She was hunting.

The next morning, we drove to the hospital.

A nurse brought up security footage.

There she was.

A woman wearing sunglasses.

Dark hair.

My height.

My build.

Even the way she walked looked like me.

But when she turned toward the camera, my blood froze.

It wasn’t a stranger.

It was someone from our family.

Someone who had eaten at my table.

Someone who had hugged me at Christmas.

Julian leaned closer to the screen.

“No…”

The woman removed her glasses.

My niece, Sofia.

And behind her stood Patricia.

PART 6: EYES IN THE WALLS

Sofia disappeared before we could reach her.

Her phone was disconnected.

Her apartment was empty.

No forwarding address.

No explanation.

Only silence.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Something felt wrong.

The house felt different.

Smaller.

Watching.

At two in the morning, I walked into the kitchen for water.

A tiny red light blinked behind the microwave.

I froze.

Then I pulled the appliance away from the wall.

A camera.

Small.

Hidden.

Recording.

My heart began pounding.

I checked the living room.

Another camera.

The hallway.

Another.

My bedroom.

Another.

Someone had been watching us.

Listening.

Learning.

Every conversation.

Every plan.

Every secret.

Julian immediately called a security specialist.

By dawn, they found six cameras.

But the final discovery terrified us.

One camera had been installed only forty-eight hours earlier.

After Julian arrived.

Which meant someone had entered the house recently.

Someone with a key.

Someone we trusted.

Then the specialist handed us a memory card.

“There’s one video you need to see.”

The recording began.

A shadow entered my house.

Walked directly to Julian’s room.

And whispered:

“Next time, you won’t survive.”

PART 7: THE DEAD MAN ON TELEVISION
Three days later, Patricia learned the truth.
Not from us.
From television.
A local reporter was interviewing residents after a company charity event.
The camera swept across the crowd.
Only for a second.
Just one second.
But it was enough.
Julian’s face appeared in the background.
Alive.
Walking.
Breathing.
Watching.
The broadcast aired at 6:12 p.m.
At 6:17 p.m., Patricia’s attorney canceled every meeting.
At 6:23 p.m., three company executives resigned.
At 6:31 p.m., money began disappearing from offshore accounts.
And at exactly 7:00 p.m., Patricia made her first move.
Julian received a text.
A photograph.
Me.
Leaving the grocery store that afternoon.
Underneath was a message.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LET HIM DIE.

Five minutes later, another message arrived.

This one contained an address.

An abandoned warehouse near the river.

And a promise.

COME ALONE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO GABRIEL.

Julian stared at the screen.

Then at me.

Neither of us spoke.

Because deep down, we both knew.

Patricia wasn’t running anymore.

She was preparing for war.

PART 8: THE WAREHOUSE TRAP

I begged Julian not to go.

The abandoned warehouse sat near the river docks, surrounded by rusted shipping containers and broken fences.

Everything about it screamed trap.

Which was exactly why Julian knew he had to go.

“If Patricia knows something about Gabriel, I need answers.”

“She wants you dead,” I said.

“Then she should have finished the job the first time.”

At midnight, Julian and Mr. Morris approached the warehouse.

The place looked deserted.

No lights.

No cars.

No movement.

Then they heard a voice.

“You’re late.”

A figure stepped from the shadows.

Sofia.

My niece looked exhausted.

Terrified.

As though she hadn’t slept in days.

“Where is Patricia?” Julian demanded.

Sofia shook her head.

“You don’t understand.”

“Then explain.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“Gabriel wasn’t the first.”

Julian froze.

“What?”

“There were others.”

A loud metallic click echoed through the darkness.

Mr. Morris immediately turned.

“DOWN!”

A gunshot exploded through the warehouse.

Glass shattered.

Metal screamed.

Julian threw himself behind a container.

Another shot.

Then another.

The shooters weren’t aiming to scare him.

They were aiming to finish what Patricia started.

Sofia screamed.

Chaos erupted.

Mr. Morris pulled Julian toward an emergency exit.

They ran through a maze of containers while bullets struck steel around them.

Just before they escaped, Sofia grabbed Julian’s arm.

“There is a fourth video.”

Julian stared at her.

“What video?”

“The one your father hid.”

She was crying now.