“I did fix it,” Vance said coldly. “Miller retrieved the notebook from the girl’s locker today. As soon as I decrypt this flash drive, the last piece of evidence is gone. You will go home, wash your face, and forget about it.”
“I can't,” Chloe whimpered.
I couldn't wait any longer. I peeked around the doorframe.
The office was massive, lined with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the factory floor. Marcus Vance sat behind a huge glass desk. In front of him sat Leo’s leather notebook and the small silver flash drive.
Chloe was standing in the center of the room, her face red and streaked with tears. She looked small. She looked completely broken.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was a loud, sharp vibration against my thigh.
Vance’s head snapped up. His eyes locked directly onto the gap in the doorway.
“Who’s there?” he demanded.
I turned to run, but before I could take a step, a heavy hand grabbed the back of my hoodie, jerking me backward with terrifying force. I slammed into the wall, the breath knocked out of me.
Coach Miller stood over me, his breathing heavy, his face twisted in a cruel smile.
“Look what I found wandering the halls, Boss,” Miller sneered, dragging me into the office by my collar and throwing me onto the carpet.
I hit the ground hard, gasping for air. I scrambled to my feet, backing away until I hit the glass wall of the office.
Chloe gasped, taking a step back, her hands flying to her mouth. “Maya…”
Marcus Vance stood up slowly. He straightened his expensive tie, looking at me as if I were a stain on his carpet.
“Well,” Vance said softly, picking up the leather notebook. “This complicates things. It’s a shame, Maya. You really should have just kept your head down.”
Miller stepped in front of the door, blocking the only exit. He pulled a heavy wrench from his jacket pocket, tapping it against his palm.
I was trapped.
CHAPTER 4
“Let her go, Dad,” Chloe whispered, her voice shaking violently. “Please. You have the notebook. You have what you want.”
Vance didn't even look at his daughter. He kept his cold, dead eyes fixed on me.
“She knows too much, Chloe,” Vance said smoothly, walking around the edge of the desk. “She broke into a private facility. She assaulted you earlier today. If she happens to suffer a tragic accident while trespassing on industrial property… the police will see it as a troubled girl acting out after her brother’s tragedy.”
“No,” Chloe sobbed, stepping between me and her father. “No, I won't let you! I already killed someone! I can't—”
“Shut up!” Vance roared, his calm facade shattering. He backhanded Chloe across the face.
The sharp crack echoed in the room. Chloe fell to the floor, clutching her cheek, crying silently.
The sight of it—the casual, brutal violence he inflicted on his own daughter—ignited a fire in my chest hotter than anything I had felt on the track earlier that day.
“You’re a monster,” I said, my voice steady, surprising even myself.
Vance sneered. “I’m a businessman, Maya. Miller, handle her. Make it look like a fall from the catwalk.”
Miller stepped forward, raising the wrench.
I didn't have room to run. I didn't have a weapon. But I had Leo’s voice in my head.
Let them think you’re weak right up until the second they realize they made a mistake.