Chapter 8 - The Voice of the Real EnemyMia pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
A man spoke on the other end, smooth and impatient.
“Is it done?”
Mia looked at Adrian.
He nodded once.
She forced her voice to stay calm. “Almost.”
“Almost?” the man snapped. “Vale was supposed to be gone before Caleb arrived.”
Marcus stared at Mia with horror.
The man continued. “Listen carefully. If he is still breathing, Marcus knows what to do. No mistakes this time.”
Mia’s hand trembled.
Adrian’s face did not change, but something dark passed through his eyes.
Caleb leaned closer and whispered, “Keep him talking.”
Mia swallowed. “Marcus is nervous.”
“He should be. He was paid enough to stop being nervous.”
Mia looked at Marcus.
Paid enough.
So that was the price of a life.
The voice lowered. “Tell him to check under the counter. I left the second dose there. If Vale can still talk, use it.”
Mia nearly dropped the phone.
Not a shooting. Not a public attack.
Something quieter.
Something hidden in a place everyone trusted.
Adrian’s collapse had not been random.
Caleb signaled to one of his men, who moved behind the coffee counter and searched beneath the sink. Seconds later, he lifted a small packet sealed in plastic.
Marcus whispered, “I didn’t use it.”
Adrian looked at him. “But you kept it.”
The voice on the phone grew suspicious. “Who is this?”
Mia said nothing.
Caleb took the phone from her.
“This is Caleb Orr,” he said. “And you just confessed enough to bury yourself.”
The line went dead.
Outside, police sirens grew louder.
Marcus sank back into the chair.
May you like
Mia looked at Adrian and realized that saving him had not been the end of the danger.
It was the beginning of exposing it.
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