Chapter 82 The Secret Passage

Chapter 82 The Secret Passage
Bella's POV

I hadn't slept at all that night.

Ethan and I stayed up in his room, going over every possible name, every scenario, trying to figure out who my father's mole inside the organization could be. It felt impossible. Everyone here had worked with Ethan for years, some of them since the organization first started operating in this city. Loyalty ran deep in these walls, or at least it appeared to, and that was exactly what made this so difficult.

"We need something solid," Ethan said, pacing back and forth in front of the window, his shirt sleeves rolled up from hours of frustrated thinking. "Right now we're just guessing, and guessing isn't going to get us anywhere useful."

I rubbed my tired eyes, leaning back against the headboard, exhaustion settling deep into my bones after everything that had happened over the past two days.

"Every single person here could technically be a suspect," I said. "We can't just start interrogating everyone. It'll cause panic, and if the mole realizes we're onto them, they'll disappear before we even get close, taking whatever else they know straight to my father."

Ethan stopped pacing suddenly, turning to look at me with a thoughtful expression, something clicking behind his eyes.

"I think the spy is a high level member," he said. "Someone with access to sensitive information. Someone trusted enough to be in the room when major decisions get made, close enough to know things before they even become official policy."

That thought hit me hard.

"That actually narrows things down significantly," I said, sitting up straighter, my exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "We only have twenty high level members who attend important briefings. That's a manageable number to work with. We can figure this out."

Ethan nodded slowly, some of the tension in his shoulders easing slightly at the realization, though a shadow of something heavier remained in his expression.

"It's still twenty people I trust," he said quietly. "Twenty people I've built relationships with over the years, shared meals with, and celebrated victories side by side. The idea that one of them could be feeding information to your father…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to. I understood exactly what he meant. Betrayal from a stranger stung, but betrayal from someone you trusted enough to call family cut far deeper.

Suddenly, a soft knock echoed from beneath the floorboards, sharp and unmistakable in the quiet room.

I moved instantly, years of training kicking in without hesitation. I grabbed the gun from the nightstand and aimed it straight down at the floor, ready to fire, my finger already resting near the trigger.

"Wait!" Ethan grabbed my wrist before I could pull the trigger, his grip firm but gentle. "It's fine. I'm expecting company."

I lowered the gun slightly, though my heart was still pounding from the sudden adrenaline spike, my body still coiled and ready.

"Expecting company through the floor?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, my heartbeat finally beginning to slow down.

Ethan smiled slightly and walked over to the wall, pressing a hidden button I hadn't even noticed was there, cleverly disguised within the wood paneling. A section of the floor began sliding open slowly, revealing a narrow staircase leading downward into darkness.

My eyes widened.

"I built this myself," he said, sounding almost proud of it, a rare smile tugging at his lips. "An emergency passage, just in case things ever went south and I needed a way out that nobody else knew about."

I nodded, though I kept the gun ready in my hand, my body still tense despite his reassurance, old habits refusing to relax fully. I could hear footsteps now, climbing steadily up the hidden staircase toward us, growing louder with each passing second.

A moment later, three familiar faces emerged through the opening, one after another, their careful footsteps echoing softly against the wooden stairs beneath them.

Lyra climbed out first, followed closely by Paige, and then Naomi, all three of them looking slightly winded from the climb, their expressions tight with whatever news had brought them here at this hour.

I glared at Ethan.

"You couldn't have just told me it was my sisters coming?" I asked, lowering the gun completely now, exasperation coloring my voice. "I nearly put a bullet through the floor and gave everyone a heart attack."

Ethan chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. "I thought the surprise might be more interesting."

"Interesting isn't the word I'd use," I muttered, setting the gun down with a huff.

Ethan pressed the button again, and the section of floor slowly slid back into place, sealing the passage shut once more, leaving no visible trace it had ever been there at all, the wooden panels fitting seamlessly back together.

Lyra brushed dust off her sleeves, glancing around the room with a small, tired smile. "Sorry for the dramatic entrance. We figured meeting through the passage was safer than walking through the main hallways right now, given everything happening and considering who might be watching us closely."

"Smart thinking," I said, some of the tension finally leaving my shoulders now that I knew exactly who had joined us.

Naomi crossed her arms, her expression serious. "We heard about the training center…I know how close some of us were to those recruits. A few of them were friends of mine, people I personally helped train myself."

I nodded, my chest tightening at the reminder, guilt and grief tangling together uncomfortably. "Ethan and I have been trying to figure out who's feeding information to my father. We think it's someone high level, someone with access to sensitive briefings."

Paige, who had been quiet since climbing through the passage, suddenly stepped forward, her expression unusually intense, dark circles visible under her eyes suggesting she hadn't slept either.

"That's actually why we're here," she said. "I've been digging through communication logs all night, cross-referencing timestamps with when certain information leaked. I didn't want to say anything until I was completely sure, since accusing the wrong person right now would be a disaster."

Everyone in the room turned to look at her, the tension palpable now.

"And?" Ethan asked, his voice tight with anticipation, leaning forward slightly.

Paige glanced around at each of us, her jaw set with determination, her hands clasped tightly in front of her like she was steadying herself for what she was about to say to all of us in this room.

Before anyone could ask her to elaborate further, she spoke again, her voice steady despite the weight of what she was about to reveal, cutting through the tense silence that had settled over all of us.

"I know who the spy is.”