Midnight Heat

Chloe’s Suspicion

Maya’s POV

My phone screen glowed bright in the dark hallway. Five minutes. The message said I had only five minutes to delete everything or Liam would see the terrible video from the warehouse. My hand shook so bad I almost dropped the phone. Liam stood right in front of me waiting for answers.

“Maya what is going on?” he asked again. His voice was soft but full of worry. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

I quickly opened the files on my phone. My finger hovered over the delete button. Tears burned my eyes. Inside my head I thought, If I delete this, I lose the only proof about my sister. But if I do not, Liam will hate me forever. What do I do? Sarah please help me.

“I cannot tell you right now,” I whispered. My voice cracked. “It is too dangerous Liam. Please go inside.”

He shook his head. “I am not leaving you like this. You are shaking. Let me see the message.”

The timer on my phone counted down. Three minutes left. I quickly deleted the copied files and the photos. My heart broke as I did it. All the proof about my sister disappeared. I felt like I betrayed her again.

Liam stepped closer and touched my shoulder. “Maya talk to me. Please.”

Before I could answer, my phone rang. It was Chloe. I answered fast.

“Hey best friend,” Chloe said happily. “I am outside your building. I brought ice cream. Can I come up? I miss you.”

My stomach twisted. “Now? It is late Chlo.”

“Come on. I have chocolate and strawberry. Open the door for me.”

I looked at Liam. He nodded like he understood. “Okay. Come up,” I told her.

Liam gave me one long look. “I will be next door if you need me. Do not forget that.” He walked into his apartment and closed the door.

I went inside my own place and waited. A few minutes later Chloe knocked. I opened the door. She stood there smiling with two big ice cream tubs. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun. She looked so normal and happy. It made my guilt feel even heavier.

“You look terrible,” she said as she hugged me. “What happened? Your eyes are all red.”

We sat on my small couch. I took the strawberry ice cream but my spoon stayed still in the tub. Chloe ate hers fast and watched me.

“Tell me Maya. Is the job too hard? Is my dad being mean to you? You have been acting so strange lately.”

I swallowed hard. Inside I thought, If only you knew what your dad does to me on his desk. If only you knew about the blackmail and the warehouse and my sister. I cannot tell you anything.

“It is just stressful,” I said quietly. “Lots of work. I am tired.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes. “No. It is more than that. You do not answer my messages like before. You look scared all the time. And yesterday when I came to the office you were all red and nervous. Did something happen with my dad?”

My face became hot. I remembered Mr Havisham bending me over the desk that same day. “No. He is just strict. That is all.”

She put her ice cream down and held my hands. “Maya you are my best friend. We tell each other everything. Remember when we were small and shared secrets? Please talk to me. I can see you are hiding something big.”

Tears came to my eyes again. I wanted to tell her so badly. But the blackmailers said if I spoke they would send everything. Chloe would hate me. She would hate her own father too.

“I am just worried about money and my family business,” I lied. “That is all.”

Chloe did not look convinced. She hugged me tight. “Okay. But I am not stupid. Something is wrong. If my dad is doing anything bad to you, you can tell me. I love you more than I love him sometimes.”

Her words made my chest hurt. I hugged her back and cried a little on her shoulder. She rubbed my back softly.

We ate ice cream and talked about small things for some time. But I could see she was still thinking hard. She kept looking at me with questions in her eyes.

Later when she stood up to leave she stopped at the door. “One more thing. I saw some strange messages on my dad’s phone when I visited him. Something about girls at the company. Do you know anything about that?”

My blood turned cold. She was starting to suspect her own father. I shook my head fast. “No. I do not know.”

Chloe stared at me for a long moment. “Alright. But I am watching everything now. Call me if you need anything. Even at night.”

She left and closed the door. I locked it and leaned against it. My body felt so tired. The USB drive with nothing on it now was useless. I had deleted everything.

My phone buzzed again. New message.

“Good choice Maya. But we know you still have the original papers from your sister. Bring them to the warehouse tomorrow night. Or the next video goes to Chloe.”

I dropped to the floor. They knew about the papers too. My sister’s letter. The proof. They wanted everything.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on my balcony door. I looked up. Liam stood outside on his side. He had climbed across again. He looked at me through the glass with worried eyes.

He opened the door a little. “I saw Chloe leave. Are you okay? I could not stay away.”

I walked to the balcony. The night wind touched my face. Liam stepped closer until we were almost touching. His warm smell made me feel safe for one second.

“Maya,” he whispered. “Whatever it is, I am here.”

Before I could stop myself I hugged him tight. He held me close. His strong arms felt so good. But my phone was still in my hand with the new threat.

If I told him now, the blackmailers would destroy everything. If I did not, I might lose him anyway.

Liam pulled back a little and looked into my eyes. “Tell me the truth. What are you hiding from me?”

My mouth opened but no words came out. The papers from my sister were hidden under my bed. The blackmailers wanted them tomorrow. Chloe was starting to ask dangerous questions.

I had to make a choice soon.

And I was running out of time.