Chapter 19 Aday of pacing these concrete floors, staring at the same faces, drowning in guilt and rage and memories I've spent years burying-it's too much. We need resources. Information. People who aren't trapped in this twisted family drama. "We need help," I announce, striding into the security room where Arson and Lilian are hunched over a laptop. "Professional help." Arson doesn't look up. "We're handling it." "Are we?" I gesture to the laptop screen, covered in dead ends and unanswered questions. "Your backers are breathing down our necks. Patricia has some medical procedure planned that requires donations, whatever the hell that means. And we've got nothing. No leverage, no plan, nothing but speculation and paranoia." "And your solution is what?" He finally glances up, eyes cold with distrust. "Call in the cavalry? Alert the whole world to our situation?" "Not the whole world. Just my people." I cross my arms, bracing for the fight I know is coming. "Drew, Sebastian, Lee. They have resources, connections, and skills we could use." Arson's laugh is short and bitter. "Your people. The same ones who didn't notice when you were replaced? Who drank and partied with me for months without realizing I wasn't you? Those people?" The accusation stings because there's truth in it. My friends-my supposed friends-didn't notice the switch. Didn't see the differences, the tells, the subtle shifts in personality that should have been obvious to anyone who truly knew me. "Maybe you played your part a little too well, Brother," I remind him, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "I can give them a little leeway, considering you played the part from graduation, not like the entire senior year. They barely saw you." "Even so...if we need allies, we need people who are at least observant enough to notice the change of an entire person." Arson stands, squaring off against me. "Your friends are either oblivious or complicit. Either way, I don't want them anywhere near this operation." "They're not perfect, but they're loyal to me." The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. Are they loyal? Was Drew? Is anyone in this fucked-up world actually trustworthy? "And they have skills we need. Sebastian's family has connections in every legal firm in the city. Lee can hack anything with a circuit board. And Drew⁠-" "Drew is too distracted by his own life," Arson cuts in. "He didn't even realize I was you for months. Why would you trust him now?" "I don't," I admit, the words sharper than intended. "But I trust his self-interest. And right now, his interests align with ours. If anything, the fact that you tricked them all for months will batter their pride into helping us. Even if..." I swallow hard, not ready to admit that men I saw as my brothers for so long could just let me rot away in a cell. "We aren't as close as we used to be." Lilian stares between us, tension evident in the set of her shoulders, but it's clear she was listening. "Maybe Aries is right. We do need help. People who aren't emotionally compromised by all this." Arson's gaze flicks to her, something softening momentarily before the walls slam back up. "Fine, but we aren't doing this here. I'm not bringing your frat boy entourage anywhere we're trying to live." "Fine." I pull out my phone, already composing a text. "Then we take Lilian to Drew's place. Neutral ground." "Absolutely not." Arson's refusal is immediate and vehement. "I'm not letting her out of my sight, especially not at Drew's." "Then where?" I demand, my own frustration mounting. "We need somewhere secure, somewhere we can talk freely without worrying about Patricia's people finding us." The answer comes to me as I'm asking the question. "The Mill House. My room. It was our plan to go there after we left this safe house anyway, right?" "Your old room," Arson corrects, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes. "I was living there, remember? Sleeping in your bed, using your things. I packed it all up." The reminder is a deliberate jab, designed to get under my skin. It works, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing it. "The point is, it's on campus. Secure building, familiar territory. Neither Patricia nor your backers would have surveillance set up there." Arson seems to consider this, weighing risks against benefits. "And your friends would meet us there?" "They would." I finish the text and hit send. A group message to Drew, Sebastian, and Lee: Mill House. My room. One hour. Emergency. Tell no one. The replies come almost immediately. Three variations of On my way. No questions asked. Whatever else they might be, they respond when called. "It's done," I say, pocketing the phone. "They'll meet us in an hour." Arson's expression darkens. "I didn't agree to this." "You want to protect Lilian? Want to figure out what Patricia is planning? This is how we do it." I hold his gaze, refusing to back down. "Unless you have a better suggestion? Your own allies maybe...but considering your allies so far, I'm not holding my breath." He glances at Lilian, who offers a small nod of encouragement. "I think it's worth a try, Arson. We need all the help we can get." His jaw works silently, frustration evident in every line of his body. "Fuck it. Fine. But if I get even a whiff of betrayal from any of them, I'm shutting it down. Hard." "Fair enough." I turn to Lilian. "Pack whatever you need. We leave in fifteen minutes." She nods, rising from her chair with a wince she tries to hide. The bruises from her captivity are fading, but they're still there, a visual reminder of everything at stake. As she leaves the room, Arson turns to me, voice pitched low to ensure she can't hear. "If this blows up in our faces, if she gets hurt because of your friends⁠-" "My friends have girlfriends and wives. They wouldn't do anything to hurt her." I cut him off. "And if they tried, I'd end them right fucking there. I won't let anything happen to her." "Like you didn't let our mother die?" The accusation slips out, casual as a knife between the ribs, whispered so there's no chance of Lilian hearing. Is that how it's going to be, then? I flinch, the guilt a physical pain in my chest. "Low blow, Brother." "Just keeping perspective." He moves past me toward the door. "Fifteen minutes." Alone in the security room, I allow myself a moment of doubt. Am I making the right call? Can I trust Drew? Sebastian with his family's corporate connections? Lee with his questionable ethics and even more questionable contacts? Does it matter? We need help, and they're the only allies I have left. The only ones I've ever had. My phone buzzes with another text from Drew: Is this about L? I don't bother responding. He'll find out soon enough. The Mill House looks exactly the same-the old Victorian facade, the ivy-covered wall, the pretentious entry. It's the most exclusive residence on campus, home to legacy students and the exceptionally wealthy if they can get in. I lived here for four years, right up until Arson decided to steal my life. Now I'm returning as an intruder, a ghost haunting my own past. "This was a mistake," I mutter as we approach the building. Campus is quiet tonight, most students either studying or partying elsewhere, but a few curious glances follow us. I'm thinner, unkempt, dressed in too big clothes-hardly recognizable as the Aries Hayes who used to hold court in the Mill House common room. "Too late to back out now," Arson says beside me, looking far more the part in his tailored shirt and designer jeans. "Your fan club is waiting." I ignore the jab, focusing instead on Lilian. She's been quiet since we left the warehouse, withdrawn in a way that concerns me. "You okay?" "Fine," she says, the automatic response unconvincing. "Just...a lot is happening very quickly." We enter through the side door, bypassing the main entrance where we'd more likely be noticed. The familiar hallways bring a wave of unwanted nostalgia-memories of late-night study sessions and pre-game drinks, the countless mundane moments that made up my life before Arson destroyed it. My room-former room-is on the third floor, a corner suite with a view of campus. Another perk of being a Hayes, of being Richard's golden child. The irony doesn't escape me. I hesitate outside the door, suddenly uncertain. Is this still my space? Has Arson changed it, marked it as his own? Will my friends even recognize me as I am now? "After you," Arson says, mocking courtesy in his tone. I push the door open and step inside. The room is surprisingly unchanged-same furniture, same art on the walls, same organized chaos I've always preferred. Three figures rise as we enter: Drew, lounging in my desk chair like he owns it; Sebastian, impeccable as always in a tailored suit despite the late hour; and Lee, sprawled across my bed, looking like he just rolled out of someone else's. "Holy shit," Lee says, the first to break the silence. "It's true. There really are two of you." A smile plays on his lips like an eager puppy. I don't even want to know what he's thinking. "Astute observation," Arson drawls, closing the door behind us. "I can see why you keep him around." Drew steps forward, eyes cataloging the changes in my appearance all over again. "Aries." A nod to me, then to my twin. "Arson." His gaze lingers on Lilian. "Lilian." Sebastian, ever the diplomat, breaks the tension. "Perhaps we could skip the pleasantries and get to why we've been summoned? But first...what the fuck?" Drew sighs, and Sebastian flicks him a glance. "You told us, but I mean...I guess I didn't see it until right now." Sebastian laughs gleefully and pats the bed. "Come sit, Lilian. You look a little pale." Lilian steps closer to Arson. She knows of Lee but hasn't interacted with his particular brand of crazy, so it makes sense she'd be leery. "Some things never change," I mutter, moving farther into the room. It feels surreal, standing here with my twin, my girl, and my friends-the collision of worlds I've tried to keep separate. "Nice outfit," Lee says to Arson, gesturing to his clothes. "Enjoying the perks of being Hayes 2.0?" "Lee," Drew warns, but Arson just smiles, cold and predatory. "I've found certain aspects of Aries's life...educational," he says. "The privilege, the deference, the unearned respect-it's fascinating what people give you when they think you're someone important." "Enough," I snap, patience already fraying. "We're not here for a philosophical debate on identity. We need your help. And we don't have time to go into all the details. TL;DR version: after graduation, Arson kidnapped me and locked me up in revenge for the years he spent in a mental institution, through no fault of his. We are now working together to bring down my asshole father and his asshole company. Any questions...?" Lee sits up in bed and grins again. "So that time in the bathroom..." He eyes Arson and blinks, perplexed by his statement. Sebastian straightens his already perfect cuffs. "With what, exactly? Your message was rather vague." Wait...I glance at Arson, too. What the fuck happened in the bathroom? Arson wraps his arm around Lilian's waist, and I shake myself back to the present. I look at Lilian, silently asking permission to share her situation as she meets my eyes. She nods, a barely perceptible movement. "We've got two problems. Patricia is planning something," I begin, keeping my voice low despite knowing the walls of Mill House are practically soundproof. "Something medical involving Lilian. Something that requires donations-money. We need to find out what it is and stop it. All they gave us was some kind of procedure. Additionally, we need to determine who is behind Arson's revenge against my family and why. And finally, we need to bring my father down for good. If we can do all three without any of us getting killed, all the better." "And this concerns us, how?" Sebastian asks, ever practical. "Family disputes are hardly our area of expertise." "It concerns you because I'm asking for your help," I reply, an edge creeping into my voice. "Because when you needed me-all of you-I was there. No questions, no hesitation. And family disputes are all we seem to fucking handle," I snap. Drew has the decency to look uncomfortable at this. Lee just shrugs, unaffected as always. Sebastian maintains his poker face, but I know him well enough to see the calculation behind his eyes. "What do you need?" Drew asks finally. "Information," Arson answers before I can. "Access to Patricia's medical research, her communications, her schedule. The location of David Harlowe's original will. And a secure place to operate from that isn't my warehouse or this fishbowl." "That's a substantial ask," Sebastian observes. "Some of it is potentially illegal." "All of it is potentially illegal," Lee corrects with a grin that doesn't reach his eyes. "Which is where I come in, I'm guessing? And I'll have you know this is a very secure fishbowl. No outside observers. You gotta be inside the bowl to get a good view." "Your particular skills would be useful," I admit. "But we need all of you. Sebastian, your family has connections to every law firm in the city. We need to find that will. Drew, you have security contacts, people who can help us stay off Patricia's radar. And Lee⁠-" "Can hack anything with a circuit board," he finishes for me, echoing my earlier words to Arson. "Yeah, I got it. Digital B&E is my specialty." "What do you need?" Sebastian asks, always the point-blank businessman. I snap. Not really at Sebastian. More at myself, our circumstances, at the distance I feel between these men I've shared so many years with. "I don't fucking know. I need this fixed. I need Lilian safe. That's what I need." "I don't know what's going on in your head anymore, man," Drew says, apparently taking exception to my tone. "We're here to help, so let us help. Maybe the evil twin has some ideas?" "Evil twin?" Arson repeats, amused rather than offended. "How original." "You know what I mean," Drew says, not backing down. "I don't care which of you is more evil. I need to know what we are getting into here." I step between Drew and Arson before this can escalate further. But Arson speaks up anyway. "What you get is the truth. About everything. The Hayes family, the Facility, what really happened at the boathouse that day. No more secrets, no more lies. And you get the satisfaction of paying Aries back for all the times he stepped up to save your ass without question. I've been watching your little gang for years. I know your secrets. And I've kept them." Sebastian's eyebrows rise fractionally-the equivalent of shocked disbelief from anyone else. "The boathouse incident? You mean when⁠-" "When our mother died," Arson confirms, watching Sebastian carefully. "Yes. That incident." A heavy silence falls over the room. The boathouse has been taboo for years, a subject none of my friends dared broach directly. They knew the official story-that I had a troubled twin who caused an accident that killed our mother-but none of them knew the truth. Not even Drew, apparently. Some small part of me always thought he knew. His family had been there that day, too. "I'm in," Lee says suddenly, breaking the tension. "This sounds way more interesting than debugging the trust fund baby app I've been working on." "Sebastian?" I prompt, turning to the most cautious of my friends. He considers for a long moment, gaze moving between me, Arson, and Lilian. "The Harlowe will is likely a public record. Accessing it should be straightforward, assuming it wasn't sealed for some reason. I'll make some calls." Relief washes through me. "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet," he cautions. "I'm not promising results, just effort." Drew is the last holdout, his expression unreadable as he studies Arson. "You're really going through with this? Taking down your own family?" "Not my family," I correct. "Just Patricia and Richard. And anyone else involved in whatever they're planning for Lilian." "Same difference," Drew shrugs. "The Hayes name, the Hayes empire-it's all connected. You bring down one piece, the rest follows." "That's the idea," Arson confirms, a savage satisfaction in his voice. Drew nods slowly. "All right. I'm in. But we do this my way-careful, controlled, no unnecessary risks." "Your way," Arson repeats skeptically. "The way that involves betraying your best friend to his long-lost twin?" Drew's expression hardens. "I made choices I'm not proud of. We all have. I'm here now, trying to make it right. I let things slide, I wasn't as observant as usual, and I apologize for that. But that is the last I'm going to say about it. Drop it and accept our help, or get the fuck out." "How noble," Arson sneers. "Can we save the pissing contest for later?" Lilian interrupts, frustration evident in her voice. "We have work to do." "The lady has a point," Lee agrees, already pulling out his laptop. "Where do we start? Patricia's emails? Medical records? The will?" "All of it," I say, the weight of command settling back on my shoulders like a familiar coat. "Sebastian, start with the will. Lee, see what you can find on Patricia's medical connections-focus on anything related to the Hayes Enterprises. Drew⁠-" "I'll secure transportation and a safehouse," he finishes. "Somewhere off the grid but comfortable enough for extended use. You'll need somewhere safe to go after the fallout at least." "And us?" Lilian asks, gesturing between Arson, herself, and me. "We stay here tonight," I decide. "It's secure enough for now, and we all need rest before whatever comes next." "I'm not sleeping here," Arson objects immediately. "Then don't sleep," I snap, patience finally breaking. "Stand guard, pace the halls, give the mirror dirty looks-I don't care. But we're staying put until morning." "Fine," he bites out. "But I'm not letting her out of my sight." His possessive tone ignites something ugly in my chest. "She's not your property, Arson. She doesn't belong to you." "Or to you," he counters. "I don't belong to anyone," Lilian interjects, voice tight with controlled anger. "And I'm standing right here, so stop talking about me like I'm not in the room." "Sorry," I mutter, embarrassed by my behavior. "You're right." Lee whistles low. "Damn, Hayes. Never thought I'd see the day you apologized to anyone." "Shut up, Lee," I growl, in no mood for his commentary. "And he's back." Lee grins, unfazed. "The Aries Hayes we know and tolerate." Sebastian clears his throat. "If we're staying the night, I'll need to make some calls. Reschedule my morning appointments." "Do it." I nod. "And order food. I'm starving." "Pizza?" Drew suggests, already pulling out his phone. "Like old times?" "Like old times," I agree, a strange nostalgia washing over me. It feels bizarre, this attempt at normalcy in the midst of chaos. Playing at being college friends again when everything has changed. As the others fall into familiar patterns-Lee setting up his equipment, Sebastian making calls, Drew ordering food-I notice Lilian slipping toward the door. "Where are you going?" I ask, sharper than intended. She flinches at my tone, and guilt immediately floods me. "Just getting some air," she says. "There's a lot of testosterone in here." "I'll come with you," Arson says, already moving to her side. "No." She holds up a hand, stopping him. "I need a minute. Alone. I'll be right outside, okay? You can watch me through the window if you're that worried." Before either of us can object, she's gone, the door closing softly behind her. "Nice job, Brother," Arson says, contempt dripping from every word. "Very smooth." "Like you're any better," I shoot back. "Hovering over her like she's going to break if you look away for two seconds." "At least I don't snap at her for breathing wrong." "I didn't-" I cut myself off, recognizing the futility of arguing. "Forget it." I move to the window, watching as Lilian steps out onto the drive. She grips the railing of the steps, head tilted back to look at the pale imprint of the moon rising into the dusk, and something in my chest constricts painfully. She looks lost. Overwhelmed. And I helped put that look on her face with my impatience, my jealousy, and my inability to control my temper. One more failure to add to my growing list. One more reason I don't deserve her forgiveness, her faith, her-whatever it is she feels for me. Behind me, the room fills with the sounds of planning and preparation. My friends-if I can still call them that-mobilize to help despite everything. Arson, my twin, my mirror, watching me with eyes that see too much. And outside, Lilian, bearing the weight of secrets and lies not of her making. We are all trapped in a web of Hayes family manipulations. All of us are seeking truth, seeking justice, seeking some kind of resolution to the mess our lives have become. I just hope we find it before Patricia's plans come to fruition. Before whatever "procedure" she has planned for Lilian. Before the backers lose patience and take matters into their own hands. Before the fragile truce between Arson and me shatters completely. Time is running out. I can feel it.