The man with the badge—Agent Nolan Pierce—was someone I never expected to see again. Not after the deal I’d made. Not after the government promised I could finally disappear.
“Outside. Now,” he repeated.
Judge Henderson tried to intervene. “Agent Pierce, this is a closed hearing—”
“Then open it,” he snapped. “This concerns national security.”
Murmurs rippled across the courtroom.
Emily stared at me, eyes wide. “Mom… national security?”
There it was. The wall I’d built between my old life and my daughter was crumbling fast.
“I’ll explain,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure how.
Outside the courtroom, Pierce’s expression was grim. “We found him.”
My blood ran cold. “That’s impossible.”
“He resurfaced last night in Phoenix. Two agents are down. He asked for you by name.”
Emily looked between us, confused and terrified. “Who? Who’s asking for my mom?”
Pierce hesitated, glancing at me. “She should know.”
I nodded.
“Emily,” I said quietly, “before I met your father, before you were born, I worked undercover. Deep undercover.”
Emily blinked. “Like… police undercover?”
“No,” Pierce said. “Federal. She was one of the best assets we ever had. Her intel brought down an international trafficking network. The ring leader, Viktor Rusanov, swore he’d find the woman who betrayed him.”
Emily’s mouth fell open. “Mom… you were involved in that case? The one from the documentaries?”
I nodded slowly. “I had to disappear. New name, new life. I thought it was over.”
“It was,” Pierce said. “Until last night. Rusanov escaped custody. And you’re his first target.”
Emily grabbed my hand. “We need to leave. Now.”
But Pierce shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Rusanov doesn’t want to kill you—not yet. He wants leverage. And that means he might go after anyone connected to you.”
d realization hit me. “He knows about Emily.”
Pierce’s silence confirmed it.
My chest tightened. I had spent years rebuilding a peaceful life. A normal life. The kind where my daughter rolled her eyes at me for being embarrassing—not for being hunted by a man I put behind bars.
“We’re placing you both under protective custody effective immediately,” Pierce said. “A car is waiting.”
Emily shook her head. “So just like that, my whole life disappears?”
I swallowed hard. “It’s better than losing your life entirely.”
But even as I said it, the hallway lights flickered.
Then the fire alarm blared.
Pierce went rigid. “He’s here.”
The alarm echoed through the courthouse corridor, followed by frantic shouts from inside nearby rooms. Smoke began seeping from the vent above us—not black, not from fire. White. Thick. Chemical.
“Gas!” Pierce barked. “Move!”
He grabbed Emily while I pushed open the emergency stairwell door. We bolted down the steps as the gas spread behind us. My pulse hammered in my ears. This wasn’t a coincidence. This was precision. Planning. Rusanov’s style.
On the third-floor landing, a figure appeared in the shadows.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Calm.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed against the concrete.
“Hello, Anna,” he said.
My real name.
Emily froze. “Mom…”
Rusanov stepped into the dim light, his expression almost bored. “You cost me everything,” he said. “But I’m not here for revenge. Not yet.” His eyes shifted to Emily. “I’m here for motivation.”
Pierce drew his gun. “Rusanov, don’t—”
A second man emerged behind us, pressing a cold barrel to Pierce’s skull. “Drop it,” he ordered
It all happened in seconds. Pierce disarmed. Emily pulled behind me. Rusanov closing in.
“You were the only one who ever outsmarted me,” he said softly. “I want to see if you can do it again—before I take what you love most.”
“Take one step,” I warned, “and I swear—”
He raised a finger. “Shh. No more threats. You will come with me. Or she dies.”
Emily gripped my arm so tightly I felt her nails dig into my skin. “Mom, don’t. Please.”
My mind raced. Options. Angles. Exits. But every path ended with Emily hurt—or worse.
And then, from below, a thunderous crash.
“Federal agents! Drop your weapons!”
Pierce lunged the second the distraction hit. I shoved Emily flat against the wall as gunshots exploded through the stairwell. Rusanov’s men fired back. The air filled with smoke, shouts, metal ricochets. I grabbed Emily and sprinted down the stairs, not stopping until agents swarmed us from all sides.
Pierce limped toward us, blood on his sleeve but alive. “He got away,” he said quietly. “But we’ll find him.”
I held Emily close. “We stay together. No matter what.”
That night, relocated to a safehouse miles away, Emily sat beside me, her head on my shoulder.
“Mom,” she whispered, “I want to know everything. All of it.”
So I began to tell her.The man with the badge—Agent Nolan Pierce—was someone I never expected to see again. Not after the deal I’d made. Not after the government promised I could finally disappear.
“Outside. Now,” he repeated.
Judge Henderson tried to intervene. “Agent Pierce, this is a closed hearing—”
“Then open it,” he snapped. “This concerns national security.”
Murmurs rippled across the courtroom.
Emily stared at me, eyes wide. “Mom… national security?”
There it was. The wall I’d built between my old life and my daughter was crumbling fast.
“I’ll explain,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure how.
Outside the courtroom, Pierce’s expression was grim. “We found him.”
My blood ran cold. “That’s impossible.”
“He resurfaced last night in Phoenix. Two agents are down. He asked for you by name.”
Emily looked between us, confused and terrified. “Who? Who’s asking for my mom?”
Pierce hesitated, glancing at me. “She should know.”
I nodded.
“Emily,” I said quietly, “before I met your father, before you were born, I worked undercover. Deep undercover.”
Emily blinked. “Like… police undercover?”
“No,” Pierce said. “Federal. She was one of the best assets we ever had. Her intel brought down an international trafficking network. The ring leader, Viktor Rusanov, swore he’d find the woman who betrayed him.”
Emily’s mouth fell open. “Mom… you were involved in that case? The one from the documentaries?”
I nodded slowly. “I had to disappear. New name, new life. I thought it was over.”
“It was,” Pierce said. “Until last night. Rusanov escaped custody. And you’re his first target.”
Emily grabbed my hand. “We need to leave. Now.”
But Pierce shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Rusanov doesn’t want to kill you—not yet. He wants leverage. And that means he might go after anyone connected to you.”
d realization hit me. “He knows about Emily.”
Pierce’s silence confirmed it.
My chest tightened. I had spent years rebuilding a peaceful life. A normal life. The kind where my daughter rolled her eyes at me for being embarrassing—not for being hunted by a man I put behind bars.
“We’re placing you both under protective custody effective immediately,” Pierce said. “A car is waiting.”
Emily shook her head. “So just like that, my whole life disappears?”
I swallowed hard. “It’s better than losing your life entirely.”
But even as I said it, the hallway lights flickered.
Then the fire alarm blared.
Pierce went rigid. “He’s here.”
The alarm echoed through the courthouse corridor, followed by frantic shouts from inside nearby rooms. Smoke began seeping from the vent above us—not black, not from fire. White. Thick. Chemical.
“Gas!” Pierce barked. “Move!”
He grabbed Emily while I pushed open the emergency stairwell door. We bolted down the steps as the gas spread behind us. My pulse hammered in my ears. This wasn’t a coincidence. This was precision. Planning. Rusanov’s style.
On the third-floor landing, a figure appeared in the shadows.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Calm.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed against the concrete.
“Hello, Anna,” he said.
My real name.
Emily froze. “Mom…”
Rusanov stepped into the dim light, his expression almost bored. “You cost me everything,” he said. “But I’m not here for revenge. Not yet.” His eyes shifted to Emily. “I’m here for motivation.”
Pierce drew his gun. “Rusanov, don’t—”
A second man emerged behind us, pressing a cold barrel to Pierce’s skull. “Drop it,” he ordered
It all happened in seconds. Pierce disarmed. Emily pulled behind me. Rusanov closing in.
“You were the only one who ever outsmarted me,” he said softly. “I want to see if you can do it again—before I take what you love most.”
“Take one step,” I warned, “and I swear—”
He raised a finger. “Shh. No more threats. You will come with me. Or she dies.”
Emily gripped my arm so tightly I felt her nails dig into my skin. “Mom, don’t. Please.”
My mind raced. Options. Angles. Exits. But every path ended with Emily hurt—or worse.
And then, from below, a thunderous crash.
“Federal agents! Drop your weapons!”
Pierce lunged the second the distraction hit. I shoved Emily flat against the wall as gunshots exploded through the stairwell. Rusanov’s men fired back. The air filled with smoke, shouts, metal ricochets. I grabbed Emily and sprinted down the stairs, not stopping until agents swarmed us from all sides.
Pierce limped toward us, blood on his sleeve but alive. “He got away,” he said quietly. “But we’ll find him.”
I held Emily close. “We stay together. No matter what.”
That night, relocated to a safehouse miles away, Emily sat beside me, her head on my shoulder.
“Mom,” she whispered, “I want to know everything. All of it.”
So I began to tell her.