Chapter 3

Lily sat in the dimly lit cabin, her fingers absently tracing the worn edges of the notebook. The weight of Noah's words still pressed against her chest, thick and suffocating. Treason. The accusation rang in her mind, echoing over and over, but it refused to settle into something real.

Her father had been strict, secretive, and distant at times—but a traitor?

Noah sat across from her, sipping his whiskey with the kind of detached calm that made her want to scream. He acted like all of this was normal, like he hadn't just flipped her entire world upside down in the span of a single conversation.

She let out a slow breath. "So, what now?"

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Now? You stay here. You keep your head down. And you let me handle this."

Lily scoffed. "Right. Because sitting in the middle of nowhere while you go off and do whatever mysterious thing you do is going to magically solve everything?"

"Considering the alternative is getting yourself killed, yeah, that's exactly what you're going to do."

She gritted her teeth. "You don't get to make that decision for me."

His expression darkened. "No, but the people hunting you do."

Silence stretched between them. Lily swallowed the retort burning on her tongue. As much as she hated to admit it, Noah was right. She had spent weeks dodging shadows, feeling eyes on her, barely sleeping. Someone wanted her dead. And that someone wasn't going to stop just because she wanted to play detective.

Her fingers curled around the notebook. "I need to know what's in here."

Noah sighed, setting his glass down. "Have you even read it?"

She hesitated before shaking her head. "Not fully. Just bits and pieces."

"Then you don't even know what you're dealing with."

Lily exhaled sharply. "Then let's find out."

Noah didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, with a slow nod, he stood and grabbed a chair, dragging it beside her.

"Fine," he said. "But if we do this, you listen to me. No reckless decisions. No running off. No trying to be a hero."

Lily crossed her arms. "I make no promises."

He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Why did I even bother?"

Ignoring him, Lily flipped open the notebook. The pages were aged and filled with her father's neat, slanted handwriting. Some words were underlined, some scratched out entirely. The deeper she went, the more chaotic the notes became, as if he had been rushing to write things down before someone could stop him.

Her stomach churned. What were you trying to tell me, Dad?

Noah leaned in, scanning the pages over her shoulder.

"Look here," he said, tapping at a passage near the middle of the book.

Lily squinted at the ink.

"Trust no one. They are everywhere. Elias, if something happens to me, find her. She's the only one who knows the truth."

Lily's breath caught in her throat.

Elias.

Her brother's name.

Her hands tightened around the notebook. "He knew something."

Noah frowned. "Who's 'her'?"

"I don't know," Lily admitted, flipping through the pages frantically. "But my father left this message for Elias. That means my brother—"

"—might have been involved in this too," Noah finished grimly.

Lily shook her head. "No, Elias wasn't like that. He was—" She hesitated. "He was good. He wouldn't have been involved in something like this."

Noah's jaw tensed. "You don't get to decide that."

Lily turned to glare at him. "You didn't know him."

"And you don't know what he was capable of," Noah countered. "People aren't always who we think they are."

The words stung more than they should have.

Lily turned back to the book, scanning the pages desperately for more clues. The words blurred together, exhaustion creeping into her bones, but she refused to stop. She had spent years searching for answers. She wasn't going to stop now.

Then, something caught her eye. A name.

"Hazel Monroe," she read aloud.

Noah straightened. "That name means something to you?"

Lily nodded slowly. "She was my father's friend. Or at least, I think she was. She used to visit our house when I was younger, but my dad never really talked about her."

Noah frowned. "If your father mentioned her in this book, then she's important."

Lily traced the name with her fingertips. Hazel Monroe.

If her father had trusted this woman, then maybe—just maybe—she had the answers Lily was looking for.

She looked up at Noah, determination settling into her bones. "We need to find her."

Noah's lips pressed into a thin line. "You realize that might be exactly what the people hunting you want, right? If she's still alive, she's either in hiding or—"

"Dead," Lily finished.

Noah didn't confirm it, but he didn't have to.

Lily set her jaw. "Then I guess we'd better find out which one it is."