The red light on my phone began to blink.

A new call was coming in.

I swiped the screen to answer.

The line was silent for a long moment.

Then, a familiar voice spoke.

“Morgan,” Daniel said, his voice weak and trembling.

“I’m still alive.”

“But you need to look at the back of the USB drive.”

“There’s a second partition.”

“The name of the man who took Emma…”

“It’s Hayes.”

The line went dead.

I stopped in my tracks, the phone slipping from my hand.

I turned slowly, looking toward the military vehicles parked at the entrance of the quarry.

Standing by the lead command vehicle was General Hayes.

He was looking directly at me through binoculars.

He slowly lowered them.

He gave a brief, polite nod.

Then, he got into the passenger seat, and the vehicle drove away into the dark.

I stood alone in the rain, the truth finally clear.

The man who had promised to protect me was the one who had taken everything.

My fingers tightened around the USB drive in my pocket.

I knew my next target.