The morning light filtered through the blinds of Isabella Vicks’s apartment, but it did little to ease the tension that still clung to the air. After last night’s terrifying break-in, the apartment had been carefully swept for bugs and surveillance devices by Damien Hayes’s security team. Yet, the unease lingered, gnawing at Isabella like a shadow she couldn’t escape.
Damien sat across from her at the small dining table, the USB flash drive resting between them. He looked uncharacteristically tense, his fingers drumming against the edge of the table.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked, his voice low but firm.
Isabella nodded, though her stomach churned with nerves.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.
Damien took a deep breath and plugged the drive into his laptop. The screen lit up
