4 - FILE

"I will be ready," I said. "I will see you on Monday morning."

I ended the call and put the phone back into my pocket. I did not care about the new CEO, and I did not care about the office politics.

I only cared about fixing my own life and moving forward. The cab driver turned onto my street and slowed down near my building.

He pulled up to the curb in front of my apartment complex. I pulled some cash out of my wallet, and I handed it over the seat to the driver.

"Keep the change," I said.

"Have a good day," the driver replied.

I opened the car door and stepped out onto the concrete sidewalk. I walked up the steps to the main entrance of my building.

I unlocked the heavy door and walked into the quiet lobby. I took the stairs to the third floor because the elevator was broken again.

I reached my apartment and unlocked my front door. The inside of my home felt cold and empty compared to the hotel room.

I locked the door behind me and dropped my keys into the small bowl on the counter. I stood in the middle of my living room and looked around.

Everything was exactly where I left it yesterday. My books were stacked neatly on the table, and my laptop sat closed on my desk.

My life was perfectly organized, yet my mind felt like a chaotic mess. I walked into my bedroom and started stripping off my clothes.

I threw the shirt and pants into the laundry basket. I did not want to look at them because they reminded me of him.

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I let the hot water run until steam filled the small room and covered the mirror.

I stepped under the spray and closed my eyes. The hot water hit my sore muscles, and I let out a long sigh of relief.

I grabbed my soap and scrubbed my skin until it turned red. I wanted to wash away the smell of pine wood, and I wanted to wash away the lingering heat of his touch.

I stood in the shower for a long time. I thought about the way he said my name, and I thought about the way his eyes looked in the dark.

I tried to push the thoughts away, but they stubbornly stayed in my head. I realized I was craving his presence, and that realization terrified me.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around my waist and wiped the steam off the glass mirror.

I looked at my reflection again. My skin was clean, but I still felt changed on the inside.

I walked into my bedroom and put on clean sweatpants and a loose grey t-shirt. I felt a sudden, sharp craving in the back of my throat.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. I looked at the shelves and bypassed the normal food I usually ate.

My eyes landed on a package of raw steak sitting on the bottom shelf. I had bought it two days ago to cook for dinner.

I reached out and picked up the plastic package. I stared at the red meat, and my mouth watered in a way it never had before.

I felt an overwhelming urge to eat it raw. I shook my head and dropped the package back onto the cold shelf.

I slammed the refrigerator door shut. I was losing my mind, and I blamed the extreme stress of the morning for my strange behavior.

I walked into my living room and sat down at my desk. I opened my laptop and typed in my security password.

I stared at the bright screen, and I made a firm decision. I needed to find out who that man was, so I could understand why I was acting this way.

I opened my encrypted browser and started running a facial recognition search. I hacked into the security cameras around the club, and I pulled up the footage from last night.

I watched the grainy video of myself bumping into the tall stranger. I paused the video and zoomed in on the man's face.

I ran his image through multiple national databases, and I waited for a match. I knew how to find anyone, and I was the best at uncovering hidden secrets.

The search bar loaded, and the progress bar moved slowly across the screen. The computer beeped, and a red error message popped up in the center.

"No Match Found," the screen displayed.

I frowned and typed a new code into the terminal. I bypassed the local servers and accessed the national registry directly.

I uploaded the image again, and I hit the enter key. I sat back in my chair and watched the lines of code scroll past my eyes.

The computer beeped a second time. Another red error message appeared on the screen.

"No Match Found."

"That is impossible," I whispered to myself. "Everyone has a digital footprint."

I spent the next three hours running different algorithms and hacking into private security networks. I checked hotel registries, and I checked flight manifests.

I searched for any man matching his physical description who stayed at that specific hotel. Every single search came back empty.

The man did not exist in any database. It was as if he was a ghost who had appeared just for me and then vanished into thin air.

I closed my laptop and rubbed my tired eyes. I felt a deep sense of frustration building in my chest.

I wanted answers, and I hated being kept in the dark. I stood up from my desk and walked over to the large window.

I looked out at the busy city below. The sun was high in the sky, and people were going about their normal routines.

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, and the bizarre craving for the raw meat returned stronger than before. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass of the window.

I did not understand what was happening to my body, and I did not understand why my hacking skills were failing me. My phone buzzed on the desk behind me.

I turned around and walked over to pick it up. The screen displayed Dan's name again.

I let out an annoyed sigh, but I pressed the answer button and brought the device to my ear.

"I told you I will see you on Monday, Dan," I said. "I am busy resting at home."

"You need to check your company email right now," Dan said. His voice sounded frantic and out of breath. "I just got a massive alert from the board of directors."

"I do not check work emails on the weekend," I reminded him. "Whatever it is can wait until Monday morning."

"No, it cannot wait," Dan insisted. "The board just pushed the schedule forward without any warning, and the new CEO is not waiting until next month to take over the company."

I frowned and walked back to my desk. "When is he arriving?"

"That is why I am calling you," Dan said. "He is arriving on Monday morning, and he specifically requested to see your personnel file before anyone else."

My heart skipped a beat, and a sudden wave of nausea hit my stomach. "Why does he want to see my file?"

"I have no idea," Dan whispered through the phone. "But his name is Ren Wilder, and the rumors say he destroys anyone who gets in his way. Are you listening to me, Jett?"