The drive out to the storage facility was tense. Siena sat in the passenger seat of Reeve's car, her fingers twitching slightly in her lap. She stared straight ahead, but her mind was racing through every possible scenario.
If Withers was there... what then?
Would he run? Would he fight? Would he confess?
Would he even be alive?
Reeve glanced at her without taking his eyes off the road. "You don't have to go in, you know. I can handle this."
Siena shook her head. "If he's there, I want to look him in the eye."
"He might not talk."
"Then I'll make him."
Reeve didn't argue.
They pulled into the long gravel driveway of the storage complex just before ten. The place was quiet, aside from the dull buzz of fluorescent lights overhead. Rows of metal units stretched into the distance like a maze. A thin fog hovered around the ground, giving everything a slightly eerie edge.
Reeve parked near the gate and pulled out his badge. "Security's letting us in. I had them disable access to Unit 407. If he tries to get out, alarms will trigger."
Siena stepped out of the car, tucking her hands into her coat pockets. The air was damp and cold. It matched the feeling sitting in her stomach.
They walked in silence down the narrow path between units. Each footstep echoed too loudly. Siena's heart pounded harder the closer they got.
Finally, they stopped in front of Unit 407.
Reeve held up a hand. "Stay behind me. Let me open it first."
Siena nodded and stepped back.
Reeve keyed in the code. The lock clicked. The metal door rolled upward with a groan.
The unit was dimly lit, but not empty.
A folding chair. A lot. A laptop on a portable desk. And sitting in the chair, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees, was Richard Withers.
He didn't look surprised. Just... tired.
He glanced up and smiled faintly when he saw Siena. "Took you long enough."
Siena stepped forward before Reeve could stop her. "You're not even going to try to run?"
"With what energy?" Withers said dryly. "I've been waiting for this moment."
Reeve kept a firm grip on his weapon. "Keep your hands where I can see them."
Withers nodded and raised them slowly. "I'm unarmed. And done hiding."
Siena folded her arms. "Why now?"
He looked at her for a long moment. "Because I'm tired of carrying other people's secrets. Especially when they've already decided I'm expendable."
"Who?" Reeve demanded. "Who's behind this? W.H.?"
Withers leaned back in the chair. "W.H. isn't one person. It never was."
Siena frowned. "Then what is it?"
He gestured vaguely. "It's a network. Wealthy, discreet, powerful. Some are real business leaders. Others are just names on paper. They own shell companies. Move money quietly. Buy influence. And sometimes... people."
Siena stepped closer. "Did they kill my father?"
Withers met her eyes. "They did worse. They made his death part of a plan."
She sucked in a sharp breath.
"He was never meant to survive that year," Withers said. "He was stubborn, too clean. Refused to play dirty, even when they offered everything. So they waited for a weakness. Found one. And when he started pushing back—started asking questions—I was told to back off. The next month, he was gone."
Siena's voice wavered. "Who gave the order?"
Withers shook his head. "I don't know. That's how they work. One person makes the offer. Another delivers the threat. Someone else executes. No fingerprints."
Reeve asked, "What were they trying to do with Blackwood?"
"Same thing. Merge control. Get their claws into both companies. With Trent and your CFO Dorian... they had leverage on both sides."
Siena's blood ran cold. "And Dael?"
"Withers swallowed. "He found out. He started tracing money. Asking too many questions. Same as your father."
"So they took him," Siena said.
"They made him vanish," Withers said. "Not kill—at least, not right away. He had value. Information."
"Where is he now?" Reeve demanded.
"I don't know," Withers said. "Last I heard, he was being moved overseas. After that, nothing. They shut me out too."
Siena could barely feel her fingers. "Why are you telling us this now?"
"Because I'm not surviving this either way," he said quietly. "They know I'm talking. They'll find me. But if I give you what I have—emails, offshore account links, recordings—it might be enough to expose part of them. Maybe more."
Siena looked at Reeve. He gave a small nod.
"Then give it to us," she said.
Withers turned slowly to the desk, typed a few commands into the laptop, then inserted a drive. He handed it to Siena. "Everything I could scrape before they shut me down."
As soon as the drive touched her palm, it felt like fire.
"Why did you work for them?" she asked. "Why betray my family?"
He looked genuinely remorseful. "I was scared. And greedy. It started small. Extra consulting fees. Private bonuses. Then they started offering more—stock, influence, a seat at the table. I thought I could outsmart them. But once you're in... there's no exit."
Siena stared at him. "You destroyed lives."
"I know," he whispered. "And I'll pay for it."
Before anyone could respond, a sharp pop split the air.
Reeve lunged forward, grabbing Siena and dragging her down.
Another gunshot cracked through the stillness. The glass shattered above the desk.
Reeve shouted, "Sniper!"
They crawled behind the unit's metal door. Withers didn't move.
Siena turned her head—and saw the blood spreading across his chest.
He blinked once. Then slumped sideways in the chair, a growing red bloom soaking through his shirt.
"No," Siena gasped. "No, no—"
Reeve grabbed her arm. "Stay down!"
"We have to help him!"
Reeve peeked over the edge. "He's gone, Siena. I'm sorry."
Another shot ricocheted off the metal near their heads. Reeve pulled out his phone and barked into it. "Requesting backup. Shooter on location. East quadrant. Repeat—shooter on location!"
Siena pressed the flash drive against her chest like a lifeline. Her hands trembled, heart pounding in her ears.
Reeve looked at her. "You okay?"
"No," she whispered. "But I have what we need."
---
They didn't speak much on the ride back. Siena stared out the window, silent tears streaking her cheeks. The flash drive burned in her coat pocket.
Another dead man.
Another life was taken by people who were still faceless, nameless, and free.
But this time, she wouldn't let it end here.
---
When she got home, Alexander was pacing the penthouse. As soon as he saw her, he rushed forward.
"Siena—are you okay? Reeve called. Said there was a shooting—"
She nodded, eyes red. "Withers is dead."
He froze.
"But not before he gave us everything."
She handed him the drive.
He turned it over in his hand. "We'll go through it together."
She looked at him, tired but certain. "We bring them down, Alexander. Every last one of them."
He nodded. "Whatever it takes."