CHAPTER;19

The Price of Silence

The rain was merciless, pounding the rooftop like war drums. The warehouse lights flickered, casting shadows over Duke's face—an expression of rage barely held back. Inspector Kang was on his knees, coughing blood onto the concrete. His shirt was soaked red, not just from the rain, but from the bullet wound on his side, the bruise blooming along his jaw, and the cut above his eyebrow where Duke had struck him—hard.

Another punch landed.

Kang's body jerked with the impact, a choked gasp escaping him as he collapsed against the pillar behind him.

"Stop!" Dee's voice cracked through the storm.

Duke turned slowly, eyes wild. "Then talk."

"I don't know—"

He slammed Kang's head back against the pillar, making Dee scream.

"Still lying?" Duke hissed, grabbing Kang by the collar. "How many more hits before you remember?"

"Duke, he's not involved!" she shouted, stumbling forward. Her eyes burned with tears. "He's not even part of this. He's innocent."

"He's a cop," Duke growled. "He followed you. He's seen too much. And I don't care if I break him to get what I want."

Kang groaned, his face pale from blood loss. Dee dropped to her knees beside him, pressing her hand against the wound. "You shot him! God, he's bleeding too much…"

Duke's expression didn't soften.

"I'll tell you," Dee whispered, eyes never leaving Kang's pained face. "Just... let him go. Please."

Duke narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not," she whispered. "Just… don't make me watch someone else die because of me."

The silence stretched. The storm outside only grew louder.

Then finally, Duke shoved Kang away, letting the inspector collapse. "Get him out of here before I change my mind," he muttered.

Dee helped Kang up, struggling under his weight as they moved to the exit. She looked over her shoulder once before disappearing into the rain.

Moments later, Duke lit a cigarette with shaking hands. When Dee returned, soaked, silent, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, he exhaled smoke through clenched teeth.

"Well?" he asked. "Start talking."

Dee stood there, frozen. Her lips parted but no words came out.

"I let him go," Duke reminded, voice low and dangerous. "Now tell me what you know about the powers. Why you? What's in you?"

"I… I didn't know, not fully," she said finally, voice almost inaudible. "It started with... with the lab. Years ago."

Duke's brow furrowed. "What lab?"

Dee's eyes were distant now, haunted. "My father's lab. They were working on something—serums, enhancements. I remember the name of one… Nutriphilyne-3. It was meant to accelerate neural pathways, increase adaptability. I... I think it did more than that."

"You're saying you were experimented on?"

"I was just a child. I wasn't supposed to be the test subject." Her voice cracked. "But I got in. I drank something. They thought it was harmless."

Duke stepped closer, tension wrapping around them like a wire. "And now you can change the weather when you're angry, race like the devil, survive gunshots. That doesn't sound harmless."

"I didn't ask for this!" she snapped.

"No. But you're still hiding something."

"I told you what I know—"

"Then why do I feel like you're still lying?" he whispered.

She met his eyes, something shifting behind her expression. Fear? Guilt?

Or something darker.

Duke's jaw tightened. "What was in that serum, Dee?"

Her voice was cold now, low. "You don't want to know what they put in me, Duke."

For the first time, he stepped back.

And in that moment, he realized—whatever was inside her was far more dangerous than he'd ever imagined.

The silence between them was heavy, crackling like static in the air.

Duke paced slowly, his boots echoing off the warehouse floor. His mind replayed her words over and over again.

My father's lab… Nutriphilyne…

He stopped mid-step.

"Wait," he said, turning to her sharply. "You've only been in this country a few days, right?"

Dee blinked, startled by the shift. "Yeah. Just four or five."

He tilted his head. "And in that time, you suddenly remember experiments? Labs? Who even is your father?"

She hesitated, her mouth parting before the words came. "King."

Duke narrowed his eyes. "King? As in, King Industries? The underground chemical supplier?"

Dee nodded. "He's been hiding me. No one knows I'm his daughter. When I came here, it was supposed to be a break… but he called me in. Said he needed to test something. I didn't know it would change me."

Duke's face twisted in suspicion. "You're saying the most elusive black-market scientist has a daughter—and it's you?"

Dee said nothing.

Duke pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the screen. He paced in a tight circle, searching, digging through old records and facial data files. It didn't take long.

There were no files. No records. No mention of King having a daughter.

Duke's blood ran cold.

"You're lying," he snapped. "There's nothing on you. No birth records. No ties. King doesn't have a daughter."

"I told you, he kept me hidden," Dee insisted. "That's the point—"

"Enough!" Duke shouted. His voice cracked like a whip, echoing through the warehouse. "You want me to believe you're some science experiment gone rogue? Then prove it."

Dee stepped back, unease in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

He turned to the guards behind him. "Bring it."

One of the men disappeared into the shadows and returned moments later with a silver case. He popped it open with a hiss. Inside: a single syringe filled with a dull, bluish liquid.

Dee's breath caught. "What is that?"

"Let's see," Duke said darkly, approaching her with the needle in hand. "If you're telling the truth… this won't hurt you."

"Duke—wait—"

"It's just a testing drug," he murmured, grabbing her arm before she could pull away. "It weakens the body, that's all. But if your blood has Nutriphilyne in it, it won't affect you."

"Don't—"

The needle sank into her arm.

She gasped as the cold fluid slid into her veins like ice.

At first—nothing.

Then the world tilted.

Her knees buckled.

Her lungs squeezed tight, like the air had turned to water. Her vision blurred, colors bleeding into each other, spinning, twisting. Her heartbeat slowed—then thudded violently against her ribs.

"Duke…" she choked, falling forward onto her hands. "Something's… wrong—"

She collapsed.

Her skin turned pale. Veins pulsed violet under her skin, as if the drug was reacting—aggressively—with whatever was inside her.

Duke crouched, watching her tremble on the floor.

"So you were lying," he muttered coldly. "Or… whatever's in you isn't what you said it was."

Dee whimpered, clutching her sides. She felt like her blood was boiling under her skin, like invisible chains were dragging her down.

"Duke… please…"

He watched her with emotionless eyes. "You're not just an experiment, are you? You're something else."

And in that moment—she knew.

He wasn't just suspicious anymore.

He was afraid.

Rayyan slammed the car door shut, Ayat barely conscious in the back seat. He gritted his teeth, fingers trembling as he pulled out his phone and barked into it,

"Find her. I want eyes on every damn corner. If she's in this city, I want her found. NOW!"

His men scattered like shadows in the night, engines revving, weapons cocked. Rayyan didn't breathe until one voice buzzed in his earpiece,

"Boss… we found a warehouse near the docks. Suspicious activity. And…" the man hesitated,

"…Kang was seen limping out."

Rayyan's eyes widened. "Kang? He's alive?"

He raced towards the warehouse with a fury in his veins. As his car screeched to a halt, he saw Kang stumbling outside, blood trailing down his face.

"KANG!" Rayyan rushed out, grabbing him before he fell. "You're gonna be okay. Get him to the hospital," he ordered one of his men. "Don't let him die."

---

Inside the car, Rayyan stared at the warehouse blueprint on his tablet. His voice was low and cold,

"He's got guards at every exit. We hit them all at once. No mercy. They laid a hand on her… they don't walk out alive."

His men nodded.

Minutes later, the night erupted. Gunshots rang out like thunder. One by one, Duke's men fell. Precision. Ruthlessness. Vengeance. Blood spilled on concrete like rain, but Rayyan didn't blink.

He stepped over the last man's body and entered the warehouse.

---

Rayyan moved through the dim corridors until he found them.

Dee. Standing frozen. Eyes glassy. Mind lost.

And Duke… holding her.

Rayyan's heart stopped.

"DEE!"

But she didn't respond. Her gaze was distant, lips slightly parted. Her body trembled as if she didn't recognize her own name.

Then—Duke smirked and raised a gun to her head.

"Don't come any closer, Rayyan," Duke growled. "Or she dies."

Rayyan's voice cracked, raw with fury, "LET HER GO, DUKE! She's not even in her mind right now—you bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"

Duke didn't move. He pulled Dee closer, pressing the cold metal tighter against her temple. Her head lolled slightly against him.

Rayyan's hands clenched at his sides. His voice shook with rage, "You're a coward. Using her as a shield? You're scared of facing me like a man?"

But Duke just grinned and whispered something in Dee's ear, something that made her flinch.

That was the final crack.

Rayyan's voice turned deadly, "If you hurt her… if you even breathe wrong—I swear to God, I'll burn you alive."

---

Rayyan's fingers hovered near his side holster, his mind racing. Dee was barely holding on—her body limp, her eyes vacant. She wasn't just a hostage. She was broken.

"Put. The gun. Down," Rayyan growled again, his voice dangerously calm. "Last warning, Duke."

But Duke only laughed. "You think I care anymore? You ruined everything. She ruined everything."

In a split second—Rayyan moved.

BANG!

The shot missed Dee by an inch as Rayyan tackled them both, his shoulder slamming into Duke. The gun flew across the floor. Dee collapsed to the ground like a doll, unmoving.

Rayyan scrambled up, eyes wild, checking her. "Dee—Dee, hey! Look at me, it's me. You're safe."

No response. Her skin was cold. Her lips were pale.

His fury boiled over.

Rayyan turned back to Duke.

And then—he lost it.

He lunged.

A punch.

Another.

And another.

Fist met jaw. Ribs cracked under his boots. Duke tried to block but Rayyan was in a blind rage. Years of pain, betrayal, and fury unloaded in every blow.

"You put a gun to her head?" Punch.

"You touched her?" Smash.

"You broke her?" Crack.

Blood covered his knuckles. Duke fell to the ground, coughing, spitting blood, barely able to move.

But Rayyan wasn't done.

He grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

"You don't get to live after what you did to her."

A soft gasp behind him made him freeze.

Rayyan turned—

"Dee?"

She had collapsed again, trembling violently, eyes rolling back.

"No. No. No—shit."

He rushed to her, cradling her in his arms.

"She's burning up—what the hell—DEE, stay with me!"

He glanced back at Duke, bloodied and half-conscious.

"I should kill you," Rayyan whispered darkly. "But she comes first."

He carried Dee out in his arms, screaming to his men,

"GET THE CAR READY! CALL THE DOCTOR—NOW!"

The warehouse faded behind him as he sped away, holding her tighter than ever.

"I've got you," he whispered, voice cracking. "You're safe now. Please… just stay with me."

---

Rayyan sat beside Dee on the bed, watching her tremble. Her skin was pale, sweat beading on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused, barely seeing him.

"Dee… hey," he whispered, gently cupping her cheek. "Stay with me."

She whimpered, her voice hoarse and fading,

"I… I can't feel anything… he gave me something…drug it's like... my body isn't mine…"

Rayyan's throat tightened. He called Kairan, who quickly came and examined her and said,

"The drug's pushing her toward a blackout. If her system shuts down, she might not wake up. You need to shock her body—cold water might trigger her nerves. Just enough to keep her conscious."

Rayyan didn't wait. He scooped Dee into his arms again and rushed to the bathroom.

---

He turned on the cold water in the shower—no warmth, just icy, biting streams.

He looked down at her trembling figure in his arms. Her lips were barely moving. She was slipping away.

"I'm sorry, Dee," he whispered. "But I need you to fight."

Rayyan stepped into the shower with her fully clothed, holding her tightly as the freezing water crashed over both of them.

Dee jerked suddenly, gasping as the cold hit her skin like knives. Her eyes snapped open.

"Aahh—Rayyan!" she cried, weak but alive.

He held her tighter, steadying her as she squirmed in the shock of the cold.

"I know, I know," he whispered into her soaked hair, "I'm here… just breathe. You're okay."

Her hands clutched at his shirt, fingers twitching.

"I c-can't… it h-hurts…"

"I need you to feel it. I need you to come back to me, Dee," he said, his voice breaking. "You can't go under now. Not after everything."

Her teeth chattered, but her breathing steadied. She blinked up at him, finally seeing him.

"Rayyan…"

"Yeah. I'm here," he said again, pressing his forehead against hers as the water kept falling around them. "You're safe now. Just stay with me."

Rayyan wrapped her in a thick towel, his own clothes drenched. He sat on the bathroom floor, holding her in his lap as she trembled.

She was breathing. Awake. Clinging to him like he was the only thing anchoring her to reality.

And for now—that was enough.

On the other side .

Stape paced the dim hallway of the abandoned safehouse, flipping through photos, files, and security footage. Her jaw clenched as she stared at the blurred stills—King walking into an alley… and never walking out.

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered. "He's too careful."

Suddenly, a name flashed on the screen. A hospital admission.

Ayat.

And another timestamp—matching the day King vanished.

Stape narrowed her eyes. "Why the hell were you at the same place?"

She leaned closer, zooming in. "Ayat… and Kang?"

Her mind raced. Coincidence? Or cover-up?

She grabbed her coat, strapped a knife to her thigh, and headed out. "Time to get answers."

---

Ayat lay quietly in her hospital bed, IV line in her hand, eyes half-lidded. A nurse had just checked her vitals. The room was quiet, dim, peaceful.

Until—

The window creaked open.

A shadow slipped through.

Before Ayat could react, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth.

"Shhh. I just want answers," Stape whispered coldly.

Ayat struggled, eyes wide.

But Stape's grip was steel.

"I know you were there when King disappeared. Don't play dumb."

Suddenly, from the bed beside them—Kang sat up.

His voice was hoarse but sharp, "Step away from her."

Stape blinked. "You?"

Kang staggered from the bed, still weak from injuries, but determined. "You're not taking her."

"Fine," Stape smirked. "Then I'll take both of you."

In a flash, she pulled out a dart gun from her coat and knock Kang in the neck. He collapsed with a grunt.

Ayat's scream was muffled.

"Night-night," Stape muttered as she knocked Ayat out too.

--

Security cameras glitched—Stape had jammed the feeds with a device on her belt.

She carried both Ayat and Kang down the stairwell, fast and efficient, no hesitation. Her black motorcycle was parked in the alley behind the hospital.

A modified black van rolled up seconds later—her backup.

She loaded them into the back and climbed into the front seat, pulling her cap low.

"Drive. We're going dark."

As the van disappeared into the night, the hospital alarms finally blared—but it was too late.

---