"You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "You don't have to put yourself at risk to catch everyone involved. Let the police handle it. The police will arrest Derek and be satisfied with closing the case. Elena didn't look up.
But the person who funded this, who approached Derek in the first place, they'll disappear. Find someone else to target me, and I'll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering when the next attack will come. Better than being dead. Is it? Elena finally looked at him.
Her eyes were haunted. I've built my entire existence around control, around knowing the variables, managing the risks, staying three steps ahead of everyone trying to take what I've built. If I let fear dictate my choices now, I lose the only thing that's kept me standing all these years. You're allowed to be afraid. You're allowed to choose safety over.
This isn't vengeance. Her voice cracked. It's survival. And maybe she stopped. started again. Maybe I'm tired of surviving alone.
Maybe that's why I'm asking you to stay close. Because for the first time in longer than I can remember, I don't want to face this by myself. The confession settled between them. Vulnerable and raw. Marcus moved slowly, giving her time to pull away.
He covered her hand with his. Her skin was cold, trembling, and when his warmth touched hers, she inhaled sharply. "You're not alone," he said. "Not in this. Not anymore."
Elena turned her hand over, threading her fingers through his. They sat there in the empty conference room, holding on to each other like lifelines in a storm. The next 48 hours were the longest of Marcus's life. He stayed within 10 ft of Elena at all times. shadowing her through meetings and video conferences, standing outside her office when she needed privacy, eating meals he barely tasted while watching everyone who came near her. Derek Simmons appeared at staff meetings looking concerned and supportive, asking Elena how she was handling the stress, offering to take on additional responsibilities.
Marcus watched him perform empathy and concern. Every word felt like acid on his skin. This man had tried to kill Elena, had betrayed everything she'd built, and now he smiled and nodded while planning his next move. "How are you holding up?" Derek asked Elena after a product development meeting.
"I'm fine, Derek. Thank you for asking." Elena's performance was flawless. "Your work on the new interface is excellent. Exactly what we need for launch.
Just doing my job. Derek's smile was warm. Practiced. We all want to see you succeed. The lie was so smooth that Marcus had to fight the urge to grab Derek by his expensive collar and throw him against the nearest wall, but Elena's hand touched his arm briefly as she passed, a silent reminder to stay calm.
Stay focused. Surveillance teams reported that Derek was making encrypted calls to an unknown number. always from locations outside the building where he thought he had privacy. The technical team was working to break the encryption, but it was sophisticated, suggesting whoever Derek reported to had significant resources. On the second night around 1100 p.m., Marcus was doing a final security sweep of the executive floor when his earpiece crackled to life. We've got movement.