Updated Oct 27, 2025 • ~10 min read
Natalie woke to screaming.
For a moment, disoriented in the unfamiliar motel room, she thought she was dreaming. Then she heard it again—a raw, terrified sound coming from Scarlett’s room.
She was on her feet before Grant even stirred, running through the connecting door.
The bathroom light was on. Scarlett sat on the tile floor, back against the tub, her good hand pressed to her mouth, eyes wide with terror. Blood seeped through her hospital gown from her abdomen.
“Scarlett!” Natalie dropped to her knees. “What happened? Are you—”
“He got to me.” Scarlett’s voice was barely a whisper. “At the hospital. Before I left. One of Julian’s guys. He said—he said this was just a warning. That the next one would be worse.”
Natalie’s hands shook as she lifted Scarlett’s gown. A deep laceration across her side, partially reopened from the hospital stitches. Fresh blood mixed with old.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Natalie demanded, already grabbing towels to apply pressure. “You’ve been bleeding for hours—”
“Because I was scared.” Scarlett’s teeth chattered despite the warm room. “Scared if I told the FBI, they’d know Julian’s people could get to me anywhere. That even in protective custody, I’m not safe.” Her eyes found Natalie’s. “That you’re not safe either.”
Grant appeared in the doorway, took in the scene, and immediately pulled out his phone. “I’m calling Morrison.”
“No—” Scarlett tried to stand, swayed. “He said if I told anyone, next time it’s Natalie. Next time—”
She collapsed.
Grant caught her before she hit the floor. “Natalie, pressure on that wound. Now.”
The next twenty minutes were chaos. Agents bursting in. Paramedics arriving. Scarlett being loaded onto a stretcher, barely conscious, Natalie’s hands covered in her sister’s blood.
“I’m going with her,” Natalie said.
“Ms. Knight, you need to stay here where it’s secure—”
“She’s my sister. I’m going.”
Agent Morrison appeared, her expression thunderous. “Let her go. But full security detail. And I want to know how the hell someone got to a patient in FBI protection.”
In the ambulance, Natalie held Scarlett’s hand while paramedics worked.
“Stay with me,” Natalie said. “Come on, Scar. Stay with me.”
Scarlett’s eyes fluttered open. “Nat—”
“Don’t talk. Save your energy.”
“Have to—have to tell you.” Scarlett’s grip tightened weakly. “What Julian had on me. Why I could never get away.”
“You can tell me later—”
“No. Now. In case—” She coughed, winced. “In case I don’t get another chance.”
The paramedic checked her vitals, shook his head at Natalie. The message was clear: let her talk if she needs to.
“When I was nineteen,” Scarlett whispered, “I was dating this guy. Older. Rich. Exciting. He had connections to—to bad people. I didn’t know at first. By the time I figured it out, I was in too deep.”
Natalie squeezed her hand. “What happened?”
“He asked me to deliver a package. Said it was important documents for a business deal. I was stupid. I said yes.” Scarlett’s breathing was labored. “It was drugs. A lot of drugs. And I got caught.”
“You were arrested?”
“Almost. But this lawyer showed up. Said he could make it go away. All I had to do was—” She stopped, pain flashing across her face. “All I had to do was work for his client. Be available when they needed certain services. And in exchange, the charges would disappear.”
“Julian,” Natalie breathed.
“His mentor, actually. Julian inherited me when the old boss died.” Scarlett’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve been trapped for seven years, Nat. Seven years of doing things I’m ashamed of. Meeting people I hated. Becoming someone I don’t recognize. And I couldn’t tell anyone because if I did, those charges would resurface. I’d go to prison. Mom and Dad would find out everything.”
“Scarlett—”
“I’m sorry.” The tears spilled over. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. That I let my mess become your mess. You deserved better than a sister who—”
“Stop.” Natalie’s voice was fierce. “You’re not dying. You’re going to survive this, and then you’re going to testify against Julian and Dominic and every other person who hurt you. And those charges? We’ll fight them. We’ll prove you were coerced.”
“The statute of limitations—”
“I don’t care about statutes or laws or any of it. You’re my sister. My twin. And I’m not losing you.”
Scarlett managed a weak smile. “Twin intuition?”
“Something like that.”
They arrived at the hospital—St. Catherine’s again, the same emergency entrance where they’d brought Scarlett days ago. A full FBI security team materialized, surrounding the ambulance before the doors even opened.
In the organized chaos of the ER, Natalie was pushed aside as doctors worked. Grant appeared at her elbow, having followed in a separate vehicle.
“She’s going to be okay,” he said, but his voice lacked certainty.
“She better be. Because if she’s not—” Natalie looked down at her blood-stained hands. “If she’s not, I’m going to find whoever did this and—”
“We’ll leave that to the FBI,” Grant said gently. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
In the bathroom, Natalie scrubbed her sister’s blood from her hands, watching pink water swirl down the drain. The face that stared back from the mirror looked like Scarlett’s—same features, same bone structure—but the fear in the eyes was all Natalie’s own.
When she emerged, Agent Morrison was waiting.
“We found something,” Morrison said without preamble. “Security footage from the hospital. A maintenance worker entered Scarlett’s room four hours before she checked out. He was in there for six minutes. When he left, she was visibly distressed.”
“Do you have an ID on him?”
“We’re working on it. But Ms. Knight—” Morrison’s expression was grim. “This wasn’t random. Someone knew exactly which room she was in. Knew when the shift change happened. Knew how to bypass our security protocols.”
“You think it’s someone on the inside,” Grant said.
“I think we have a bigger problem than just Julian and Dominic.” Morrison pulled out her phone, showed them a photo. “This is the maintenance worker. Recognize him?”
Natalie studied the grainy image. Something about the profile, the build, felt familiar. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“His ID badge was fake. The real maintenance worker called in sick that morning—food poisoning, probably induced. Someone planned this. Someone with resources and information.” Morrison pocketed her phone. “Until we know who, I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety. Not yours, not Scarlett’s, not Mr. Stone’s.”
“So what do we do?” Natalie asked.
“We move fast. We press Julian for information about who might be coming after Scarlett. We find Dominic before he can do more damage. And we pray the doctors can stabilize your sister before whoever did this comes back to finish the job.”
A doctor appeared, scrubs splattered with blood. “Family of Scarlett Knight?”
Natalie’s heart stopped. “Is she—”
“Alive. Stable. We’ve repaired the laceration and she’s receiving blood transfusions now. But—” The doctor’s expression was serious. “She’s lucky to be alive. Another hour without treatment and she would have bled out.”
Relief flooded through Natalie so intensely she had to grab Grant’s arm to stay upright.
“Can I see her?”
“She’s in recovery. Give it thirty minutes, then yes. But Ms. Knight—” The doctor hesitated. “Your sister’s been through significant trauma. Physical and psychological. She’s going to need time to heal. And support.”
After the doctor left, Natalie sank into a waiting room chair.
“She told me,” she said to Grant. “In the ambulance. About what Julian had on her. Why she couldn’t get away.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“She was nineteen. Stupid and young and in over her head. And instead of helping her, Julian’s people used her mistakes to trap her for seven years.” Natalie’s hands clenched into fists. “She’s been a prisoner this whole time. And I never knew. Never even suspected.”
“You couldn’t have known. She didn’t want you to know.”
“I should have seen it. Should have realized something was wrong. All those times she needed money, or seemed scared, or—” Natalie’s voice broke. “I was so focused on being the easy twin, the one who didn’t need attention, that I didn’t notice my sister was drowning.”
Grant pulled her close. “This isn’t your fault. None of it. Scarlett made choices, yes. But Julian and his people exploited those choices. Turned them into chains.”
“How do we break those chains?”
“By making sure she survives this. By getting her to testify. By ensuring Julian and everyone connected to him pays for what they’ve done.” Grant’s voice was hard. “And by being there for her when she’s finally free. Really free.”
Thirty minutes later, a nurse led Natalie to Scarlett’s room. Her sister looked impossibly small in the hospital bed, tubes and monitors surrounding her, but her eyes were open and clear.
“Hey,” Scarlett said weakly.
“Hey yourself.” Natalie pulled a chair close. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. Seems to be my thing lately.”
“The doctor says you’ll make a full recovery. Physically, anyway.”
Scarlett’s hand found Natalie’s. “Thank you. For not letting me die in that bathroom.”
“What are sisters for?” Natalie managed a smile. “Besides, someone has to make sure you testify against Julian. Might as well be me.”
“About that—” Scarlett’s expression grew serious. “I need to tell you something else. Something I didn’t say in the ambulance.”
“What?”
“The guy who attacked me at the hospital. Before he left, he said something.” Scarlett’s grip tightened. “He said Dominic says hello. That this is what happens to people who betray the family.”
Natalie’s blood ran cold. “Dominic ordered this?”
“I think he’s trying to tie up loose ends before the FBI catches him. I’m the one person who can connect him directly to Julian’s operation. Who can testify about their relationship.” Scarlett’s voice shook. “Which means he’s going to keep trying until—”
“Until nothing. The FBI will catch him. And you’ll be protected until then.”
“Will I? Someone got to me in FBI protection, Nat. If Dominic has the same connections Julian had—”
“Then we deal with it. Together.” Natalie stood. “I need to tell Morrison about this. About Dominic being behind the attack.”
“Be careful. If Dominic knows we’re onto him—”
“Then he’s already dangerous. Might as well warn the people trying to catch him.”
Natalie left Scarlett’s room and found Agent Morrison in the hallway, coordinating with hospital security.
“Dominic ordered the attack,” Natalie said without preamble. “The guy who hurt Scarlett—he said it was a message from Dominic. He’s cleaning up loose ends.”
Morrison’s expression darkened. “Then we need to find him before he gets to anyone else. Because if he’s willing to go after Scarlett in FBI protection, no one is safe.”
“What about Grant? He’s Dominic’s former partner. He knows everything about the company—”
“We’re already putting protection on Mr. Stone. And you.” Morrison pulled out her phone. “I’m calling in additional resources. If Dominic Rivers wants a war, we’ll give him one.”
As Natalie watched Morrison make calls, organizing manhunts and protection details, she felt the weight of everything settle over her.
This wasn’t over. Julian was in custody, yes. But Dominic was still out there, cleaning up loose ends, eliminating threats.
And Scarlett—bruised, battered, barely surviving—was at the top of his list.
But so was Natalie.
So was Grant.
And somewhere in the city, Dominic Rivers was planning his next move.
The question was: would they see it coming before it was too late?
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