The Flash Drive
1017 Words
I didn’t sleep much.
Again.
The problem wasn’t the room.
Or the storm that had finally passed.
Or even the men searching for me.
The problem was Ryder Kane.
Specifically, the way he’d looked at me before walking back into the bar.
Like he already knew something I didn’t.
Like he’d made a decision.
And whatever that decision was, it involved me.
The thought followed me into sleep and haunted me all the way to morning.
By the time I came downstairs, Reaper’s Bar was already busy.
Maria was behind the counter.
Luca was arguing with Ghost about something.
Ghost appeared deeply uninterested.
Business as usual.
“Morning, sunshine,” Luca called.
“I hate that greeting.”
“I know.”
“That’s why you use it.”
“Exactly.”
Maria slid a mug of coffee toward me.
“You look tired.”
“I am tired.”
“You keep sleeping upstairs.”
I narrowed my eyes.
Maria looked entirely too innocent.
“Meaning?”
“Nothing.”
Liar.
Absolute liar.
I grabbed the coffee before she could continue.
The front door opened.
Reaper walked in.
Every conversation around him seemed to quiet automatically.
My pulse immediately did something embarrassing.
I hated that.
He spotted me instantly.
Those dark eyes locked onto mine from across the room.
For a second, everything else disappeared.
Then Luca snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“Oh, wow.”
I glared at him.
“What?”
“You two are getting worse.”
Before I could threaten him, Reaper reached the bar.
“Office.”
Just one word.
The room fell suspiciously silent.
Luca’s grin widened.
“Oh, this is exciting.”
“Shut up, Luca.”
“Never.”
Reaper gave him a look.
Luca wisely retreated.
⸻
The office sat behind the bar.
Simple.
Private.
And somehow more intimidating than the main room.
Reaper closed the door behind us.
My heartbeat sped up immediately.
Ridiculous.
I was becoming ridiculous.
“What happened?” I asked.
His gaze settled on me.
“The flash drive.”
My stomach dropped.
Right.
That.
I reached into my bag and pulled it out.
Small.
Black.
Innocent-looking.
The tiny object that had somehow turned my life upside down.
Reaper took it carefully.
“Still haven’t looked at it?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Why?”
Because I was afraid.
Because if I saw what was inside, everything would become real.
Because pretending ignorance felt safer.
I didn’t say any of that.
Reaper understood anyway.
His expression softened slightly.
“We’ll look together.”
The unexpected kindness almost hurt.
⸻
An hour later, half the senior club members were crowded into the office.
Ghost.
Luca.
Two others named Mason and Hawk.
A laptop sat open on the desk.
The flash drive plugged into the side.
Nobody looked particularly relaxed.
Including me.
“Ready?” Luca asked.
“No.”
“Fair.”
Reaper’s chair brushed mine.
My pulse settled slightly.
Then Ghost opened the first folder.
Silence filled the room.
Names.
Spreadsheets.
Transfers.
Large sums of money.
Very large sums.
Mason swore under his breath.
Hawk looked grim.
I stared at the screen.
This was worse than I remembered.
Much worse.
The next folder contained photographs.
Warehouses.
Vehicles.
Shipping containers.
Nothing obviously illegal.
Until Ghost opened another image.
My blood ran cold.
I remembered that photo.
I remembered seeing it on Daniel’s desk.
A man kneeling on concrete.
Bruised.
Terrified.
The office became deadly quiet.
“No wonder they’re looking for this,” Hawk muttered.
Nobody disagreed.
Reaper’s jaw tightened.
The muscle there jumping once.
Then again.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
“What exactly was your ex involved in?” Luca asked quietly.
“I don’t know.”
And for once, it wasn’t a lie.
I genuinely didn’t know.
The truth seemed bigger than anything I’d imagined.
Reaper shut the laptop.
“That’s enough for today.”
Everyone looked surprised.
Including me.
“We barely started.”
His gaze moved toward me.
“You look like you’re about to pass out.”
I hadn’t realized it was that obvious.
Apparently it was.
The room slowly emptied.
One by one.
Until only Reaper and I remained.
⸻
The silence felt different now.
Heavier.
I stared at the closed laptop.
“What if this is my fault?”
Reaper’s head lifted immediately.
“What?”
“What if bringing that thing here puts everyone in danger?”
The words rushed out before I could stop them.
“What if I should’ve destroyed it?”
“What if—”
“Ivy.”
My mouth snapped shut.
His voice wasn’t loud.
Just firm.
Certain.
Reaper leaned forward.
Forearms resting on his knees.
Eyes locked onto mine.
“Listen carefully.”
I swallowed.
“You didn’t create this mess.”
The conviction in his voice made my chest tighten.
“You didn’t make your ex do whatever he did.”
I looked away.
“What if—”
“You ran.”
The words cut through every excuse.
Every doubt.
“You got out.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then softer:
“That’s something most people never manage.”
My throat tightened unexpectedly.
No one had said that before.
Everyone else asked why I stayed so long.
Why I trusted Daniel.
Why I didn’t leave sooner.
Reaper was the first person who seemed to understand that leaving had been hard too.
Dangerously hard.
I blinked rapidly.
Embarrassed.
Reaper noticed.
His hand settled briefly over mine.
Warm.
Steady.
The contact lasted only seconds.
But somehow felt bigger than that.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
The moment stretched.
Quiet.
Intimate.
Then someone pounded on the office door.
The spell shattered instantly.
Luca burst inside.
“You guys are not going to believe this.”
Reaper looked annoyed.
“What.”
Luca grinned.
The expression immediately made me nervous.
“We found the SUV.”
The room went silent.
My pulse crashed against my ribs.
Luca’s smile disappeared.
“They’re still in town.”
And suddenly, Black Hollow felt a lot smaller.
- Writer
