Page 82 of Knight

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The custody battle."

Keep it gentle. Understanding.Knight’s voice is a constant whisper in my ear.

"The legal fees that keep mounting. The impossible choice between paying your lawyer and paying your rent."

"How do you ..." Her voice catches. "What do you want?"

"To help." The lie tastes like acid, burning its way up my throat. "To offer you a way to keep your daughter."

Knight's voice comes through clear and steady. "You're doing well. Keep her focused on Sarah."

"I don't need help." Amanda starts to stand. "Especially not from a stranger who knows more than they should."

"What would you do to keep her?" The question freezes her halfway out of her chair. "To make sure she stays with you? To give her the life she deserves?"

She sinks back down slowly. "Who are you really?"

"Someone who needs access to Horizon Tech's systems." No point hiding it now. "Someone with the ability to make your legal troubles disappear if you help us."

"Or make them worse if I don't?" Bitterness edges her words. "Is that the threat?"

"It's not a threat." But we both know it is. "It's an opportunity. Help us, and your custody battle goes away. Your financial problems disappear." I lean forward slightly. "Sarah stays with you."

"And if I refuse?"

Knight's voice comes through steady and cold. "Tell her she doesn't want to find out."

I ignore him. "Then you go back to watching your life fall apart piece by piece. Back to lying awake wondering how long before you lose everything." I touch her hand gently. "Or you can let us help you."

She doesn't pull away. "What kind of access?"

"Minimal." Another lie. "Just enough to prevent something dangerous from happening. No one gets hurt. Nothing gets damaged." I squeeze her fingers gently. "And you get to keep your daughter. It’s better than what you’re currently doing."

Minutes tick by while she processes. I can almost see her weighing options, calculating risks, trying to find a way out that doesn't exist. Just like I did when someone offered to help me find Michael.

"What do you need me to do?" Her voice comes out barely above a whisper.

Knight's satisfied exhale sounds in my ear, but all I feel is sick. Because I just did exactly what was done to me. Used someone's desperation against them. Turned their pain into a weapon.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Knight

She runsfor the bathroom the second she enters my apartment. The sound of retching follows seconds later. I walk into my workstation, giving her privacy while I start digging into Hardwick's digital footprint. Every click of my keyboard feels like a betrayal of the woman currently emptying her stomach because of what I made her do.

When the sounds stop, I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water, then head to the bathroom. She's hunched over the toilet, shoulders shaking. Her shoulders rise and fall with each shallow, uneven breath, and her hair has come loose from its ponytail, hanging in her face.

"Here." I set the water on the counter and find a clean washcloth. "Small sips when you're ready."

She spits into the toilet, then flushes it. Her hands are trembling so badly she can barely turn on the tap to rinse her mouth. The sight of her distress tightens my stomach in ways I don’t want to acknowledge. I step closer, steadying her elbow while she cups water to her lips, swishes, spits into the sink.

"I can't ..." Her voice is raw. "God. Her daughter. I used herdaughteragainst her."

I run the washcloth under cool water, wringing it out before handing it to her. "Take this. It'll help."

She presses it against her face, but it doesn't muffle her next words.

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