The Stranger’s office
828 Words
The man closed the apartment door behind him.
Click.
The sound echoed through the tiny room like a gunshot.
Nadia’s heartbeat quickened.
She glanced toward the only window. It was too small to escape through.
The stranger noticed.
“You won’t make it,” he said calmly. “If you run, you’ll be dead before you reach the street.”
He wasn’t shouting.
He wasn’t threatening.
He sounded certain.
That frightened her more.
The man was dressed in a charcoal suit, without a wrinkle in sight. His polished shoes looked absurdly expensive against the cracked concrete floor.
He removed a pair of black leather gloves and tucked them into his pocket.
“My name is Adrian Cross,” he said. “At least, that’s the name I use.”
“You broke into my apartment.”
“I did.”
“What do you want?”
“The briefcase.”
Nadia tightened her grip on the strap slung over her shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Adrian smiled.
“You’re not a very good liar.”
Silence settled between them.
Then he spoke again.
“Do you know who Vivian Cole really was?”
Nadia shook her head.
“I didn’t think so.”
He walked slowly around the room, studying the peeling walls and worn furniture.
“You’ve spent your whole life surviving,” he said. “You work hard. You stay invisible. Yet the world keeps taking from you.”
His eyes met hers.
“And yesterday… fate handed you a fortune.”
Nadia said nothing.
“You’ve already made the first mistake,” Adrian continued. “You opened Locker 317.”
“The guard—”
“The guard works for us.”
Us.
That single word made her stomach tighten.
“Who are you people?”
Adrian ignored the question.
“There’s something in that briefcase that powerful people are desperate to recover.”
“I haven’t looked through everything.”
“I know.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
“We’ve been watching Vivian.”
He paused.
“And now we’re watching you.”
⸻
Adrian held out his hand.
“Give me the briefcase.”
“No.”
His smile faded.
“You don’t understand.”
“No,” Nadia replied, her voice steadier now. “I don’t. That’s why I’m keeping it.”
For the first time, Adrian looked impressed.
“You’ve got courage.”
“Or maybe I’m just tired of being afraid.”
He laughed softly.
“I like you.”
Then his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
Without another word, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“They found her.”
Nadia frowned.
“Found who?”
Adrian looked directly into her eyes.
“Vivian.”
The room fell silent.
“That’s impossible,” Nadia whispered.
“They recovered a woman’s body from the river an hour ago.”
Nadia’s knees weakened.
“So… she’s really dead?”
Adrian shook his head.
“The body isn’t hers.”
⸻
Before Nadia could ask another question…
A deafening crash shattered the apartment window.
Glass exploded across the room.
A red laser beam swept across the wall.
Adrian reacted instantly.
“Down!”
He tackled Nadia to the floor.
A gunshot thundered through the apartment.
The bullet struck the wall where her head had been seconds earlier.
Someone was trying to kill them.
Adrian pulled a pistol from beneath his jacket.
“Stay here.”
Another shot rang out.
He fired back.
The shooter disappeared.
Within seconds, the street outside fell silent again.
Adrian looked through the broken window.
“They’re gone.”
“Who are they?”
“The people who don’t want you alive.”
“But why?”
“Because you have Vivian’s secrets.”
⸻
Nadia stared at the briefcase.
“I haven’t even opened half of it.”
“You don’t have to.”
“They think I know something.”
“They don’t take chances.”
Adrian zipped up the briefcase.
“We’re leaving.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
At that exact moment…
Sirens echoed outside.
Police cars screeched to a halt in front of the building.
Voices shouted from below.
“Police! Nobody move!”
Nadia rushed to the broken window.
Officers were flooding the street.
Relief washed over her.
“They’ll protect us.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“No.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re not here to save you.”
He looked down at the police cars.
Every officer wore the same silver pin on their uniform.
The same symbol engraved on the silver key from Locker 317.
Adrian whispered just three words.
“They’re one of them.”
As heavy boots pounded up the staircase toward the apartment, Nadia realized the people hunting Vivian’s secrets were far more powerful than she had imagined.
- Writer
