Updated Feb 18, 2026 • ~5 min read
WILLA
“You knew.”
Not a question.
A statement.
An accusation.
Archer stands.
“Willa, let me explain—”
“Explain what? That you’ve been lying to me this whole time? That everything—the rescue, the protection, us—was all part of some FBI operation?”
“No! Us is real. Everything between us is real.”
“Is it? Or was I just bait? A way to draw out the Domenicos?”
I look at Tobias.
“Was I bait?”
He hesitates.
That’s answer enough.
“Oh my God.”
“Willa—”
“You used me. You put me in danger. Deliberately. To catch Malcolm.”
Tobias steps forward.
“We protected you. Every step of the way.”
“By making me a target? By letting Malcolm think he could get to me?”
“We had no choice. Malcolm wasn’t going to stop. He was obsessed with revenge. You were always going to be a target. We just… controlled the circumstances.”
Controlled.
Like I’m a piece on a chessboard.
Not a person.
I turn to Archer.
“Did you know? When you moved in next door? That I was bait?”
He won’t meet my eyes.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
The word hits like a bullet.
“So the whole time. From the beginning. When you introduced yourself as Aaron. When I confronted you. When we fell in love. You knew I was part of an operation.”
“It wasn’t like that—”
“Then what was it like, Archer? Because from where I’m standing, you lied to me. You used me. You put me in danger to catch a criminal.”
“I protected you!”
“You made me a target!”
Silence.
Heavy. Painful.
“I never wanted this,” Archer says quietly. “I volunteered for your protection because I wanted to keep you safe. Not because I wanted to use you.”
“But you knew. You knew the whole time that the FBI was using me as bait.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
“I couldn’t. Operational security.”
“Fuck operational security. I deserved to know.”
I’m shaking.
Rage and hurt and betrayal all mixing together.
“Everything I told you was real,” Archer says. “My feelings. My past. Everything. The only thing I hid was the operation.”
“The operation that made me bait. That put my life at risk.”
“You were already at risk!”
“Because you didn’t tell me! Because I didn’t know! If I had known, I could have made choices. Protected myself. But you took that away from me.”
Tobias clears his throat.
“Ms. Crane, I understand you’re upset—”
“Upset? I’m furious. You used me. Both of you.”
“We kept you alive.”
“You put me in danger first!”
I grab my coat.
“Where are you going?” Archer asks.
“Away from you.”
“Willa, it’s not safe—”
“I don’t care. I need space. I need to think.”
He blocks the door.
“I can’t let you leave.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“Yes, I can. It’s not safe.”
“So what? You’re going to hold me prisoner? Force me to stay?”
He looks torn.
Desperate.
“Please. Just… stay tonight. We’ll figure this out in the morning.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. You lied to me. You used me. We’re done.”
His face crumbles.
“Willa—”
“Move, Archer.”
For a long moment, I think he’ll refuse.
But then he steps aside.
I leave.
I don’t have a car.
Don’t have anywhere to go.
But I walk anyway.
Down the rural road.
Away from the safe house.
Away from Archer.
Away from all of it.
My phone rings.
Archer.
I don’t answer.
It rings again.
Lennox this time.
I answer.
“Hey.”
“Oh thank God. Where are you? Archer called me freaking out saying you left the safe house—”
“I needed space.”
“Willa, there’s a dangerous criminal looking for you. This isn’t the time for space.”
“He used me, Lennox. The FBI. Archer. All of them. I was bait.”
Silence.
“Did they keep you safe?”
“That’s not the point—”
“That’s exactly the point. Did they keep you safe?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then they did their job. Maybe not perfectly. Maybe not honestly. But they kept you alive.”
“They lied to me.”
“They’re FBI. That’s what they do.”
I want to argue.
But she’s not wrong.
“What do I do?”
“You go back. You talk to Archer. You figure this out like adults.”
“I’m so angry.”
“You have every right to be. But don’t let anger make you stupid. Malcolm is still out there. You need protection.”
“I don’t want Archer protecting me.”
“Too bad. He’s the best you’ve got. And he loves you. Lying to you about the operation was wrong. But it doesn’t change how he feels.”
I sit down on the side of the road.
Exhausted.
“I don’t know if I can forgive him.”
“You don’t have to decide that right now. Just go back. Be safe. Deal with the rest later.”
She’s right.
I hate it.
But she’s right.
“Okay.”
“You want me to come get you?”
“No. I’ll walk back.”
“Be careful.”
I hang up.
I stand.
Turn around.
And see headlights.
Coming fast.
A black car.
Slowing down.
Wrong.
This is wrong.
I start running.
The car accelerates.
Catches up.
Cuts me off.
Door opens.
Malcolm steps out.
Smiling.
“Hello, Willa. Miss me?”
I scream.
But there’s no one around to hear.
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