Chapter 8 Who is the Prey?

# Chapter 8: Who is the Prey?

The hidden passage led us deep beneath the Constantine estate, through tunnels that appeared to be remnants of a much older structure than the mansion above. Water dripped from stone walls, and our footsteps echoed ominously in the darkness. Eden moved with practiced familiarity, never hesitating at intersections or doorways.

"Where are we going?" I whispered, clutching the Crimson Tear tightly in my palm. Its warmth seemed to pulse with my heartbeat, a living thing guiding us through the labyrinth.

"To the contingency point," Eden replied without slowing. "My mother planned for this scenario. Everything we need is waiting there."

The tunnel eventually opened into what appeared to be an underground garage. A single black SUV sat ready, its engine starting automatically as we approached—responding to some signal from Eden or the diamond, I couldn't tell which.

"Get in," Eden commanded, moving to the driver's side. "Alexander's security will have the main gates locked down, but there's another way out."

I slid into the passenger seat, still trying to process everything that had happened in the past hour. My entire understanding of my life, my mother, my very identity had been shattered and reassembled into something unrecognizable.

"The files from the diamond," I said as Eden navigated the SUV through a narrow tunnel that seemed to slope upward. "They're being distributed now? To authorities?"

"Yes. By dawn, the Constantine Group will be facing federal investigations, international sanctions, and a complete collapse of their stock value." Eden's voice held grim satisfaction. "Alexander's power is built on our father's empire. When that crumbles, he loses everything."

We emerged from the tunnel onto what appeared to be an access road, far from the main entrance of the estate. Eden accelerated, putting distance between us and the mansion now visible in the rearview mirror. No pursuit was immediately evident, but the night felt heavy with threat.

"Where are we going now?" I asked, watching the estate disappear behind us.

"Somewhere Alexander won't think to look," Eden replied cryptically. "We need to stay hidden until the evidence takes effect. Once the authorities move against the Constantine Group, we'll be safer."

I turned to study his profile, lit intermittently by passing streetlights as we joined a main road. "And then what? What happens to me when your revenge is complete?"

Eden's eyes flickered to mine briefly. "That depends on you. The diamond has chosen both of us as its guardians. Our mothers' legacy is now ours to protect."

"I never asked for this legacy," I reminded him. "You kidnapped me, forced me into your revenge plot—"

"And in doing so, returned you to the truth of your origins," Eden interrupted. "Would you prefer to have remained ignorant? To never know what really happened to your mother? To continue living a life built on fabricated memories?"

His words struck deeper than I wanted to admit. Despite everything, I couldn't deny the sense of pieces finally fitting together—questions about my mother that had haunted me for years suddenly finding answers.

We drove for hours, eventually leaving the city behind for rural darkness. Shortly before dawn, Eden turned onto an unmarked road that led to what appeared to be an abandoned industrial complex.

"What is this place?" I asked as we approached a dilapidated warehouse.

"Constantine Minerals Research Facility," Eden said, pulling to a stop. "Shut down fifteen years ago, officially decommissioned. Unofficially, my mother maintained it as a secure location."

The warehouse's exterior was misleading. Inside, beyond multiple security measures that Eden navigated with practiced ease, lay a fully operational facility—laboratories, living quarters, and a central command center with monitoring systems showing news feeds and security camera footage of the Constantine estate we'd left behind.

"Alexander doesn't know about this place?" I asked, taking in the sophisticated setup.

"He believes it was destroyed years ago. My mother made certain of that." Eden moved to a computer terminal, checking something. "The data distribution is complete. Major news outlets are already running stories about questionable Constantine Group research practices. By noon, the federal investigation will be public."

I sank into a chair, exhaustion finally overtaking me. "So we just... wait?"

"For now." Eden's attention was fixed on the monitors. "Alexander won't accept defeat easily. He'll be looking for us—for the diamond. As long as we have it, he remains vulnerable."

As if responding to its mention, the Crimson Tear in my hand pulsed with warmth. I opened my palm to look at it, startled to find it glowing faintly—a subtle red illumination from within.

"It's never done that before," I murmured.

Eden approached, studying the diamond with intense interest. "The verification process must have activated additional protocols. My mother's message mentioned phases."

He reached for the stone, but as his fingers neared it, the glow intensified. We both froze, watching as the diamond projected a small holographic display—a series of coordinates and what appeared to be a time stamp counting down.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A location," Eden replied, his brow furrowed. "And a deadline. Approximately twelve hours from now."

"A deadline for what?"

Before Eden could answer, an alert sounded from the security system. One of the monitors showed vehicles approaching the facility—black SUVs identical to the one we'd escaped in.

"How did they find us so quickly?" I gasped, panic rising.

Eden's expression darkened. "The diamond. It must have triggered some kind of tracking system when it activated." He grabbed my arm, pulling me toward another door. "We need to move. Now."

We fled through the facility to another exit, emerging onto a loading dock where a different vehicle waited. Eden practically pushed me into it, starting the engine before I'd even closed my door.

"I don't understand," I said as we sped away, watching the SUVs converge on the warehouse behind us. "If your mother set up this facility as a safe location, why would the diamond lead them to us?"

Eden's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "Because the diamond isn't just my mother's creation. It was a joint project. The Constantine Group would have had their own protocols embedded in it."

"So Alexander can track us as long as we have it?"

"Not precisely." Eden navigated a sharp turn onto a dirt road. "The diamond isn't transmitting our location continuously. It activated a beacon when it revealed those coordinates."

I stared at the stone in my hand, its glow now faded to a faint pulse. "Then why keep it? Let's destroy it, or leave it behind."

"We can't." Eden's voice was firm. "The diamond isn't just evidence—it's the key to everything our mothers were protecting. And now, apparently, it's leading us somewhere specific."

"To what could be a trap," I pointed out.

Eden's smile was grim. "Perhaps. But my mother wouldn't have set this in motion without reason." He glanced at the diamond. "What are those coordinates? Where is it leading us?"

I checked the holographic display, which had stabilized into a series of numbers. "I don't know exactly, but based on the latitude and longitude... somewhere north of here. Mountains, maybe."

Eden nodded. "The Constantine family has property in those mountains. A research facility more secret than this one."

"Another trap, then."

"Or the final piece of the puzzle." Eden accelerated as we reached a paved road. "Either way, we have no choice but to follow where it leads."

The next several hours passed in tense silence. We changed vehicles twice at locations Eden had apparently prepared in advance, always staying ahead of the pursuit we could sense but not see. The diamond's countdown continued, the holographic numbers ticking steadily downward.

As mountains appeared on the horizon, Eden finally broke the silence. "There's something you need to know before we reach the coordinates."

I turned to him, wary of his tone. "What is it?"

"Alexander isn't just my half-brother. He's my twin."

The revelation stunned me. "That's impossible. You look nothing alike."

"Fraternal twins," Eden clarified. "And we were deliberately raised to accentuate our differences. My father's idea—creating the perfect heir and the perfect spare."

"But you said you were disinherited."

"I was. When I started questioning what happened to our mother." Eden's eyes remained fixed on the road. "Alexander was always the favorite—groomed from childhood to take over the empire, taught to be ruthless, ambitious. I was raised to be his shadow, his support. Until I refused to play that role any longer."

I studied his profile, seeing him in a new light. "Your mother's message—she said they tried to erase you. Is that what she meant?"

"Partly." Eden navigated a switchback as we climbed into the mountains. "After she died, my father systematically removed me from the family history. Official records were altered. My name was taken off company documents. Even family photographs were edited to remove me."

"That's... monstrous," I whispered.

"That was Jonathan Constantine." Eden's voice was flat. "A man who saw people as assets to be utilized or liabilities to be eliminated. Including his own sons."

The road narrowed as we climbed higher. The diamond's glow strengthened, its countdown now showing less than two hours remaining.

"We're getting close," Eden observed. "The facility should be just beyond this ridge."

As we crested the hill, a sprawling complex came into view—a cluster of modern buildings nestled into the mountainside, surrounded by security fencing. Unlike the abandoned warehouse, this facility was clearly operational, with vehicles in the parking area and lights visible in the windows.

Eden pulled to a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the complex. "Constantine Advanced Research Division," he said grimly. "Where my mother made her final discovery—and where she was killed."

"You think the diamond is leading us there? Why?"

"I don't know." Eden's gaze was fixed on the facility. "But whatever is there, Alexander will do anything to prevent us from reaching it."

I looked down at the diamond, its countdown now showing just over an hour. "We can't just walk in the front door. That place is obviously secured."

"We won't have to." Eden pointed to a service road winding around the back of the complex. "There's another way in. My mother showed me once, years ago."

As Eden drove us toward this alternative entrance, a terrible thought occurred to me. "Eden, if Alexander is already tracking the diamond... he might be waiting for us there."

"Almost certainly." Eden's calm acceptance was chilling. "Which is why you need to be prepared for what comes next."

He pulled the car to a stop in a secluded area and reached into the glove compartment, withdrawing a small device that looked like a detonator.

"What is that?" I asked, instinctively pulling back.

"Insurance." Eden handed it to me. "When we get inside, we'll likely be separated. If that happens, and if Alexander captures you, you'll need to make a choice."

I stared at the device in my hand. "What kind of choice?"

Eden's eyes met mine, cold and determined. "Press the red button, and the explosives I've placed throughout the Constantine estate will detonate. The main house will be destroyed, along with anyone inside it."

Horror washed over me. "You want me to kill people?"

"The house will be empty except for security personnel," Eden said dismissively. "The board evacuated hours ago when the first investigations were announced."

"That doesn't make it right!" I protested. "I won't be party to murder."

"Then choose the second option." Eden indicated a smaller, blue button on the device. "That will trigger a different set of explosives—a decoy warehouse I prepared. No casualties, but also no real damage to Alexander's power base."

I looked from the device to Eden, suddenly seeing him with terrible clarity. "This is a test," I realized. "You're testing me."

Eden's expression revealed nothing. "Call it a necessary evaluation of character."

"And if I refuse both options?"

"Then your sister dies." Eden's voice was matter-of-fact, as if discussing the weather.

The blood drained from my face. "My sister? I don't have a sister."

Eden removed his phone, showing me a video feed of a young woman in what appeared to be a luxurious apartment. She was reading a book, seemingly unaware of being recorded.

"Kelly Harlow," Eden said. "Your half-sister. Your father's daughter from his second marriage, after your mother disappeared. She lives in Boston, teaches elementary school, has no idea she has an older sister."

I stared at the woman's face, seeing subtle similarities to my own—the shape of her eyes, the line of her jaw. A sister I never knew existed.

"How long have you known about her?" I whispered.

"Since I began researching you three years ago." Eden put the phone away. "She's under surveillance, not physically restrained. But if the deadline passes without a choice being made, my associate has orders to proceed with her burial."

"Burial?" My voice rose in panic. "She's innocent in all this!"

"Everyone is innocent until drawn into the Constantine family orbit," Eden replied coldly. "I'm offering you a choice, Janice. Help me destroy Alexander completely, or save your sister's life with a token gesture."

"You're a monster," I breathed, seeing Eden Constantine for what he truly was—a man as damaged and dangerous as the brother he sought to destroy.

"I'm a survivor," he corrected. "And now you must decide what kind of survivor you are."

The diamond pulsed in my hand, its countdown now showing thirty minutes. Whatever awaited us in the research facility, I was approaching it with the terrible weight of an impossible choice.

As we drove the final distance to the complex's back entrance, I clutched both the diamond and the detonator, wondering how I'd gone from expert gemologist to potential mass murderer in less than a week.

And I wondered, with growing dread, if Eden's revenge had consumed him so completely that he couldn't see he had become exactly what he was fighting against.

When we reached the service entrance—a maintenance tunnel leading into the mountain—I made my decision. As Eden worked to bypass the security system, I pressed a button on the detonator.

The blue one.

A notification appeared on Eden's phone immediately. He checked it, then looked at me with something like disappointment.

"The warehouse," he said quietly. "Not the estate."

"I won't be party to murder," I repeated firmly. "Not even for revenge."

Eden studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Your sister is safe. She was never in danger."

"What?"

"There was no associate, no burial plan." Eden returned to bypassing the security panel. "I needed to know what kind of person you truly are. Now I do."

Relief flooded me, quickly followed by rage. "You manipulated me. Again."

"Yes." The security panel beeped, and the door began to open. "And now we can proceed with confidence."

"Confidence in what?"

Eden's smile was cold but genuine. "That when the time comes, you'll make the right choice. For all the right reasons."

The maintenance tunnel beckoned before us, leading into the heart of the facility—and whatever awaited us there. The diamond's countdown showed fifteen minutes remaining.

"After you," Eden said, gesturing toward the darkness.

With the weight of both the diamond and my decision heavy in my hand, I stepped forward into the unknown.