Chapter 127 Chapter 127
Liana's Pov
It had been three torturous days since I'd last heard from Mason. Three week long days, each of them filled with silence. I comforted myself that he was fine. I told myself that if anything was amiss, I would know. But the truth was that each ring of my phone twisted my stomach into a knot. Each whispered moment when the screen stayed black made me worry more.
That evening, as I was curled up on the couch in the living room, my phone buzzed in my lap. My heart skipped even before I went to grab it.
The message was from an unknown number.
It's me. Mason.
I held my breath. My hand trembled as I shove the phone further into my hand, scanning the next line with desperate eyes.
I'm fine. I had to ditch my number. Dominic almost got me, had to dump the phone.
I put a hand on my chest. My heart was thumping so hard it ached. For a moment I just sat there, paralyzed, unable to breathe, unable to think past the blinding tide of relief. He was alive. He was safe.
I sent out responses with shaking fingers.
Does he know? Did he see anything?
The response was immediate.
No, but he's suspicious. He's watching me but he doesn't know that I sent you Intel.
Relief and terror both tingled inside me, pulling me in two directions. I sat and tried to keep myself together. Mason was fine and Dominic didn't know he gave me intel. It ought to have calmed me down, but it instead made the danger seem more real. As if the shadow had touched us at last.
My first instinct was to go straight to Serena.
As I walked into Serena's room,, she looked up from her desk with tired eyes. She held the journal and looked at me with tired eyes.
“Hey,”.
"I heard from Mason," I spoke abruptly.
Her face grew serious, the sadness shifting to tight tension. "What did he say?"
I showed her my phone. She read every word carefully, her lips tightening. "So he's fine," she whispered, as if saying it aloud would keep him safe. "But Dominic nearly caught him."
I nodded. "He dumped his phone. He said Dominic suspects but has no idea.".
Serena sat back slowly, hands folded in her lap. For what seemed like forever, she just sat and gazed at the desk, her thoughts elsewhere. Then she sighed. "He took a risk and if Dominic even starts making connections…"
"Don't," I break in, voice cracking. "Don't say it."
Her eyes became softer, full with compassion. "I'm just saying, Mason is walking on a thin line."
I swallowed hard. The room felt smaller, the air heavy with all the things that might go wrong. The system was still inaccessible, evidence concealed behind code Norlan couldn't crack yet. And now Mason was on Dominic's radar. All of it was fragile, like glass on the lip of a table.
Before I could utter another word, my phone rang.
"It is Stanley," I wispered.
Serena stiffened immediately. "Answer but be calm."
I pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
His voice was rough but beneath it I sensed something unyielding that made my skin prickle. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the Safe house," I said guardedly.
There was silence, long enough for my hand to be wet with perspiration around the phone. Then he replied, "Good. I'll see you there."
The line went dead. I carefully set the phone down on its cradle, my heart racing. Serena looked at me obviously worried but she did a better job at controlling it.
"He's coming," I said.
Stanley showed up less than half an hour later. His presence filled the house. Serena and I sat side by side on the couch, our backs stiff, our eyes glued to the entrance as his footsteps approached.
When he entered, he appeared quite at ease, nearly languid in his confidence. But the glint in his eyes gave something else away.
"Hey," he answered smoothly. His gaze locked with mine for a moment before turning to Serena. Stanley smile thinned as he looked at her.. "No luck though, huh?"
The words hit me like a blow. I could feel hope draining out of me, and I was left dry and desolate.
Serena's head bent slightly. "Not yet."
"Mm." His voice was casual, but the weight of his tone sliced the air thin. "No luck with Norlan too." He finally said. He leaned on the doorframe, arms folded, studying us both as we took it in.
I couldn't hold it together anymore. The tears threatened to come up at once, clouding my vision before I could hold them back. "That was our last hope," I gasped, my voice shattering. "The system. It was the only one. Now everything's gone."
Serena's face twisted in silent grief, but she stayed even. Then Stanley stepped forward and sat down in front of me and grounded me without me even realizing I needed it.
He leaned forward and gazed at me with his eyes. His voice was low and firm. "Don't say it's over. Don't let yourself think that. We can't lose hope now."
My tears overflowed. "But what if there's no hope anymore?"
"There's always something remaining," he whispered. "Even if it's only waiting for the moment to be ready. Even if it's only hanging on till the miracle comes."
I shoved a hand into my face, shivering, but his words wrapped around me like a lifeline. He didn't step back, simply stayed there, close enough to sense the strength of him when mine was crumbling.
Finally, Serena broke the silence. "Let's call it a night, I feel dizzy."
I quickly wiped my tears and said I would head home now. Serena bade me good night and retired to bed.
Shortly after, Stanley drove me home. The ride was quiet except for the rumble of the engine and the occasional bang of my breath cutting off as I tried not to cry again. I sat by the window and watched the city lights blur past me untile we turned into the too farmiar street. As we pulled up to my house, Stanley turned off the car and turned to me. "Everyrhing is going to be alright," he said softly and I nodded, tired and not able to argue.
My mother was inside, sitting in the living room. She got up when she saw us, her eyes shifting between me and Stanley.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No luck with the laptop," Stanley answered honestly. He explained the circumstances briefly, speaking respectfully and calmly.
"Thanks for taking care of her. For doing everything you have Stanley. But it's not too late, lets hope for a miracle.."
Stanley smiled faintly. “I told her thesame thing." Then he glanced at me, his face relaxing. "Get some rest, Liana. You need it badly."
He leaned and kissed me on the cheek gently, his mouth warm against my skin. The gesture was simple, but it caused me to shiver with a fleeting sense of safety.