Chapter 20
"They didn't just kidnap her," Cole said, examining the shattered living room with a trained eye. "They tossed the place looking for something specific. The Apex Key."
"If Celeste had it, she would have used it or given it to me," I replied, staring at the drawing of the fractured star. "She spent the last two years trying to buy her redemption. She wouldn't hold back a weapon that could end Northstar permanently."
"Maybe she didn't know she had it," Cole suggested, holstering his weapon. "Thomas Hale was brilliant at hiding things in plain sight. We need to figure out what ties Celeste, your father, and this missing Key together."
I pulled my phone out and called Hannah, putting her on speaker.
"Hannah, Celeste is gone. The apartment was ransacked. We need you to dig into every communication my father ever had with her. Emails, encrypted files, financial transfers. Everything."
"I'm already running a deep sweep," Hannah's voice came through, sounding strained. "But the Architect's virus is aggressively wiping legacy data. It's a race. I'm trying to quarantine the old servers."
"Is the recovery center secure?" I asked, my thoughts snapping to my mother and Rosa.
"Miguel locked down the Georgian house," Hannah assured me. "The physical security protocols are engaged. Nobody gets through those gates without setting off the alarms."
"Keep them safe," I said. "Call me the second you find a connection."
I hung up and looked at Cole. "We need to get to Hale Systems headquarters. If Hannah is fighting this virus in real-time, she might need authorization to physically sever the mainlines."
As we left the apartment building, a black SUV with heavily tinted windows idled across the street. The moment Cole’s headlights swept over it, the SUV accelerated, disappearing into the rainy night.
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"They're watching us," Cole said, his jaw tight.
"They want us to find the Key," I realized, a cold wave of dread washing over me. "They tore up Celeste's apartment and didn't find it. They know I have the best chance of deciphering my father's secrets. We aren't just hunting for the Key, Cole. We're the bait."
