ALMOST CAUGHT
304 Words
I shoved the photographs into the nearest desk drawer, my hands trembling so badly the wood rattled. Nathaniel moved to the side of the room, slipping into the shadows like he’d been born there.
The footsteps grew louder.
Ryan’s voice floated through the door, casual but too close. “Elena? You’re still up?”
I forced my breathing to slow, schooling my features before the handle turned.
The door opened. Ryan leaned in, his suit jacket gone, shirt sleeves rolled to his forearms. His eyes swept the room, sharp and assessing.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I said smoothly, keeping my back angled to the drawer. “I was just… looking for a book.”
His gaze lingered on me, then shifted to the desk. My heart thudded in my throat.
“You’ve never been much of a reader,” he murmured, stepping inside.
Behind him, in the shadows, Nathaniel stood perfectly still—so still I prayed Ryan wouldn’t notice the faint shape of him.
Ryan’s hand brushed over the desk surface. He opened the top drawer.
Empty.
I’d hidden the photos in the second.
“I’ll find something tomorrow,” I said quickly, moving toward him to block his path to the lower drawer.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed just slightly, but then he smiled, slow and cold. “Don’t stay up too late.”
He turned and left, the sound of his footsteps fading into the hall.
Only when I heard the bedroom door shut did Nathaniel step forward again, his voice barely above a whisper.
“That was too close.”
I met his gaze, my pulse still racing. “Nathaniel… if we’re going to bring him down, we have to be smarter than this.”
His lips curved into something between a smile and a grimace. “Then we start tomorrow.”
- Writer
