Emma's POV
"Get away from the window!" Daniel shouts.
He moves faster than I can think. One second he's standing by his desk. The next he's grabbing my arm and pulling me backward. Lily shrieks as I scoop her up and stumble away from the glass.
Outside, Kara runs. The men chase her. Their black SUV rolls slowly beside her like a predator stalking prey.
"Stay here." Daniel's voice is hard. Commanding. He's already moving toward the door. "Lock this door behind me. Don't open it for anyone except me."
"Wait" But he's gone. Racing down the hallway. His footsteps thunder on the stairs.
I rush to the window with Lily still in my arms. Below, Daniel bursts through the front doors of the station. He's shouting something at the men. Showing his badge.
The SUV stops. One of the men tall, broad, wearing sunglasses even though the sky is gray steps out and faces Daniel. They're too far away. I can't hear what they're saying.
Kara keeps running. She disappears around the corner of a building.
"Mommy, who are those men?" Lily's voice trembles. "Why are they chasing the lady?"
"I don't know, baby." My heart pounds against my ribs. "But Detective Rivers will handle it."
Will he? Can he? Those men look dangerous. Professional. Like they've done this before.
Below, Daniel and the tall man are still talking. Or arguing. Daniel points back toward the station toward us. The tall man follows his gesture and looks up.
I jerk back from the window. Too late. He saw me.
The man pulls out a phone and makes a call. Thirty seconds later, two more black SUVs pull up. Six more men get out. All wearing identical dark suits. All moving with military precision.
This isn't good. This isn't good at all.
I lock Daniel's office door like he told me to. Then I pull out my phone with shaking hands and dial 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I'm at the Millbrook Police Station. There are armed men outside surrounding a detective. Send backup. Now."
"Ma'am, are you inside the police station currently?"
"Yes. Second floor. Office 214."
"And you say there are armed men outside?"
"I" I look out the window again. The men have moved. Some went in the direction Kara ran. Others stand near their vehicles. I don't actually see weapons. "I don't know if they're armed. But there are nine of them and one detective and they're looking for someone and"
"Stay where you are. Units are being dispatched."
The line goes dead.
I pace Daniel's small office. Three steps one way. Turn. Three steps back. Lily sits in Daniel's chair, hugging herself. She's too quiet. Too still. This is how she gets when she's really scared she goes silent and small.
"It's okay, sweetheart." I try to sound calm. "We're safe here. Daniel knows what he's doing."
"Who are those men?"
"I don't know."
"Who's the lady they're chasing?"
"I think" How do I explain this? "She might be an old friend of mine. Someone I thought died a long time ago."
"But she's not dead?"
"I don't think so. Not anymore."
"That's good, right? If your friend is alive?"
"I hope so." But I'm not sure. Not sure of anything anymore.
Five minutes pass. Ten. No one comes to the door. No sounds from the hallway. Just terrible, heavy silence.
I check the window again. The SUVs are still there but I can't see Daniel or the men. Where did they go?
My phone buzzes. Text from Unknown Number.
"Get Lily out of that building. Use the back exit. My car is in the alley. Silver Honda. Keys under the driver's side mat. GO NOW."
I stare at the message. Is this Kara? Or a trap?
Another text: "Emma, it's really me. Those men work for Marcus. They'll use Lily to make you cooperate. Daniel can't stop them they're too powerful. PLEASE. Trust me one more time."
My hands shake. Daniel told me to stay here. To wait for him. But what if Kara is right? What if those men come for Lily?
A third text: "Back stairwell. Down one floor. Exit through loading dock. You have maybe three minutes."
I make a decision. Probably the wrong one. But I'm done waiting for men to decide my fate.
"Lily, we're leaving." I grab her hand. "Stay close to me. Stay quiet. Can you do that?"
She nods. Eyes huge. Trusting me completely even though I'm terrified.
I unlock the door and peek into the hallway. Empty. We slip out and I close the door softly behind us.
The main stairwell is at the front of the building. Too exposed. I remember seeing another stairwell sign near the bathrooms. We head that way, moving fast but trying not to run. Trying not to draw attention.
The back stairwell is dim and narrow. Our footsteps echo too loudly. I hold Lily's hand tight as we descend. Down one flight. Then another.
First floor. The sign says "Loading Dock Access." An arrow points left.
We follow it through a hallway that smells like cleaning chemicals. Past storage rooms with closed doors. Past a break room where a coffee pot gurgles.
Then I see it. The exit door. Heavy metal with a push bar.
I'm reaching for it when someone grabs my shoulder from behind.
I scream and spin around.
It's Daniel.
"What are you doing?" His voice is sharp. Angry. "I told you to stay in my office."
"I Kara texted me. She said those men work for Marcus. She said we need to leave."
"And you believed her? Emma, you don't even know if that's really Kara sending those texts."
"But I saw her. Outside your window. She warned us."
"Or someone wants you to think that was Kara." Daniel's jaw is tight. "Those men outside? They're federal agents. They showed me credentials. They're looking for a woman wanted in connection with fraud and identity theft. A woman who's been using the name Kara Brennan."
My stomach drops. "What?"
"The woman you saw might look like your friend. But Emma, Kara died seven years ago. I saw the accident report. I spoke to the officers who responded. Your friend is gone."
"But the texts. The photo of us at the lake. The story about the fence"
"Could all be faked by someone who researched your past. Someone who wants to manipulate you." Daniel's expression softens slightly. "I know you want to believe Kara is alive. I understand that. But I think someone is using your grief against you."
"Marcus." The name tastes like poison. "You think Marcus is behind this."
"I think your ex-husband is dangerous and manipulative and probably involved somehow. But Emma, running away won't help. Let me do my job. Let me investigate properly. Let me keep you and Lily safe."
He's right. I know he's right. Running is what I always do. Running is how I ended up here in the first place.
But what if Kara really is alive? What if she needs my help?
"Okay," I say finally. "We'll stay. We'll do this your way."
Daniel's shoulders relax. "Thank you. Now let's get you back upstairs where"
The exit door behind us explodes open.
Three men in suits burst through. Two grab Daniel. The third reaches for me.
I push Lily behind me and back away. "Don't touch us!"
"Mrs. Cole." The man holds up empty hands. "We're not here to hurt you. We just need to ask some questions about your contact with the fugitive."
"What fugitive?"
"The woman impersonating Kara Brennan. She's wanted for"
"Show me your credentials," Daniel demands. He's struggling against the two men holding him. "Show me your badges."
The third man pulls out a wallet and flips it open. Federal ID. Looks official. But Marcus could fake that. Marcus has money and connections and he's smart enough to create false identities.
"We need you to come with us," the man says. "Both of you. For questioning."
"She's not going anywhere without me," Daniel says firmly. "And she has a right to a lawyer."
"We're not arresting her. Just talking. Voluntary cooperation."
Nothing about this feels voluntary.
The man takes a step closer to me. Lily whimpers behind my legs.
That's when I see her.
Through the still-open exit door. Standing in the alley beside a silver Honda.
Kara.
She's holding a gun pointed at the ground. She meets my eyes and mouths one word: "Run."
Before I can move, before I can decide, someone else appears behind Kara.
A man I recognize instantly even though I haven't seen him in three years.
Marcus.
He steps out from behind a dumpster. Smiling. Always smiling.
"Hello, Emma," he calls through the open door. "Did you miss me?"
Kara spins around but Marcus is faster. He grabs her wrist and twists. The gun falls. He kicks it away.
"Let her go!" I scream.
Marcus laughs. "Her? Emma, sweetheart, you still don't understand. This woman isn't Kara Brennan. Kara is dead. This" He yanks off Kara's wig.
Short blonde hair underneath.
Different face.
A stranger.
"This is Sarah Winters," Marcus continues. "A professional con artist who's been playing you for weeks. She works for me. She always has."
The world tilts. Everything I believed shatters like glass.
The woman who looked like Kara. Who knew our secrets. Who made me believe.
She's not Kara at all.
She's Marcus's spy.
And I fell for every single lie.