His wife was never meant to survive

KIAH

Kiah stared at the photo, her brother's face marked for death, and the world tilted.

"No." Her voice cracked. "No, no, no."

Arthur snatched the photo back and handed it to his security chief. "Triple the guards at the prison. Now."

"Sir, we do not have jurisdiction...."

"I do not care about jurisdiction." Arthur's voice was lethal. "If anything happens to Ethan Taylor, I will hold you personally responsible."

The man disappeared.

Kiah could not breathe. Her chest was tight, her vision blurring at the edges.

"Ethan." She grabbed Arthur's arm. "They are going to kill him. We have to...."

"We have to think." Arthur pulled his arm free, his expression carved from stone. "Panic gets people killed."

"He is my brother."

"And he has leverage." Arthur's eyes were cold. "Whoever is behind this knows that. They know you will do anything to save him. Which makes you predictable. And predictable people are easy to control."

Kiah wanted to scream at him. To shake him. To make him feel something.

But he was right.

She was panicking.

And panic would not save Ethan.

She forced herself to breathe. To think.

"Two days," she said quietly. "What do they want me to do in two days?"

Arthur's jaw tightened. "That is what we need to find out."

The car pulled into an underground garage beneath a building Kiah did not recognize.

Arthur got out first and gestured for her to follow.

They took a private elevator to the top floor. No buttons. No stops. Just silence and the hum of machinery.

When the doors opened, they stepped into a sleek office that looked like a war room.

Monitors lined the walls. Maps. Photos. Documents.

A man stood at the center of it all, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

He was older than Arthur. Late forties. Sharp suit. Sharper eyes.

"Victor Hale," Arthur said. "This is Kiah Taylor."

Kiah froze.

Victor Hale.

The name was familiar. She had seen it in the news. A board member. Powerful. Connected.

And Arthur had brought her to him.

Victor smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "Mrs. Lucas. Congratulations on your engagement."

The way he said it made her skin crawl.

"Thank you," Kiah said carefully.

"Victor is one of the few people I trust," Arthur said. "He has been helping me investigate the threats."

Victor gestured to the monitors. "We have been tracking communications. Payments. Patterns. Whoever is behind this is well-funded and well-connected. They have been planning this for months."

Kiah moved closer to the screens. One showed the photo of her and the stranger outside the coffee shop. Another showed Ethan's prison file.

"Who is the man in the photo?" she asked.

Victor glanced at Arthur, then back at her. "We do not know yet. But we are running facial recognition. We will have an answer soon."

"Soon is not good enough." Kiah's voice was tight. "They gave us two days."

"Which means they are rushing," Victor said. "Rushing means mistakes. And mistakes mean we can find them."

Arthur stepped closer to the monitors, his gaze fixed on one in particular.

A map of the city. Red dots scattered across it.

"What are those?" Kiah asked.

"Locations connected to your brother's case," Arthur said. "The courthouse. The law firm that represented him. The judge's office."

Kiah's breath caught. "My father's office?"

"Yes."

She stared at the screen, her mind racing. "You think my father is involved?"

"I think," Arthur said slowly, "that your father knows more than he has said."

ARTHUR

Arthur watched Kiah process the information.

She was smart. Smarter than most people he worked with.

But she was also emotional. And emotions made people weak.

He needed her focused. Sharp.

Not drowning in fear for her brother.

"Victor," Arthur said without looking away from Kiah. "Give us the room."

Victor nodded and left without a word.

The moment the door closed, Kiah turned on Arthur.

"You think my father is involved in this?" Her voice was shaking. "He is a judge. He has spent his entire life upholding the law."

"And the law is corrupt." Arthur moved to the desk and poured two glasses of whiskey. He held one out to her. "Your father has been a judge for thirty years. You do not stay in that position without making compromises."

Kiah did not take the glass. "He would never hurt Ethan."

"Maybe not intentionally." Arthur set the glass down. "But people like your father are useful to people like Victor. They make rulings. They sign orders. And they do not ask questions."

"Victor works for you."

"Victor works for himself." Arthur's tone was flat. "He has his own agenda. And right now, that agenda aligns with mine. But that does not mean I trust him."

Kiah stared at him. "Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because I need you to see how deep this goes." Arthur stepped closer. "Your brother is not in prison because he committed a crime. He is in prison because someone wanted him silenced. And now that you are my wife, they think you are the key to whatever he knows."

"I do not know anything."

"They do not believe that." Arthur's gaze was relentless. "And until we prove it, you are a target."

Kiah's hands curled into fists. "So what do we do?"

Arthur pulled a phone from his pocket. Not his usual one. A burner.

He held it out to her.

"You are going to call your father," he said. "And you are going to ask him about Ethan's case. Every detail. Every ruling. Every person involved."

Kiah took the phone with shaking hands. "And if he refuses to tell me?"

"Then we will know he is hiding something."

KIAH

Kiah stared at the burner phone like it was a loaded gun.

She had not spoken to her father since Ethan's sentencing. He had stood in the courtroom and watched his son be taken away in handcuffs.

And he had done nothing.

Because he believed the system was just.

Even when it destroyed his own family.

Kiah dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear.

It rang three times before he answered.

"Hello?"

Her father's voice was the same. Steady. Authoritative.

It made her want to cry.

"Dad." Her voice cracked. "It is Kiah."

Silence.

Then, "I heard about your engagement."

Of course he had. The press conference had been everywhere.

"I need to talk to you," Kiah said. "About Ethan."

Another pause. "Kiah, I cannot....."

"Someone is threatening to kill him." The words tumbled out. "They gave me two days. I need to know what he saw. What he knows. Please, Dad. If you know anything....."

"I do not." His voice was firm. Too firm. "Ethan was convicted based on evidence. I have reviewed the case myself. There is nothing unusual about it."

"You are lying."

Her father exhaled slowly. "Kiah, you are in over your head. Marrying Arthur Lucas was a mistake. That man is dangerous."

"He is trying to help me."

"He is using you." Her father's tone hardened. "And if you are not careful, you will end up just like....."

The line went dead.

Kiah stared at the phone, her heart pounding.

"What did he say?" Arthur asked.

"He hung up." Kiah's voice was hollow. "But he was about to say something. Someone's name."

Arthur took the phone and checked the call log. His expression darkened.

"The call was traced," he said quietly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means someone was listening." Arthur's jaw tightened. "And now they know you are asking questions."

Before Kiah could respond, Arthur's phone buzzed.

He answered immediately. "What?"

His face went white.

"When?" A pause. "Are you sure?"

He ended the call and turned to Kiah.

"We need to leave. Now."

"What happened?"

Arthur grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the elevator. "There was an explosion at the prison."

Kiah's heart stopped. "Ethan...."

"He is alive." Arthur's grip was bruising. "But three guards are dead. And someone left a message."

"What message?"

The elevator doors opened, and Arthur shoved her inside.

He turned to face her, his expression colder than she had ever seen it.

"They said the next bomb is for you."

The car was waiting when they reached the garage.

Arthur pushed Kiah into the back seat and climbed in beside her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere safe."

"Nowhere is safe." Kiah's voice was rising. "They just bombed a prison. They are going to kill me. They are going to kill Ethan."

Arthur grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Listen to me." His voice was low. Dangerous. "You are not going to die. I will not let that happen. Do you understand?"

Kiah stared at him, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you care?"

Arthur's eyes darkened. For a moment, she thought he might answer.

Instead, he let her go and turned away.

"Because you are mine," he said quietly. "And no one takes what is mine."

ARTHUR

Arthur stared out the window as the car sped through the city.

His mind was already three steps ahead.

The explosion was a message. A warning.

Whoever was behind this wanted Kiah to know they could reach her anywhere.

Even in the one place that should have been secure.

His phone buzzed again. Another message from the unknown number.

"You cannot protect her. She knows too much. And so do you."

Arthur deleted it and made a decision.

He had been playing defense long enough.

It was time to go on the attack.

He pulled up Victor's number and sent a single message.

"Find out who visited Ethan in prison. Every name. Every date. I want a list in one hour."

The response came immediately.

"Already working on it."

Arthur pocketed the phone and glanced at Kiah.

She was staring at her hands, her face pale, her breathing uneven.

She looked fragile.

But Arthur knew better.

Kiah Taylor was stronger than she realized.

She just did not know it yet.

And by the time this was over, she would have to be.

Because the people hunting her would not stop until she was dead.

Or until Arthur burned the world down to keep her alive.

The car pulled up to a private estate outside the city.

High walls. Armed guards. Cameras everywhere.

Arthur helped Kiah out of the car and led her inside.

The house was modern. Cold. Sterile.

A fortress.

"You will stay here until I deal with this," Arthur said.

Kiah turned to him. "You are leaving?"

"I have to."

"No." She grabbed his arm. "You said I was not safe. If I am not safe, then neither are you."

Arthur pulled his arm free. "I can handle myself."

"So can I."

"Not against this." Arthur's voice was sharp. "Stay here. Do not leave. Do not call anyone. Do not trust anyone."

Kiah's eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. "Not even you?"

Arthur stared at her, and for the first time in years, he felt something crack inside him.

Something dangerous.

Something he could not afford.

"Especially not me," he said quietly.

Then he walked out, leaving her alone in the silence.

And as the door closed behind him, Arthur made a silent promise.

He would find whoever was behind this.

And he would make them pay.

Even if it cost him everything.

KIAH

Kiah stood in the empty house, her chest heaving.

She was alone.

Trapped.

And running out of time.

She pulled the burner phone from her pocket and stared at it.

One contact. One call.

She had no idea who was on the other end.

But she was out of options.

She dialed the number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then a voice answered. Low. Distorted.

"Kiah Taylor. I have been waiting for your call."

Her blood turned to ice.

"Who are you?"

A pause.

"Someone who knows what your brother saw. And someone who can keep you both alive."

Kiah's heart pounded. "What do you want?"

"Meet me tomorrow. Midnight. Come alone. If you bring Arthur Lucas, your brother dies."

"Where?"

The voice gave her an address.

Then the line went dead.

Kiah stood frozen, her mind racing.

She had twenty-four hours.

And a choice that would either save her brother.

Or destroy them all.