LOGINTayla's POVThe rain hadn't stopped.It drummed against the windshield as Luca drove through the empty streets, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.Neither of us had spoken for almost twenty minutes.My heartbeat had finally slowed, but my mind refused to.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the gun pointed at me.The men chasing me.The fear in Luca's face when he found me lying on the ground.He had looked terrified.Not the kind of fear someone fakes.The kind that comes from believing they're about to lose someone."You should let me take you to the hospital," he said quietly."I'm fine.""You've said that three times.""And I mean it."He glanced at me briefly before looking back at the road."No, Tayla. You're in shock."I turned toward the rain-streaked window."I just want to go home."---Luca pulled into my driveway just after sunset.Every light in the house was on.Emily's car.Michael's SUV.Two police cruisers.My stomach tightened.The moment I
Tayla's POV"Run!"Michael's voice echoed through the warehouse as another gunshot shattered the silence.The bullet slammed into a metal container behind us, sending sparks into the air.My heart pounded violently against my ribs.I had never been this close to death.Not even the attempted kidnapping in the alley compared to this.These men weren't trying to scare me.They were here to make sure I never spoke again.Michael grabbed my wrist and pulled me through a narrow passage between two towering stacks of shipping containers."Don't stop!" he shouted."I can't keep up!""You have to."Behind us, heavy footsteps pounded against the concrete floor."There!"A rough voice roared."They went this way!"Another shot rang out.The sound bounced around the empty warehouse, making it impossible to tell where they were.---Michael suddenly shoved me behind an old forklift."Stay here.""What about you?""I'm buying us time."Before I could stop him, he picked up a rusty iron pipe lying
Tayla's POV I didn't tell Michael about the address. I didn't tell Emily. And I definitely didn't tell Luca. The folded piece of paper remained tucked inside my wallet all night, its edges already beginning to crease from how many times I'd unfolded it just to stare at the words. Raven Storage Warehouse. Unit 19. Who had left it? Luca? Someone pretending to be Luca? Or was I being led into another trap? After what happened in the alley, common sense told me to stay away. But common sense hadn't cleared Damian's name. It hadn't explained Victor Salazar's death. And it certainly hadn't told me why people were willing to kill over secrets buried eight years ago. If the answers were inside Unit 19... I had to see them. --- The next morning, Tayla dropped Noah at school. She lingered longer than usual. Watching him laugh with his classmates. Watching him disappear into the building. A strange fear settled in her chest. For the first time, she understood why Damian h
Tayla's POVThe house had never felt this quiet before.Not the peaceful kind of quiet.The kind that made every tiny sound seem suspicious.The refrigerator hummed in the kitchen.The old clock above the fireplace ticked steadily.Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows, turning the glass into a blurry mirror that reflected only shadows.I locked the front door twice before leaning against it, pressing my palm against my racing heart.Someone had followed me.Someone had stolen Damian's notebook while leaving everything else untouched.They hadn't wanted money.They hadn't wanted my car.They wanted the truth.Which meant I was getting closer than I realized.I walked into the living room where the black box still sat on the coffee table.The flash drive.The old burner phone.The torn letter.I stared at them for a long moment before picking up the phone.It was old enough to have physical buttons instead of a touchscreen.When I pressed the power button, nothing happened.D
Tayla's POVI barely slept.The letter Isabella had given me lay on the bedside table, folded neatly beside the silver key.Every time I closed my eyes, one sentence echoed inside my head.The truth is buried where everything began.Where did everything begin?The Russo Group?Victor Salazar?Or something even older?I didn't know.But I intended to find out.The following morning, I dropped Noah off at school as usual.He kissed my cheek before running toward the playground.Halfway there, he suddenly turned around."Mom?""Yes?""When is Daddy coming home?"The question hit harder than usual.Tayla forced a smile."Soon."It wasn't an answer.It was a promise.One she prayed she could keep.---As soon as Noah disappeared into the school building, Tayla drove straight to Michael Bennett's office.He was already waiting.His desk was covered with maps, old newspapers and court files."You look like you haven't slept.""I haven't."She placed Isabella's letter and the silver key on hi
Tayla's POVI didn't open the envelope.Not immediately.It sat on the passenger seat the entire drive home, silent yet impossibly heavy, as though whatever lay inside had the power to change my life forever.The city lights blurred past my windshield, but I barely noticed them. My thoughts kept returning to Isabella.She wasn't what I expected.She didn't sound like a woman seeking revenge.She sounded like someone who had spent years running from ghosts.And somehow...Those ghosts had finally found me.---By the time I reached home, Noah was already asleep on the couch.My sister, Emily, looked up from her phone the moment I walked in."You look exhausted.""I've had a long day."She studied me for a second."You've been saying that every day lately."I forced a smile."I'm okay."It was a lie.Emily knew it.But she didn't push.Instead, she kissed Noah's forehead before grabbing her handbag."I'll call you tomorrow."After she left, the house became painfully quiet.---Tayla ca







