Chapter 9
Chapter 9
In Chicago, Wila, the clone, and J7 meet Kay Deeds, who reveals she has been working undercover within Veritas. The lawyer's daughter provides a data drive from her father, but the file is encrypted and requires a second key held by Jaque Deeds Jr., now in Veritas custody. The group must decide whether to attempt a rescue, knowing it could be a trap.
The bus groaned into Chicago as the sun climbed past the steel and glass, throwing long shadows across the gray streets. Wila's neck ached from sleeping against the window, her cheek pressed to cold glass that vibrated with every turn of the wheels. The clone's hand was still in hers, warm and steady, but she could feel the tension in his fingers, the way they tightened whenever a police car passed or a siren wailed in the distance.
J7 sat across the aisle, his eyes fixed on nothing, his jaw working like he was chewing on words he couldn't say. He hadn't spoken since Millbrook. None of them had. The silence had grown thick, filled with everything they didn't know and everything they feared.
The bus lurched into the station, brakes hissing, and Wila blinked against the sudden flood of light. The clone stood first, pulling her up, his hand staying on her elbow as they stepped into the aisle. J7 followed, his movements deliberate, like a man who had mapped every exit before he took a step.
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