Page 6 of Crossover

My mom’s ex. The man at the center of the affair that had left my family in ruins and the man who’d betrayed her—having lied about being married himself. The man who Detective Mitchell suspected had lied about his identity.

But what would he want withme?

This isn’t about the CIA at all, I realized, sending all the puzzle pieces of what I thought I knew into the air like blood-drenched confetti.

Steve squatted down in front of me, a smirk playing on his lips, relishing my shock and confusion.

“Actually,” he said, “my real name is Daniel Murphy.”

3

GRAYSON

SIX MINUTES PRIOR

The night sky flashed silver, and another bolt of lightning tore through the darkness as the sudden onset of rain pounded the asphalt in angry sheets. All I could see was the blurry glow of taillights snaking off ahead. Somewhere out there on these slick roads, a van carried Ivy further away with each passing minute.

Waiting for Hunter to show up after I’d called him felt like it was taking an eternity, my feet nervously pacing the shoulder as I clenched and unclenched my fists. This wasn’t the safest place to be, but it was safer than sitting in my disabled vehicle, which sat there, just waiting to get annihilated in the middle of the road. The rain, cold and relentless, felt like needles against my skin, mirroring the sharp pangs of fear and desperation clawing at my heart.

I’d survived the aftermath of my father’s murder—the violent act that ripped through our happy home like an F5 tornado, leaving wreckage and devastation in its wake. I’d survived my mother’s death—witnessing her desperate fight to stay alive, the only parent left for her boys. Subjecting herself to poisonand painful treatments, despite being warned against the odds of it helping. Both I’d seen in their caskets, eyes closed, skin unnaturally pale, both having never imagined that when they started their family, they’d die before seeing all the milestones in their boys’ lives. I’d survived all that, but only barely, existing in the hollow space of what was left of my heart.

But this…this I would not survive. I had no desire to endure life if Ivy was ripped from me, too. She had gathered the shards of my broken self, piecing them together with gentle hands until I felt almost whole again—a mosaic of the person I used to be, fragile but beautiful in its imperfection. If she died, the feeble bonds holding me together would shatter, leaving nothing but dust where a person once stood.

I looked down at my phone for the millionth time. Nothing from Seth yet. Every second that passed was a second lost, a second closer to her death, and a second that she might be going through unimaginable suffering.

The vehicle’s headlights approached me, slowing and pulling to a stop on the shoulder. I raised a hand to block the glare as I walked over and climbed into the back seat of Hunter’s Aston Martin, thanks to Jace occupying the front.

“Are you sure you guys are okay?” My voice was tense.

“We’re fine,” Hunter assured.

“And Luna?”

“Shaken up, but fine,” Hunter said. “Bryson is with her. Along with an army of security—I called in everyone I had.”

I swallowed, but the guilt didn’t go down.

Hunter navigated his car back onto the treacherous road.

“I’m sorry.” I ran a palm over my wet face, my hair dripping onto my soaked shirt. “I thought I had time before they would make a move. If I had any idea they would come, I would never have brought her to your house.”

“Grayson”—Hunter’s voice was firm yet comforting—“we’re family. We’d have your back no matter what.”

A lump formed in my throat.

“Might’ve armed ourselves to the teeth, though,” Jace added. “Evened the odds a bit.”

My stomach pitted. The wipersbattled against the waterfall of rain pelting the windshield, but it was pouring so hard, it was difficult to read the green signs over the interstate.

“Should I get off?” Hunter asked as we approached an exit.

“No,” I said. “I want to keep heading in the direction the van went until I hear back from a colleague of mine.”

God, I hoped Seth was close to finding their location.

“We might pass their exit,” Jace warned.

“Let’s just give it a few more minutes. If I haven’t heard from my guy by then, I’ll give him a call.”

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