The Billionaire’s Secret Witness

The evening had begun folding into itself as me and Alora walked through the empty street. I had such a busy day packing and delivering pizzas and my entire body ached. All I wanted to do was go home and rest. I thought to myself as I felt for the tiny hand I was holding but it was no longer in my hands Alora had disappeared from my side. “Alora?” I stopped walking immediately, my voice echoing softly through the abandoned storage lot ahead of us. Rows of old crates stood stacked against each other like forgotten ruins, rust creeping along the metal edges. The entire place felt eerie once the sun started going down, which was exactly why I had told her not to wander around. Silence answered me. I sighed, already knowing she was hiding somewhere nearby. “Alora,” I called again, sharper this time. “Come on out. This isn’t funny.” A soft giggle floated through the air. Relief mixed with annoyance inside me so quickly I almost laughed. “Please don’t do this to me,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead. “It’s getting late. We need to go home.” Another giggle followed closer this time. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the stacks carefully until I caught the slightest movement behind one of the crates. Trying not to smile, I walked toward it quietly like I hadn’t already found her. Then I reached around suddenly. “Got you.” Alora squealed as I pulled her out from hiding, laughter bursting from her little body while she twisted in my arms. “You found me! I told you you wouldn’t!” I stared down at her, trying very hard to look angry when all I really wanted to do was laugh too. “You’re impossible,” I murmured. I crouched in front of her, brushing hair away from her face gently. “Baby, this isn’t a safe place to play hide and seek.” Her pout appeared instantly. “You always say we’ll play later and then you don’t.” Guilt pricked at me immediately. Life had been hard lately. Hard enough that promises sometimes slipped through my fingers before I could keep them. But looking at her face now, I softened. “I will this time,” I promised quietly. “We’ll play at home, okay?” She studied me suspiciously before nodding. But then the atmosphere changed. It happened so suddenly my entire body felt it before my mind could process why. I heard heavy footsteps advancing towards us, they seemed close. I froze. “Where is he?” a rough male voice snapped somewhere beyond the crates. “Where the hell could that bastard be?” My stomach tightened instantly. Without thinking, I grabbed Alora against me and crouched behind the stacked wood. I could feel her trembling already, her small fingers clutching my shirt tightly. More voices followed. “Boss is going to kill us if we don’t bring him back.” “He’s not getting far with that gunshot wound,” another voice replied coldly. “He’ll bleed out soon enough.” My breath caught. Wound? Gunshot? Fear climbed up my spine so fast it almost made me dizzy. Alora whimpered softly and I pressed my hand over her mouth immediately, shaking my head at her desperately. “Please,Please stay quiet.” I said in a hushed voice. The footsteps became closer. Every second stretched painfully thin as I held my breath, terrified they would hear us breathing behind the crates. Then eventually, the voices started fading. A car engine started somewhere nearby followed by another. And finally silence. I stayed still for several more seconds, too afraid to move. Only when I was completely sure they were gone did I slowly pull my hand away from Alora’s mouth. “It’s okay,” I whispered shakily. “They’re gone.” She burst into quiet tears immediately, clinging to me. I hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “We’re leaving right now.” I stood quickly, my pulse still hammering violently in my chest. Then I heard it, a low painful groan. I froze again. “What was that?” Alora whispered fearfully. I turned slowly toward the stack of crates in the alternative column, my heartbeat suddenly deafening. “The men…” I murmured. “They were looking for someone.” Another groan followed closer this time I swallowed hard. “Stay here,” I told Alora carefully, setting her down behind the crate. “Don’t move no matter what happens. Do you understand me?” Her eyes widened, but she nodded. I forced myself forward despite every instinct screaming at me not to. Each step felt heavier than the last until I finally rounded the crates and saw him. A man was slumped against the wood, blood soaking through the side of his white shirt. The stain spread slowly beneath him, dark and terrifying. His breathing sounded uneven, strained like every breath hurt. For a moment, I felt glued to the spot but then instinct took over. I rushed toward him, dropping beside him immediately. “Hey!? can you hear me?” His eyes snapped open. Sharp blue eyes locked onto mine so suddenly that it startled me. Even injured, there was something dangerous about him. His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist painfully fast. “Who sent you?” he demanded harshly. “Whose spy are you?” I flinched immediately. “No one! I swear my sister ran in here and I came looking for her—” He stared at me for a long moment like he was trying to decide whether I was lying. Then the sound of engines returned. Closer this time. His grip tightened around my wrist. “Run,” he said. I blinked. “What?” “Take your sister and leave.” His voice lowered urgently. “If my brother sees you…” Gunshots exploded through the air. I jumped violently. “Alora!” The scream ripped out of me before I could stop it. More gunfire followed, echoing through the storage lot like thunder. Footsteps pounded toward us from every direction. Then suddenly men dressed in black appeared. Different from the ones before they looked dangerous. One of them pressed a phone to his ear. “Sir, we found him. He’s alive. There’s a girl with him.” Fear slammed into me so hard I could barely breathe. “Please,” I begged, stumbling backwards. “I didn’t see anything. I need to get my sister…” “You’re coming with us.” The man’s voice was flat and emotionless. “No..please..!” I tried pulling away but his grip only tightened. Two men lifted the injured stranger between them just as another round of gunfire erupted. Then I saw the most terrifying sight across the yard. Alora. One of the earlier men had her thrown over his shoulder while firing wildly behind him. She was screaming and kicking desperately. My entire world stopped. “That’s my sister!” I screamed hysterically. “Please let her go! She’s just a child!” Gunfire erupted again. One of the men beside me returned fire immediately, dropping one attacker to the ground. Another fell seconds later. But the rest escaped fast, dragging Alora into their vehicles before speeding away into the darkness. “My sister!” My voice broke apart completely. “Alora!” The cars disappeared just like that. It felt like a dream to me one second she was there and the bext, she was gone. I didn’t even realise I was crying until someone shoved me backwards into the back seat of a black car. The door slammed shut beside me. The city lights blurred outside the windows as the vehicle sped through the night, but I barely noticed any of it. My mind kept replaying the same thing over and over. Alora. Where did they take her? Who were those men? Why was any of this happening? Where were these men taking me? My breathing shook as I slowly turned toward the injured man beside me. He had passed out now, his head resting against the seat, blood still soaking through his shirt. Yet somehow, even unconscious, he looked terrifyingly composed. The same man those people had been hunting. The same man who had warned me to run. The reason my sister was gone a realisationon settled heavily inside my chest. I hadn’t just witnessed something dangerous. I was now being dragged into it to God knows where.