The phone buzzed on the glass desk just as Sebastian reached for the sealed envelope marked CONFIDENTIAL. He paused, seeing the name flash across the screen: Mitch Buchanan.

He answered on the second ring. “Go ahead.”

Mitch’s voice came through, gravelly as ever, like it had been dragged through three decades of battlefield dust and too many sleepless nights.

“Didn’t think you’d pick up so fast,” he said with a trace of dry humor.

“I’ve been expecting you.” Sebastian leaned back in the leather chair, staring out at the skyline. “You don’t call unless something’s broken. Or bleeding.”

“You’re not wrong,” Mitch muttered. “But this time, it’s more complicated than that.”

“You’re still in the mainland?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah. Went straight to the lab after I left the island.”

There was a pause on the line.

Mitch wasn’t the average field medic. He was ex-military—special recon medical corps, the kind of guy who had patched up soldiers in the middle of warzones using duct tape, morphine, and sheer will. After retirement, he kept mostly to himself, living off-grid and occasionally showing up when Sebastian needed a man with sharper instincts than most doctors in a white coat.

He also didn’t waste time with pleasantries. But right now, his voice was tight.

There was a pause, followed by a low sigh. “It’s your girl. The one who washed up on your island,” he began.

“She’s not my girl.”

“Yeah, well, the girl, then,” Mitch corrected.

Sebastian’s brow lifted. “So what’s the problem?”

“The blood test came back.”

“And?”

“She’s tougher than she looks, but she’s not just hurt from exposure. Something’s off. Physically, yeah, she’s battered, but… she’s been drugged, I’d bet my pension on it. Long-term doses of something heavy.”

“And you’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be without a lab in front of me,” Mitch replied. “The bruises, the dehydration—that’s one thing. But her vitals, her eyes, the way she’s disoriented… this wasn’t just an accident. Someone put her in that state. And if I had to guess, they didn’t expect her to live long enough to drift to shore.”

Sebastian didn’t respond right away. He was quiet, processing, trying to picture her face and what she knew.

“You’re sure about that?” he asked finally.

“Yeah, I ran it twice just to be sure,” Mitch said, his tone shifting into something harder. “She had traces of a long-acting sedative, and something else I can’t fully identify yet. It’s… synthetic. Maybe experimental. Whatever it is, it’s not supposed to be floating around in someone’s system without a damn prescription.”

Sebastian’s fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the desk.

“You’re telling me someone drugged her.”

“I’m telling you someone drugged her consistently. Over time,” Mitch replied. “Small doses are enough to stay under the radar—but enough to screw with her head. Memory loss, paranoia, mood swings. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone wanted her to look mentally unstable.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched. “You think it was intentional?”

“I think someone went out of their way to get her to this point,” Mitch replied. “And I think she doesn’t even know how bad it is.”

Sebastian stood slowly, walking toward the window, straightening his back.

“Now I believe that she didn’t just wash up on my island. Someone put her there.”

His fingers curled tighter around the phone.

Who the hell was this girl?

And if someone was chasing her, trying to silence her, then it meant the island wasn't safe.

He glanced toward the folder marked CONFIDENTIAL sitting on his desk.He hadn't opened it yet, and now he wasn't sure if he wanted to.

After a moment, he said in a low voice, more dangerous, almost a growl, "Someone tried to kill her."

“Looks that way,” Mitch said. “Now the question is… who wanted her gone that badly?”

Sebastian fell quiet, his thoughts whirling. He had no idea who she was or where she came from. All he knew was that she wasn’t safe out there. Not when the whole world could be after her.

But she had a secret. And now, it was his, too.

If she stayed on the island, they were both vulnerable. And whoever was hunting her would probably try again.

But if she came back to the city, he could keep her safe.

The city was always a war zone. Not the guns-and-bullets kind. That was too easy. This was a different battlefield, the kind with contracts and signatures and lawyers with too much blood on their hands—the kind where people killed without ever drawing a weapon.

Sebastian had built his empire on those lines.

Mitch cleared his throat, and his voice grew serious.

“Look, I know you have a soft spot for strays, but this one has more baggage than a cargo ship. You sure you want her on your island? She could have an episode, start a fire, wreck the place—you name it. Or she could be running from something a lot worse than a shipwreck. What if it follows her to the island? I told you before, I don’t have any spare bodies out here. You can take care of yourself, but what about everyone else on that island? Because if someone wants that girl dead, they won't stop just because she washed up on an island."

"Don't worry, I'm taking her back," he said. "Not now. We'll need to talk about how to keep her safe."

"But really, she needs a real doctor. Not a field medic."

"No hospitals. Not yet," Sebastian snapped. "Until I know who wants her dead, she's staying off the grid."

"Yeah, and how do you plan on doing that? She can't stay on the island, not when we don't know what we're dealing with here," Mitch argued. "I don't give a shit who you are. She needs a real medical team. And if they drugged her, there's probably some reversal protocol—"

"That's why I need your help," Sebastian cut in.

"I'm what?"

"You're the only one who knows what's in her system," he replied. "And the only person I can trust right now."

"The hell I am," Mitch muttered. "I'm a field medic, not a therapist. I don't do rehab."

"I don't care," Sebastian said sharply. "I need her to have someone with her. Someone I can trust."

Mitch was silent for a moment, and Sebastian could hear him breathing.

"You think it's a setup."

Sebastian didn't have to answer. The silence spoke for him.

"Someone wants her dead," he finally said. "Until we figure out who, no one can see her. Especially not in a hospital."

"I'm not a doctor," Mitch reminded him.

"That's exactly why you're perfect," Sebastian said. "Your medical knowledge and your lack of credentials make you the least suspicious person for the job. Plus, you have access to the private lab. You can handle whatever happens on your own, without alerting the media."

He paused, then added, more carefully, "This girl is either a victim, or the biggest threat I've ever met. Until I find out which one, I'm going to keep her close."

Mitch hesitated, clearly mulling it over. "I thought you wanted me back on the island. To help rebuild. You said it was urgent."

“Forget it. We’re doing this differently,” Sebastian replied firmly. "All I ask is that you watch her. Just until I figure out what the hell is going on."

Mitch paused again. Then sighed.

"Fine. But it's your call. I'm not signing up to play nurse."

"You won't," Sebastian said. "Because no one will see her. No one can know about this. Not until I find out why someone wanted her dead."

"Yeah, about that... she doesn't remember a thing, does she? Not even her own name," Mitch muttered.

“Or maybe,” Sebastian said evenly, “she remembers just fine—she just doesn’t want anyone knowing who she really is.”

"If someone tried to kill her, it means she's dangerous. Or has information someone doesn't want her to tell."

"Then the sooner I get back there, the sooner I can get to the bottom of this," Sebastian replied.

"Yeah, well, don't take the scenic route," Mitch grunted.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Sebastian replied, his tone clipped. Then he added, “Find out everything you can from that sample. I want answers before I set foot back there.”

“You got it,” Mitch said.

The line clicked, and the call disconnected.

Sebastian sat in the silence, staring out at the city, his mind still reeling from the call.

He wasn’t going back to the island to play the recluse anymore. He was going back to dig up the truth.

A girl with no memories and no past. Someone who was probably a threat to everyone around her.