The air in the safe house felt stale, as though it had been sealed off from the world for years. Aila's footsteps echoed softly as she followed Liam through the narrow hallway. The house was surprisingly well-maintained, but there was a coldness to it—everything was too neat, too quiet. The dim lighting cast long shadows, making it difficult to shake the feeling that they weren't alone.
Liam paused near a door at the end of the hallway, his hand resting on the doorknob. He glanced at Aila, his expression serious.
"This is the room. Stay here for now," he said softly, his voice tight with caution.
Aila looked at the door, then at Liam. "What are you going to do?"
"I need to check the perimeter. Make sure we're not being followed." His eyes flicked toward the windows, then back to Aila. "Don't leave this room. Not until I come back."
Aila nodded, but a feeling of unease crept over her. Something about this place felt wrong. The walls seemed to be closing in on her, and every sound—every creak of the floorboards—made her jump. But she trusted Liam. For now, she had no choice but to follow his orders.
Liam gave her a final, searching look before turning and disappearing down the hall.
Alone in the room, Aila sank into a chair by the window, her fingers instinctively curling around the key in her pocket. She pulled it out and studied it once more, its brass surface gleaming in the dim light. Her thoughts were a whirlwind. Her mother had known about something—something dangerous. And now, somehow, Aila had been pulled into it. But why? Why her?
Aila closed her eyes for a moment, trying to clear her mind, but the words from her mother's note echoed in her head:
The truth will destroy you.
It was almost too much to bear. She had been left with a puzzle—one her mother had kept hidden, one she could barely begin to understand. But she couldn't stop now. She wouldn't. She had to find out the truth.
The sound of the door creaking open broke her thoughts. Aila's eyes snapped open, her heart leaping in her chest. She stood up, instinctively reaching for the gun Liam had hidden in the drawer beside the desk.
But it wasn't Liam.
A man stood in the doorway, tall and imposing, his dark eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin crawl. His face was obscured by shadows, but his presence was unmistakable. Aila froze, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Who are you?" Aila demanded, her voice unsteady but defiant.
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped into the room, his gaze scanning the space with cold precision. There was something about him—something dangerous—that set Aila on edge. She instinctively took a step back, her hand tightening around the gun in her grasp.
The man's lips curled into a cold smile. "I could ask you the same thing."
Before Aila could react, the door behind him slammed shut, and the room was plunged into a tense silence. She wasn't alone anymore. And she wasn't sure if Liam was coming back.
"What do you want?" Aila's voice wavered, but she forced herself to sound more confident than she felt.
The man took another step forward, his movements slow and deliberate. "You're the one who has the key, aren't you?"
Aila's pulse quickened, but she didn't let it show. She kept the gun trained on him, her fingers itching to pull the trigger, but she held herself back. She needed information. She couldn't let fear make her reckless.
"Who are you?" she demanded again, her voice sharp.
The man chuckled softly. "I'm someone who's been following you for a long time, Aila. And now you're finally in the middle of it all."
Aila's mind raced. "In the middle of what?"
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he took another step toward her, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "You don't know it yet, but you're already involved in something bigger than you realize. Something your mother was foolish enough to try to stop."
Aila's grip tightened on the gun. "What are you talking about?"
"The people who are after you," the man continued, his tone dark. "They've been watching you. Watching your every move. And they'll stop at nothing to get what they want. The key you're holding... it's the last piece of the puzzle. Once they have it, everything is theirs."
Aila's heart sank. "And what's in it for you?"
The man's smile grew colder. "What's in it for me? Power. Control. The ability to do whatever I want without anyone standing in my way."
Aila's mind was racing. This was bigger than anything she had imagined. But there was something in his eyes—something in the way he spoke—that made her feel like she was being toyed with. He wasn't here to help her. He was here to manipulate her.
"Where's Liam?" Aila asked, her voice tinged with fear.
The man tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling amusement. "Liam? He's no longer your concern, Aila."
Aila's blood ran cold. "What did you do to him?"
The man took a step back, his gaze never leaving hers. "Liam is... temporarily unavailable. But you don't need him anymore. You've got everything you need right here."
Aila's hand trembled as she gripped the gun tighter. "I'm not giving you the key."
The man's eyes darkened. "You don't have a choice."
Before Aila could react, the man lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and twisting it sharply. The gun slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor with a dull thud. She cried out in pain, her other hand reaching for anything she could use to defend herself.
In the blink of an eye, he had her pinned against the wall, his strength overpowering her. His breath was hot on her face as he leaned in closer, his voice low and threatening.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Aila," he said, his words dripping with menace. "At least, not yet. But you're going to help me. You're going to tell me where the rest of the information is."
Aila struggled against his hold, her mind reeling. She couldn't let him break her. She had to be stronger than this.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she twisted her body and kicked out, connecting with his knee. He staggered back, momentarily stunned. That was all the time she needed.
She reached for the gun, aiming it at him with trembling hands. "Stay back," she warned, her voice a shaky whisper.
The man smiled, but it wasn't a smile of amusement anymore. It was the smile of someone who knew they had the upper hand.
"You can't stop this, Aila," he said, his voice like ice. "The truth is already coming for you. There's no escaping it."