A Stranger's Offer

Aidan looked at his phone, then back at the man sitting across from him. The text message warning was still on the screen: "Don't trust the man at your table. He's not who he claims to be. Check the bathroom cabinet when you get home. —A friend"

"Is something wrong?" Elijah asked, his dark eyes studying Aidan's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Aidan quickly put his phone away. "Nothing. Just work stuff." He picked up the picture Elijah had given him—the one showing Asher and their father talking in secret. "How did you get this?"

Elijah smiled. "Let's just say I have friends in useful places." He took a sip of his whiskey. "The important question is: what are you going to do about your brother stealing your work?"

The bar was getting more busy now. Music played in the background as people came in after work, laughing and talking loudly. But at their small corner table, it felt like Aidan and Elijah were in their own quiet bubble.

"I don't even know what I can do," Aidan revealed. "No one believed me. They all think I'm the liar."

"That's because you played by the rules," Elijah said. He leaned forward, his voice dropping lower. "Your father and brother never play by the rules, Aidan. That's why they win."

A waitress came by, asking if they wanted more drinks. Elijah ordered for both of them without asking what Aidan wanted.

When she left, Aidan frowned. "How do you know so much about my family?"

"I used to work for Carter Enterprises," Elijah said. "In the law department. I saw things—things your father wouldn't want getting out."

"Like what?"

Elijah shook his head. "Not here. Not yet." He pulled out a business card and slid it across the table. It was plain white with just a phone number. No name, no company. "When you're ready to really talk, call me."

"Why would you help me?" Aidan asked, suspicious. "What do you get out of it?"

For a moment, something dark flashed in Elijah's eyes. "Let's just say your brother and I have... past. And it didn't end well."

The server returned with their drinks. As Aidan reached for his glass, Elijah's fingers brushed against his. The touch sent a strange tingle up Aidan's arm.

"I should go," Aidan said suddenly, standing up. The room spun a little. Had he drunk more than he thought?

"Of course," Elijah said easily, also rising. "But before you do—" He pulled out his phone and showed Aidan something on the screen. "You might want to see this."

It was a news message from the Carter Enterprises website. The title read: "Asher Carter to Lead Revolutionary Green Energy Project."

Aidan's stomach dropped. "That was fast," he mumbled.

"Your father is making the official announcement tomorrow morning," Elijah said. "Asher is already doing talks. By this time tomorrow, everyone will think this was his idea all along."

Anger bubbled up inside Aidan, hot and fierce. "He didn't even understand half the calculations I did. He'll mess it up."

"Then maybe someone should help him mess it up even more," Elijah suggested, his voice soft but his meaning clear.

Aidan looked at him, shocked. "You want me to sabotage my own project?"

"It's not your project anymore, is it?" Elijah pointed out. "Besides, I'm not talking about real damage. Just enough to show everyone that Asher doesn't know what he's talking about."

Outside the bar, the night had gotten cold. Aidan wrapped his coat tighter around himself as they stepped onto the path.

"I should get home," Aidan said, still feeling dizzy.

"Let me call you a cab," Elijah offered.

As they waited by the curb, Aidan couldn't stop thinking about the text message warning him about Elijah. Who had sent it? And what was waiting in his bathroom cabinet?

"Why should I trust you?" Aidan suddenly asked.

Elijah's smile was small and knowing. "You shouldn't. Trust is gained, not given." He took a step closer, his voice falling to a whisper. "But ask yourself this: has trusting your family ever worked out for you?"

The cab pulled up before Aidan could answer. Elijah opened the door for him.

"Sleep on it," Elijah said. "Call me when you're ready to take back what's yours."

As the cab pulled away, Aidan looked back to see Elijah watching him, a tall shadow under the streetlight. Something about the man scared Aidan, but also pulled him in, like a moth to a dangerous flame.

Back at his room, Aidan headed straight for the bathroom. His heart pounded as he opened the cabinet door.

Inside was a small flash drive taped to a letter that read: "What Elijah Hart isn't telling you." The scrawl looked familiar, but Aidan couldn't place it.

Aidan took the flash drive to his laptop. When he plugged it in, a single video file appeared. He clicked play.

The video showed the inside of an office—his father's office. Elijah was there, fighting with Victor Carter. The date showed it was from just two days ago.

"You promised me a place on the board if I helped you," Elijah was saying. "I've done everything you asked."

"And you'll get what's coming to you," Victor answered coldly. "But first, I need you to handle Aidan. He's becoming a problem with all these green ideas."

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Elijah asked.

Victor's answer made Aidan's blood freeze. "Get close to him. Find out what he knows. If he has any proof of the missing money, I need to know. Use whatever means necessary."

The video finished. Aidan sat back, his mind racing. Elijah was working for his father all along. But what lost money were they talking about?

Before he could think further, his phone rang. It was Asher.

"Don't hang up," Asher said quickly when Aidan answered. "I can explain everything."

"There's nothing to explain," Aidan snapped. "You stole my work."

"It's not what you think," Asher insisted. "Dad made me do it. He—" Suddenly, there was a crash on Asher's end of the call, followed by the sound of breaking glass and a shout.

"Asher?" Aidan called. "What's happening?"

"Listen to me," Asher said, his voice now eager and breathless. "Don't trust Elijah Hart. And don't trust Dad. They're both—" Another crash. "I can't talk now. They've found me. Look in the storage box. The key I gave you—it opens unit 217 at City Storage. Everything you need to know is there."

"Asher, what's going on? Are you in danger?" Aidan asked, frightened.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Asher said, his voice shaking. "I was trying to protect you. Always have been."

The line went dead.

Aidan tried calling back instantly, but there was no answer. He grabbed his coat and the strange key, ready to rush out the door when his laptop chimed with an incoming email.

It was from an address he didn't recognize. The subject line read: "You're next." When he opened it, there was only a photo attached—a picture of himself, taken through his apartment window, right at that very moment.

Someone was watching him. Right now.

Aidan froze, staring at the email in fear. Then, slowly, he turned toward his window. The blinds were open. And on the building across the street, a dark figure stood, pointing something at him that looked terrifyingly like a gun.