HAROLD'S POV - THREE DAYS AFTER ESCAPE
Harold Ashford sat in a dingy motel room in Newark, staring at his burner phone. Three days of running, three days of looking over his shoulder, three days of rage festering in his chest like an open wound.
Damien Blackwood thought he'd won. Thought that rescuing Aria from that warehouse meant the game was over.
But Harold wasn't done. Not even close.
His phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number: Park bench. Journal Square. One hour. Come alone.
Matthew. The mysterious ally who'd provided information about Aria before. The man whose father's company had been destroyed by Aria's hacking years ago. The man who wanted revenge as badly as Harold did.
Harold grabbed his jacket and headed out.
****
ONE HOUR LATER - JOURNAL SQUARE PARK
Matthew sat on the bench feeding pigeons, looking utterly ordinary in jeans and a nondescript jacket. Nothing about him suggested he was dangerous. That was exactly what made him perfect.
