chapter twenty four
530 Words
The Enemy Within
The warehouse fell silent.
Ethan stared at the black screen of the laptop.
Sophia's final words echoed in his mind.
"Someone your father trusted more than anyone."
Ryan tried recovering the corrupted video.
"It's no use," he said after several attempts. "The rest of the file has been erased."
Maya folded her arms.
"Not erased."
Ryan looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"If they wanted to destroy it, they would have deleted the entire file."
She glanced at the frozen screen.
"They wanted Ethan to hear just enough to start asking questions."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"They're leading us somewhere."
Ryan closed the laptop.
"The question is... why?"
Before anyone could answer, a security guard hurried into the room.
"Mr. Carter!"
"What is it?"
"We found fresh tire tracks behind the warehouse."
"How recent?"
"They couldn't be more than ten minutes old."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"They were watching us."
Ryan immediately turned to the team.
"Check every surveillance camera within a five-mile radius."
"Yes, sir."
As everyone prepared to leave, Maya noticed a framed photograph lying face down on the desk.
She picked it up.
The picture showed Ethan's father standing beside three senior executives during the opening of Carter Group's headquarters years ago.
One face caught her attention.
"Who's this man?"
Ethan looked at the photograph.
His expression changed instantly.
"Richard Holloway."
"The company's former Chief Financial Officer."
Maya frowned.
"He looks familiar."
Ryan stepped closer.
"He disappeared shortly after the wedding."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"I always thought he retired overseas."
Maya turned the photograph over.
Something was written on the back.
Find the truth beneath the lake.
Everyone fell silent.
Ryan looked up.
"Lake Ashford."
Ethan met his eyes.
"My father owned a private cabin there."
"He used to take only his most trusted employees."
Maya looked between them.
"You think that's where the answers are?"
Ethan nodded.
"I think that's where this all began."
Just then, Ethan's phone rang.
The caller ID showed an unknown number.
He answered cautiously.
"This is Ethan Carter."
For a few seconds...
Nothing.
Only breathing.
Then a woman's voice whispered,
"You're running out of time."
Ethan froze.
"Sophia?"
"You've already made your first mistake."
"What do you mean? Where are you?"
"You brought Maya into this."
Ethan's blood ran cold.
The voice continued,
"If you want her to stay alive..."
"Stop looking for me."
The line went dead.
Ethan immediately tried calling back.
The number no longer existed.
Maya stepped closer.
"What did she say?"
He looked into her worried eyes.
For a moment, he considered lying.
Instead, he took her hand.
"She threatened you."
Maya squeezed his hand gently.
"Then we face this together."
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
Every instinct told him to send her away.
But he knew she wouldn't leave.
And deep down...
He didn't want her to.
Outside the warehouse, hidden in the shadows of a black SUV, a woman lowered her phone.
She watched Ethan and Maya walk out together.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"Fall in love, Ethan," she whispered.
"It'll make breaking you so much easier."
She stepped into the vehicle.
The SUV disappeared into the night.
- Writer
