Chapter 9: Fractured Allegiances

The cold steel of Alyssa's gun glinted under the dim lighthouse light. Kaira's pulse thundered in her ears as she stood between two people she once trusted, now unsure who was friend and who was foe.

Adrian raised his hands slowly, his body tense. "Alyssa, don't do this."

Alyssa's grip didn't waver. "I warned you, Adrian. She wasn't supposed to know."

Kaira's throat tightened. "Know what? That you two have been lying to me? That my father was involved in something dangerous?" She took a step forward, her heart hammering. "Or that I'm just another loose end you need to tie up?"

A flicker of something—pain, hesitation—crossed Alyssa's face, but it was gone in an instant. "You don't understand, Kaira."

"Then make me understand," Kaira shot back.

Silence.

Then, Adrian moved. In a flash, he lunged at Alyssa, grabbing her wrist and twisting the gun upward. The shot rang out, deafening in the enclosed space.

Kaira ducked, heart slamming against her ribs.

Adrian wrenched the weapon from Alyssa's grasp, tossing it across the room. But Alyssa was fast—she drove her knee into his stomach, shoving him back.

Kaira didn't wait to see who won. She sprinted up the spiral staircase, her mind racing. She needed time. Space. Answers.

The top of the lighthouse was a dead end, but she didn't care. She burst onto the observation deck, the wind whipping at her hair, the ocean stretching endlessly below. The waves crashed against the rocks, as relentless as the secrets closing in around her.

Footsteps pounded behind her.

Adrian.

"Kaira, stop!" he called. "You need to listen to me."

She whirled to face him, chest heaving. "Why? So you can keep feeding me lies?"

He took a cautious step forward, hands raised. "No more lies. But you have to trust me."

Kaira let out a bitter laugh. "Trust? You and Alyssa have been playing me this whole time."

Adrian's jaw tightened. "I never wanted this for you. But your father… he wasn't just protecting information—he was hiding something alive."

Kaira's breath hitched. "What are you talking about?"

"The night of your accident," Adrian said carefully, "wasn't an accident at all."

A chill settled deep in her bones.

Adrian's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "You were supposed to die that night, Kaira."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut.

She staggered back, gripping the railing. "You're lying."

"I wish I was." Adrian's expression was grave. "Your father knew too much. And when he refused to stay quiet, they made sure he disappeared. You were collateral damage."

Her mind reeled. "Then why am I still alive?"

Adrian hesitated. "Because someone betrayed them. Someone helped you survive."

Kaira's stomach twisted. "Who?"

Before he could answer, Alyssa's voice rang out.

"Move away from her, Adrian."

Kaira spun to see Alyssa at the doorway, another gun in her hands—her aim steady, her expression unreadable.

Adrian didn't move.

"Alyssa, please," Kaira pleaded. "If you ever cared about me, tell me the truth."

Alyssa's lips parted.

Then—

BOOM.

The lighthouse shuddered violently.

Kaira barely had time to react before the floor beneath them trembled.

An explosion.

Smoke and fire burst from below, engulfing the stairwell.

Someone didn't want them to leave this place alive.

Adrian grabbed Kaira's wrist. "We have to jump—now."

Kaira's gaze darted between him, Alyssa, and the raging fire below.

The truth was slipping through her fingers like sand.

And she was running out of time to uncover it.