Chapter 4 PROJECT HELLION

Maya sat in her living room with the second letter in her lap, fingers trembling.

I see you. I know what you're doing. He's not who you think he is.

She read it again and again, hoping the words would change. But they didn't. They clung to her, coiled around her chest like vines. The scent of perfume on the page-it wasn't familiar, but it was loud. Too loud. Like someone had left a piece of themselves behind, daring her to react.

Adrian hadn't returned her last call. He said he was busy, tied up with something. Now, silence stretched between them, awkward and unexplained. The timing couldn't have been worse.

Maya paced the apartment, then locked every door, checked every window. This time, it wasn't paranoia-it was preparation. Someone had been here. Someone had touched her things. Watched her. Maybe even stood over her while she slept.

She called Adrian again. Voicemail.

Then she messaged him. "We need to talk. It's urgent."

No reply.

By morning, she still hadn't slept. Instead, she sat by the window, watching shadows stretch and shrink with every passing car, every flicker of light. Something inside her had shifted. She could no longer wait for answers to come. She had to chase them.

And it started with the one clue she still had-the symbol.

She returned to her father's house. It was the only place that felt untouched by lies. In his study, she pulled out every book, every journal, every locked drawer. Hours passed, dust settled in her hair, and her hands ached from tearing through the past.

Then she found it.

A thick, leather-bound notebook hidden inside a hollowed-out copy of War and Peace. Classic trick. Her father had always been clever that way.

Inside the notebook were notes, scribbles, sketches. Dates and meetings. A timeline of something big-something secret. And the symbol again. Not just once. It appeared several times, drawn beside names and places.

One name jumped out at her:

Project HELLION.

Next to it: "Damian initiated phase 3. Adrian unaware. Cannot trust either. They're too close."

Maya froze.

Adrian unaware? Cannot trust either?

Her heart pounded. Her father had kept secrets about both Damian and Adrian. But why Adrian? Had her father known him? Or had he simply sensed danger?

Her phone buzzed.

Adrian.

She picked up immediately.

"Where have you been?" she asked, too sharply.

"I got your message. What's going on?"

"Someone broke into my apartment. Left another note."

Silence.

"It smelled like perfume," she added. "Yours?"

Adrian exhaled slowly. "Probably hers."

"She knows where I live."

"I'll handle it," he said quickly. "Don't do anything. I'll come by."

"No," Maya said, surprising herself. "Meet me at the public library. The old one downtown. In an hour."

Another pause.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll be there."

The call ended, but her nerves didn't settle. She copied several pages of her father's notebook, folded them neatly into her coat pocket, and made her way out.

The library was nearly empty, its walls lined with dusty encyclopedias and forgotten maps. Maya chose a back corner, where the cameras didn't reach. When Adrian arrived, he looked tired-like he hadn't slept either.

He sat beside her, eyes scanning her face.

"Are you okay?"

"No," she answered honestly. "But I found this."

She handed him the copies.

Adrian scanned them, his brow furrowing. When he reached his name, he froze.

"'Adrian unaware.' What does that mean?"

"You tell me," Maya said quietly.

"I had nothing to do with this. I didn't know anything about this project. I swear."

"Your father did. And he clearly tried to hide it from you."

He looked away, jaw clenched.

"What is HELLION?" she pressed.

Adrian shook his head. "I've heard whispers. Years ago. Files my father kept locked, passwords only he knew. I tried digging once, and he threatened to disown me."

"What is it?"

"Something underground. Off the books. Disappearances. Silence. People who asked too many questions were... erased."

Maya's mouth went dry. "And my father?"

"If he got too close, then yes. He was a threat."

A hollow ache grew in her chest.

She whispered, "I don't think he's dead."

Adrian looked at her sharply.

"I think he disappeared on purpose. I think he knew something would come for him, and he ran. Or someone helped him disappear."

Adrian's voice was low. "And now, you're following the same trail."

Maya nodded.

"You're in danger."

"I know."

Adrian reached out and took her hand gently. His thumb brushed across her knuckles, and for a moment, the chaos melted into something quiet.

"I'll protect you," he said.

Maya didn't answer.

Because part of her wanted to believe him.

And part of her still wondered if she was sleeping beside the storm.