Chapter 230 This Is The Beginning
Author's POV:
The car tires screeched to a halt on the asphalt. Ethan Haxton pushed the door open before Connor could come around to open it for him. Something was wrong—he'd never seen Jade like this before.
She stood in the glow of the streetlight, her face twisted with an emotion he couldn't quite place. Her eyes were rimmed red, tears threatening to spill over, yet her body was rigid with fury. The kind of fury that made the air around her feel electric and dangerous.
"Jade?" Ethan approached cautiously, like you would a wounded animal that might either flee or attack.
Connor stepped out of the driver's seat, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at Jade.
"What the hell happened?" Connor whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
Jade's chest rose and fell rapidly, her breath coming in short, ragged bursts.
Ethan glanced around, suddenly aware of the empty space surrounding them. "Silas? Did he run?"
Chris Jensen leaned against the hood of his sleek black Audi, his expression unreadable in the shadows. "You let him go?" There was no accusation in his voice, just simple curiosity.
Ethan turned to Connor. "Get a team out looking for Murphy right now."
Connor nodded, already pulling out his phone, but Jade's bitter laugh stopped him cold.
"Don't bother," she spat, her eyes fixed on the empty street ahead. "If he dies, he fucking deserves it!"
The venom in her voice made Connor slowly lower his phone, looking to Ethan for direction. Ethan had never seen Jade so unhinged, so consumed by emotion. What the hell had Silas Murphy done to her? Or more importantly, who the hell was Silas Murphy really?
Inside Jade's villa, Chris Jensen picked up the handcuffs from the floor and tossed them onto the glass coffee table with a metallic clang.
"Relax," he said, dropping into an armchair with casual grace. "Have a seat."
Ethan remained standing, his eyes tracking the blood spatter on the hardwood floor where Connor was now quietly cleaning. The broken chair in the corner of the room told part of the story—a violent struggle had taken place here.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ethan finally asked, his voice low and strained.
Chris tilted his head, considering. "Of course. She's probably hacking into Shadow Organization's security systems right now, systematically destroying their firewalls."
Ethan's eyebrows shot up. "She's what?"
"It's what she does when she's upset," Chris explained with a casual shrug, as if discussing someone's habit of stress-eating or taking long drives. "Targets whoever pissed her off. This is just the beginning. Wait and see."
The casual way Chris spoke about it—like this was normal behavior for Jade—made Ethan wonder just how much of her life remained hidden from him. He lowered himself onto the couch opposite Chris, suddenly feeling the weight of the night pressing down on him.
"What do you know about Silas?" Ethan asked, his voice carefully neutral.
Chris's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "You should wait for her to tell you herself."
Ethan leaned back, frustrated but understanding. He'd known from the beginning that Jade came with her secrets, her walls, her past. He wouldn't push. But seeing her like this—raw and wounded—made him want to find Silas Murphy and tear the man apart with his bare hands.
Morning light filtered weakly through the curtains as Ethan hovered outside Jade's bedroom door. He'd spent most of the night in her living room, unable to sleep, waiting. For what, he wasn't entirely sure.
He turned the doorknob slowly, careful not to make noise in case she was finally sleeping. The door swung open silently on well-oiled hinges. Her laptop sat open on the desk in the sitting area, screen still glowing with lines of code. She'd been up all night, just as Chris had predicted.
Ethan moved quietly toward the bedroom, pausing at the doorway. In the dim light, he could make out a small lump under the covers, a few strands of brown hair spilling onto the pillowcase. His heart ached at the sight.
As if sensing his presence, the figure under the covers suddenly threw back the blanket. In the shadowy room, with her hair partially covering her face, Ethan couldn't read her expression, but he felt her eyes on him, watching, evaluating.
He hesitated, unsure if his presence was welcome. Then she shifted, moving to one side of the bed, making space beside her.
An invitation. Or perhaps a request.
Ethan approached and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. Before he could say anything, Jade moved closer, resting her head on his lap, her arm draping over his thigh. The gesture was so unexpected, so vulnerable, that for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
Gently, he brushed the hair away from her face, revealing red-rimmed eyes and pallid skin. "Are you feeling better?" he asked softly, his fingers lingering at her temple.
Jade closed her eyes at his touch. "I had a friend in Shadow Organization," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "His name was Dusk."
Ethan remained silent, knowing this was a moment of rare openness from her.
"He had twin brothers. Silas... and that fake Silas." Her voice caught on the last words.
So that's why she let him go, even though she was furious, Ethan realized. She still saw a connection to someone she cared about.
"The real Silas is dead," Jade continued, her eyes still closed. "Killed by his twin brother."
Ethan's hand stilled in her hair. "The man who was here?"
Jade nodded slightly against his leg.
"Does Dusk know?" Ethan asked, wondering if her friend was the reason she'd react so strongly. "Are you going to see him next?"
Jade's body tensed under his hand. "Dusk is dead."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken grief. Ethan's mind raced with questions. Was Dusk's death connected to Shadow? Was that the source of Jade's vendetta against the organization?
Carefully, he took her hand in his, offering a silent comfort that required no words, no explanations.
As her breathing deepened and evened out, Ethan realized she had fallen asleep. He remained still, not wanting to disturb her, serving as a silent guardian while she finally surrendered to exhaustion.