CHAPTER 4 — THE MAN IN THE GARAGE
CHAPTER 4 — THE MAN IN THE GARAGE
Grace's heartbeat thundered in her ears.
The garage was almost completely dark.
Only the emergency exit signs cast faint red light across the concrete floor.
The footsteps came closer.
One...
Two...
Three...
Grace backed toward her old Honda, fumbling through her purse for her keys.
Her hands shook so badly that she dropped them.
The metal clattered across the concrete.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Then—
A man's voice.
"Miss Whitaker."
She froze.
A shadow stepped into the dim light.
It wasn't one of Bellandi's employees.
Tall.
Black hoodie.
Face hidden beneath a cap.
He held nothing in his hands.
Yet something about him felt dangerous.
Grace turned to run.
Before she could move—
Another figure appeared behind the stranger.
"Don't."
The command was cold.
Familiar.
Luca Bellandi.
Two bodyguards emerged from the darkness with weapons drawn.
The hooded man bolted.
He sprinted between the parked cars.
"Take him alive," Luca ordered.
The garage erupted into chaos.
Bodyguards chased the stranger through rows of vehicles.
Tires screeched as a black SUV burst through a security gate.
The hooded man jumped inside.
The vehicle sped toward the exit.
A bodyguard fired at the tires.
Too late.
The SUV disappeared into Boston traffic.
Silence returned.
Grace leaned against her car, barely able to breathe.
Luca walked over.
"You weren't followed here by accident."
Grace looked at him.
"The phone call..."
"I know."
She blinked.
"You know?"
Luca held up his own phone.
"I received one too."
His message had contained only six words:
She saw too much. Finish it tonight.
Grace felt the blood drain from her face.
"They're trying to kill me?"
Luca didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the shattered security gate.
"No."
His voice was calm.
"They're trying to force me to choose."
"Choose what?"
"You..."
"...or the truth."
Before Grace could respond, Luca's head of security hurried toward them holding a tablet.
"Sir."
"We've identified who entered the archive room thirty-two minutes before the fire."
Everyone looked at the screen.
The surveillance image slowly sharpened.
Grace stared.
Her breath caught.
It wasn't Paul.
It wasn't a security guard.
It wasn't anyone from Legal.
It was...
Marlene Pryce.
The HR director.
The same woman who had been holding Grace's termination papers that morning.
And tucked beneath her arm...
Was the missing file box.
Luca's eyes turned colder than Grace had ever seen.
Very quietly, he said,
"Bring Marlene to me."
The head of security hesitated.
"Sir..."
"There's one problem."
"What?"
"Marlene resigned..."
"...twenty-three minutes ago."
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"And according to airport security..."
"She's already on a private jet leaving Massachusetts."
