Elysian Tower," he said. "That's where his office is. That's where all his records are stored. If we can get inside—"

"Inside?" Maya's voice went up an octave. "Liam, that's the first place they'll look for us. The security is insane. You know that."

"I know the security," Liam said. "I spent five years walking through that building every single night. I know every camera, every blind spot, every guard rotation. If anyone can get in, it's me."

Elena stood up. "And then what? You get in, you get the files, and you walk out?"

"Not exactly." Liam pointed at the map. "There's a server room on the 47th floor. It's separate from the main network, isolated. That's where Julian keeps his private data. If we can access that, we can find out everything. His plans, his connections, his weaknesses."

"And how do we get past the biometric locks?" Elena asked. "Those things need a retinal scan and a fingerprint."

Liam smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"I've been cleaning that floor for three years," he said. "I know exactly whose eyes and fingers will get us in."

Three hours later, they had a plan.

Liam would go in alone. He'd use his janitor's uniform to blend in, just like always. Maya would be his eyes and ears from the outside, monitoring the security feeds. Elena would stay at the safe house, ready to extract them if things went wrong.

"You're insane," Maya said for the fifth time. "This is insane."

"Probably," Liam agreed. "But it's the only shot we've got."

Maya grabbed his arm. "What if something happens to you? What if they catch you?"

"Then you run," Liam said. "Both of you. You disappear and you never look back."

"I don't want to run anymore."

Liam looked at her. There was something fierce in her eyes now, something that hadn't been there before.

"Neither do I," he said softly.

Elena cleared her throat. "Hate to interrupt, but we've got a problem."

She pointed at one of her monitors. A news channel was playing, and the headline made Liam's blood run cold.

BREAKING: Elysian Tech CEO Announces Manhunt for Fugitive Employees

The screen showed pictures. Liam's face. Maya's face. Mike's face, marked with the word "DECEASED."

"Julian's gone public," Elena said. "He's calling us thieves. Says we stole company secrets and killed Mike when he tried to stop us."

Maya stared at the screen in horror. "He's framing us. Just like he framed Mike."

"Just like someone framed me five years ago," Liam said quietly.

Elena looked at him. "You think Julian was behind that too?"

"I don't know." Liam shook his head. "But I'm going to find out."

He pulled on his janitor's uniform. It was the same gray jumpsuit he'd worn for years, the one that made him invisible. But tonight, it felt different. Like armor.

"I'll be back by sunrise," he said. "If I'm not—"

"Don't say it." Maya's voice was sharp. "You're coming back. We're all coming back."

Liam almost smiled. "Okay."

He walked toward the door, but Elena stopped him.

"Liam." She looked at him with those familiar eyes, the ones he'd dreamed about for years. "Be careful."

"I will."

"And Liam?" She paused. "I'm sorry. For everything. For disappearing. For making you think I was dead. I thought it was the only way to keep you safe."

Liam looked at her. All the anger he'd felt over the years, all the grief and the pain, it was still there. But underneath it, there was something else.

Hope.

"We'll talk about it when I get back," he said.

Then he walked out the door.

---

The laundromat was quiet when he stepped onto the street.

Liam pulled his hood up and started walking. The city was dark around him, the only lights coming from the occasional car or streetlamp.

He'd walked this route a thousand times. Every night for five years, he'd made the journey from his apartment to Elysian Tower. The path was burned into his memory.

But tonight was different.

Tonight he wasn't walking to clean.

He was walking to destroy.

---

Elysian Tower loomed in front of him like a glass and steel monster. Liam stopped at the service entrance, the one the janitors used, and swiped his keycard.

The door clicked open.

He stepped inside and immediately felt the change. The air was different. Colder. The lights were brighter. And there were guards everywhere, more than usual.

They nodded at him as he passed. Just another janitor. Just another nobody.

Liam kept his head down and pushed his cart toward the elevators.

"Hey." A guard stopped him. "You're not supposed to be here tonight. Building's on lockdown."

Liam's heart skipped a beat. "I'm just here to do my rounds," he said, keeping his voice steady. "Been doing it for years."

The guard squinted at him. Then he shrugged. "Whatever, man. Just stay out of the restricted areas."

Liam nodded and pushed his cart past the guard.

He made it to the service elevator and pressed the button for the 47th floor.

The doors closed.

Liam leaned against the wall and let out a long, shaky breath.

One floor down. Forty-six more to go.