The Bridge Meeting

The Bridge Meeting


Emma's POV

I ran as fast as I could toward the Brooklyn Bridge.
Vincent's men were chasing me through the dark streets. Behind me, I could hear their footsteps getting closer and closer.
The fake Marcus had tried to grab me at the parking lot, but I'd found out the truth just in time. When he'd smiled at Vincent instead of looking scared, I knew he wasn't real.
I'd kicked him in the shin and run before Vincent's men could catch me.
Now I was going for the real Brooklyn Bridge, hoping the real Marcus would be there. Hoping he was still alive.
My lungs burned as I climbed the steps to the bridge. The city lights sparkled below me, but I couldn't stop to look. I had to find Marcus.
"Marcus!" I called out into the darkness. "Marcus, where are you?"
A figure stepped out from behind one of the bridge towers. But it wasn't Marcus.
It was Detective Sarah Chen.
"Emma," she said, walking toward me. "Thank God you're safe."
"Detective Chen? What are you doing here? Where's Marcus?"
Sarah's face was sad and tired. She looked like she'd been crying.
"Emma, I have some bad news," she said softly. "You need to sit down."
"Where is Marcus?" I asked again, but my voice was shaking now.
"Emma, Marcus is dead."
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I couldn't move.
"That's not true," I said. "I just talked to him on the phone. He's going to meet me here."
"Vincent killed him an hour ago," Sarah said. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so sorry."
My legs gave out and I fell to my knees on the cold bridge. "No. No, he can't be dead. He promised he'd protect me."
Sarah knelt down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "He did protect you, Emma. Right until the end."
"What do you mean?"
"Vincent captured Marcus three hours ago," Sarah stated. "He abused him, trying to get him to call you and set up a trap. But Marcus refused."
Tears were running down my face. "Then how did Vincent get me to come to the parking lot?"
"Marcus finally agreed to make the call, but only after Vincent promised not to hurt you or Jess," Sarah said. "He thought he was saving your lives."
"But it was a trap anyway."
"Yes. Vincent lied. He was always going to kill all of you."
I thought about the fake Marcus who had walked me to the parking lot. How calm he'd been. How ready he was to face danger.
"The person who came to the tunnel wasn't Marcus," I said.
"No. It was one of Vincent's designs. By then, Marcus was already dead."
The pain in my chest felt like it was tearing me apart. Marcus was gone. The boy who had held my hand in the dark. The boy who had promised we'd get through this together.
"How did you know to find me here?" I asked.
"Jess called me," Sarah said. "After the FBI raided Vincent's building, she told me about your code words. She said you might come to the real bridge looking for Marcus."
"Is Jess okay?"
"She's fine. She's the one who led us to Vincent."
Sarah helped me stand up. The city looked fuzzy through my tears.
"Emma, there's something else you need to know," Sarah said. "Vincent is in custody, but before we arrested him, he said something that worries me."
"What?" "He said the person who ordered all of this is still out there. Someone higher up, someone we haven't caught yet."
I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "Who?"
"We don't know. Vincent died in jail an hour ago, before he could tell us."
"Died how?"
"Poison. Someone didn't want him talking. "
Fear shot through me. "So this isn't over?"
"I don't think so," Sarah said honestly. "But Emma, you're not alone anymore. The FBI knows about the trials. We're going to find whoever is behind this."
"What about the prototypes? Are they all destroyed?"
Sarah was quiet for a moment. "Most of them. But Emma, we think there might be more out there. Prototypes we haven't found yet."
"So I'm still in danger."
"We're going to put you in protective custody," Sarah said. "Somewhere safe, with guards, until we catch whoever is really running this operation."
I looked out over the water, thinking about Marcus. About how he'd died trying to save me.
"I don't want to hide anymore," I said. "Marcus died because of me. Jess's sister died because of me. I'm tired of other people getting hurt."
"Emma, you can't blame yourself for what these people did."
"Can't I?" I turned to face her. "If I hadn't been so trusting, if I hadn't believed the fake Marcus, if I hadn't—"
"Stop," Sarah said firmly. "The only people responsible for these deaths are the people who ordered them."
"Then help me find them."
Sarah looked surprised. "What do you mean?"
"I mean let me help with the investigation," I said. "I know more about the prototypes than anyone. I've seen how they work, how they think."
"Emma, that's too dangerous."
"Everything is dangerous now," I said. "But at least this way, Marcus's death will mean something."
Sarah studied my face in the dim light. "You're sure about this?"
"I'm sure."
"Okay. But you'll have safety at all times. And if things get too dangerous, you get out. Deal?"
"Deal."
As we walked off the bridge together, I made a quiet promise to Marcus. I would find the people who killed him. I would make them pay.
But I didn't know that someone was watching us from the darkness. Someone who had been listening to every word we said.
Someone who was already making plans to stop me before I could find the truth.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: Emma, you made a mistake tonight. Marcus's death was just the beginning. Stop looking for solutions, or everyone you care about will die. This is your only warning.
I showed the message to Sarah. Her face went pale.
"Emma, we need to get you somewhere safe. Right now."
But as we rushed toward Sarah's car, I couldn't shake the feeling that nowhere would be safe anymore.
The real enemy knew I was coming for them.
And they were ready to fight back.