The hidden files
318 Words
The library door creaked open.
Vanessa stepped into the hallway, her eyes scanning the shadows.
"Who's there?" she called again.
Tracy pressed herself against the wall, barely daring to breathe.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then a housekeeper hurried down the corridor carrying a stack of towels.
"Oh! Ms. Vanessa," the woman said. "I didn't know anyone was here."
Vanessa's suspicious gaze lingered for a few more seconds before she finally walked away.
Only after her footsteps faded did Tracy let out a shaky breath.
She hurried back to the grand hall and found Oliver speaking with Marcus.
"Oliver," she said quietly. "I overheard Vanessa."
His expression became serious.
"What did she say?"
Tracy repeated every word she had heard.
Marcus frowned.
"So there's a file they're desperate to find."
Oliver nodded slowly.
"And Ethan wanted Grace Holloway to keep important copies..."
Marcus's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
"Marcus speaking."
His face brightened.
"We've found Grace."
"Where is she?" Oliver asked.
"She's hiding in a small town outside the city. She says she'll only hand over the file if she speaks to you in person."
Oliver didn't hesitate.
"We leave tonight."
---
By midnight, Oliver, Tracy, and Marcus arrived at a quiet lakeside cottage.
An elderly woman opened the door.
"You must be Grace," Oliver said.
She nodded.
"I've been expecting you."
Grace led them inside and unlocked an old wooden chest.
From beneath a pile of documents, she pulled out a sealed envelope marked:
FOR OLIVER LANCASTER ONLY.
"You must promise me one thing," Grace said.
"No matter what's inside... don't open it here."
Oliver looked at the envelope, then back at Grace.
"Why?"
Grace's hands trembled.
"Because the people chasing that file already know you're here."
At that exact moment...
The lights went out.
Outside, tires screeched to a stop.
Marcus reached for his weapon as several dark figures surrounded the cottage.
"We're under attack."
- Writer
