Page 10 of Fallen Empire
“I mean it this time.”
I shoved my legs into a pair of jeans and grabbed a fresh shirt, yanking it over my head. The mirror beside me caught a glimpse of my face—drawn, tired, haunted. But my eyes? They were different now. Focused. Alive.
I grabbed the small box on the dresser and stuffed it into my pocket. A silent prayer I’d need it.
“She’s fighting to live,” I said quietly. “I’m not letting her wake up alone.”
Ben didn’t respond right away. Just the sound of wind on the line. Then finally—
“Then get here.”
I ran towards the front door and grabbed my keys off the counter, ignoring the room I passed that held scattered headlines and the smear of whiskey that still stained the floor like a crime scene. I paused at the door, saying a little prayer to whatever god was listening.
“Hold on for me, Vannah,” I whispered to the silence. “I’m coming.”
I slid into the driver’s seat and didn’t even wait to start the engine before thumbing through my contacts.
Nic.
I hit call.
She answered on the second ring. “Tell me you’re not calling to ask for a favor right now.”
“She moved,” I said, skipping past the greeting. “Eyes opened. Tried to talk. They think she’s coming back.”
Silence. Then a sharp exhale. “Holy shit.”
“But listen—” I started the car with one hand, shifting into gear. “Someone left a newspaper at the house. No return address. Foreign. With a message written in red ink.”
“Handwritten?” she asked, voice sharpening.
“Yeah. It said:You took something from me. Now I’ll take everything from you. The war has only just begun.”
“Jesus.” She was already typing. I could hear the clicks in the background. “Where is it now?”
“My place. On the coffee table in my office. I need you to go now. Grab anything that might have prints or fibers.”
“You think they got inside?”
“Not sure. Doesn’t matter. It was delivered. That’s close enough. Check the cameras, too.”
“Understood,” she clipped out. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“I’ll be at the hospital. Savannah might wake up, and I’m not letting her do it alone.”
“You want updates?”
“Text first. Millie’s there. I don’t want to risk her overhearing anything yet.”
“Copy. Go. I’ve got it from here.”
I ended the call and tossed the phone in the cupholder as I pulled into the street. The tires gripped hard as I took the corner faster than I should have. But for the first time in days, I wasn’t running from anything.
I was running to my everything.
Chapter 3
Millie
