CHAPTER 10 - The Thing Meera Hid
451 Words
Naina forced herself to breathe through her nose.
She looked at Elias and spoke carefully.
“What did my sister ‘steal’?” she asked.
Elias’s smile widened slightly. “A file. A ledger. A list of names.”
Naina’s mouth went dry.
Rafe’s face went hard. “Meera would never give it to you.”
Elias’s eyes flicked to Rafe. “Then she’ll die for principles.”
Naina’s chest tightened. “No.”
Elias’s gaze returned to Naina. “Yes.”
He lifted a hand.
One of his men stepped forward and held up a phone.
A live feed opened.
Meera’s face appeared.
Bruised. Lip split. Eyes open.
Still alive.
She looked straight into the camera and didn’t cry.
That was the worst part.
Because Meera was the kind of person who saved crying for private.
Elias spoke softly to Naina while the video played.
“She found something she shouldn’t have,” he said. “She tried to be heroic.”
Naina’s throat tightened. “She tried to be honest.”
Elias shrugged. “Same thing. Different branding.”
Meera’s eyes flicked slightly—like she was listening to someone off camera.
Then she spoke, voice hoarse:
“Naina… don’t—”
The feed cut.
Naina’s stomach dropped.
Rafe’s hands curled into fists. “You’re enjoying this.”
Elias’s expression stayed calm. “I’m controlling variables.”
Naina’s hands shook, but she kept her voice steady.
“Meera hid the file with me,” she lied.
Elias’s eyes narrowed. “Did she?”
Naina met his gaze. “Yes.”
Elias held her stare for a long moment.
Then he nodded once. “Good.”
Liora’s eyes widened. “Mr. Kane—”
Elias silenced her with a glance.
Elias looked back at Naina. “Then you will retrieve it.”
Naina’s throat tightened. “How?”
Elias smiled faintly. “You will leave Atlas.”
Rafe stiffened.
Elias continued, voice smooth. “You’ll go to your apartment. You’ll bring me what Meera hid. And you’ll return here.”
Naina’s pulse spiked. “And my sister?”
Elias’s eyes glittered. “If you return with the file, she lives.”
Rafe’s voice went low, urgent. “He’s sending you out so he can track you.”
Elias smiled at Rafe. “Yes.”
He didn’t deny it.
That was the terrifying part.
He didn’t have to.
Naina swallowed hard. “No.”
Elias’s smile didn’t change. “Then Meera dies.”
Silence hit the garage.
Water kept raining.
Alarm kept screaming.
And Naina realized: her choices were being priced.
Elias leaned closer, voice almost gentle.
“Bring me the truth,” he whispered. “Or I’ll bury yours.”
- Writer
