Chapter 5

SHADOWS IN GREYFALL

The world outside this balcony was quiet, uncomfortably so for a city like Greyfall.

Teresa felt it before she could explain it. A tension and heaviness of an old instinct told her something was shifting again, and she had learned to trust it. it had saved her life more than once.

Larris stepped beside her, still holding a mug of coffee.

You’re thinking again, he said, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

She kept her gaze out on the view. I can’t help it. Peace feels strange.

Peace is allowed, he said softly.

Yes. But peace in Greyfall that is what feels strange.

Larris chuckled. “LYou sound like me.

Maybe I've learned a thing or two.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, warm and solid. What's bothering you?

Teresa hesitated. Did you hear the news this morning?

No.

They moved Desmond to Blackwater Prison.

Larris expression changed. He was outwardly calm, but that alertness flickered in his eyes. Already? That was fast.

Teresa nodded. And they're saying he's talking.

Larris set his mug down. About what?

Everything his partners, his operations. Names the police never even suspected. But there’s something else.

Larris turned fully toward her now. Tell me.

Apparently, Teresa whispered, he refused to disclose one thing the name of the person who helped finance his projects. The one they called the Ghost.

Larris jaw tightened.

That name again.

Teresa shivered. You’ve heard it before.

“Yes,” he said slowly. “But never in a way that made sense.”

She stepped away from him, arms crossed. Larris, if Desmond had a partner, someone powerful enough to hide their identity, someone wealthy enough to sponsor illegal projects.

“You think they’ll come after you, Larris finished.

She looked at him. Wouldn’t you?

His silence was answer enough.

He set his hands on her shoulders. No one is touching you. Not while I’m here.

She let her lids drop for a second, anchoring herself in his stability.

Then

A loud, sharp beep reverberated around the apartment.

Larris immediately reacted, moving to stand in front of her.

What is that?

Teresa gut clenched. The security system. That's the alert for.

The screen near the door lit up, showing the front of the building.

A sleek black car was parked at the entrance.

No plates.

No identifiable markings.

Tinted windows darker than the law allowed.

Someone stepped out.

Tall.

Clad in a dark coat.

Face hidden under a hood.

Larris hand slid toward the holster under his shirt.

Teresa swallowed hard. Do you see their face?

No, Larris murmured. They’re doing that on purpose.

The figure walked slowly toward the main entrance of the building.

Then they stopped directly in view of the camera.

and lifted their head just enough to reveal a half mask.

White.

Expressionles.

Like a ghost.

Teresa pulse slammed painfully.

The masked figure took something from their coat-a small black envelope-and placed it on the ground.

They then tapped twice on the security camera.

Tap.

Tap.

A message.

A warning.

An invitation.

Maybe all three.

Then the figure walked back into the car and drove away, disappearing into the stream of traffic as if they had never been there in the first place.

Teresa couldn't breathe.

Larris as already moving. Stay here. Don’t go near the door.

What’s happening?

Larris picked up his phone. We’re not dealing with Jerry Desmond anymore. Teresa forced her shaking voice steady. Then who? He looked at her, his eyes dark and serious. Someone worse. Teresa felt the hairs on her arms rise. The Ghost. Desmond's secret partner. The one powerful enough to stay unseen. They knew where she lived. And they wanted her attention.

THE ENVELOPE

Teresa ad always believed that fear had physical weight.

Tonight, it sat on the coffee table in the form of a small black envelope.

The apartment was too quiet.

Too still.

Like the air knew something she didn’t.

He stood by the window, his gun holstered, staring down at the street so many stories below. He hadn't said anything in nearly a minute. That was too long for him. When Larris got quiet, it meant he was thinking. Hard.

Finally, he turned.

Time to leave.

Teresa fingers tightened on her own arm. Leave? Where would we even go?

Somewhere the Ghost can’t follow.

You know that’s impossible.

Larris didn't argue, he knew she was right. Whoever that masked figure was, they were not improvising. They were sending a message. A calm, deliberate, terrifying message:

I see you.

I know where you stay.

And I’m not done.

Teresa looked back down at the black envelope.

We have to open it, she whispered.

Larris shook his head instantly. It could be a threat. A trap.

It already is a threat, she said quietly. Ignoring it won’t make it disappear.

Her eyes met his, hers filled with exhaustion and defiance, his with fear for her. After everything they had survived, she wasn't going to run again. Not from Desmond. Not from the past. And not from this Ghost.

Larris let out a deep sigh, his jaw clenched. Fine. But I open it.

He picked up the envelope and slid a tactical blade along the top. The moment he pulled out the single sheet of paper, Teresa stomach twisted.

Larris read silently, his eyes narrowing.

What does it say? Larris demanded.

He handed it to her.

She froze.

It was a printed message

“You took what wasn’t yours.

Return the files, Teresa Ole

You have 48 hours.

Below it was a symbol an abstract white mask, split down the middle.

Beneath that:

Coordinates.

What files? she whispered. Larris cursed under his breath, Your inheritance. The digital vault tied to your grandfather's company. Everything he hid suddenly matters a lot more. Teresa voice trembled. How would they even know I have access to that? Because someone told them, Larris said darkly. And I think I know who. He grasped her hand before she could ask. We need to go.