Secret Meeting

Aidan ducked behind his couch, heart pounding like a drum. The person across the street was still there, still pointing something at his window. With shaking hands, Aidan crawled to the light switch and dropped his apartment into darkness.

He waited five long minutes before daring to peek outside again. The figure was gone, but Aidan didn't feel safe. Not in his own home. Not anymore.

Asher wasn't answering his phone. The storage unit would have to wait until morning. Right now, Aidan needed a safe place to spend the night.

After slipping out through the building's back exit, Aidan checked into a small hotel using cash. He barely slept, jumping at every noise in the hallway. When morning came, his phone had three missed calls – all from Elijah Hart.

Against his better sense, Aidan called back.

"I was worried about you," Elijah said when he answered. "Are you okay?"

"How did you get my number?" Aidan demanded.

There was a pause. "You gave it to me at the bar."

"No, I didn't." Aidan was sure of that.

"Check your coat pocket," Elijah offered.

Aidan reached into his pocket and found a business card – his own business card, with his phone number. But on the back, written in his own handwriting, was Elijah's name and number. Except Aidan had no memory of writing it.

"We need to talk," Elijah said. "Meet me at The Hideaway Coffee Shop on 7th Street. One hour."

"Not The Hideaway bar again?"

"No, the coffee shop. It's... safer."

Aidan wasn't sure what to believe anymore. The movie on the flash drive showed Elijah working with his father. But Asher's panicked call warned him about both of them. And someone had been watching his room. Who could he trust?

Curiosity won out over caution. An hour later, Aidan pushed open the door to a tiny coffee shop hidden between two bigger buildings. If he hadn't been looking for it, he would have walked right past it.

Inside, the shop was nearly empty. Elijah sat in the back corner, two cups already on the table in front of him. He looked up when Aidan entered, his face showing relief.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Elijah said as Aidan sat down across from him.

"I almost didn't," Aidan revealed. "Someone was watching my room last night. With what looked like a gun."

Elijah's eyes widened. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"What plan?" Aidan demanded. "And don't lie to me. I saw the video of you with my father."

Elijah's surprise seemed sincere. "What video?"

"From two days ago. In his study. You asked him for a spot on the board, and he told you to 'handle' me. To find out what I know about 'lost money.'"

Elijah sat back, running a hand through his dark hair. "I see."

"So you admit it?"

"I admit I met with your father," Elijah said carefully. "But that meeting wasn't what you think."

"Then what was it?"

Elijah looked around the coffee shop, then leaned forward. "I've been working secretly for the FBI for the past six months. We think your father is stealing millions from Carter Enterprises."

Aidan nearly choked on his coffee. "The FBI? You expect me to believe that?"

Instead of answering, Elijah pulled out his phone and showed Aidan a picture. It was Asher, getting into a black car with a man Aidan didn't recognize.

"This was taken last night, after your brother's phone call to you was interrupted," Elijah said softly. "The man with him is Maya Rivera's brother. Maya is your father's right-hand woman."

"I know who Maya is," Aidan snapped. "But what does this prove?"

"It shows your brother is playing both sides. He's working with your father even while trying to help you." Elijah swiped to another shot. This one showed Asher giving a familiar blue folder to Maya. "This was taken the day after you showed him your green energy project."

Aidan's head was spinning. "But Asher called me. He was in trouble. He said not to trust you or Dad."

"Of course he did," Elijah said. "He knows we're getting close to the truth. Aidan, your father has been stealing from the company for years. And Asher has been helping him."

"I don't believe you," Aidan said, but his voice lacked force. Had Asher been lying to him all this time?

"I can prove it," Elijah said. "But I need your help. I need someone on the inside of Carter Enterprises."

"What exactly are you asking me to do?"

"Help me get proof of your father's crimes. Help me view files only family members can see. If your brother stole your green energy project, think what else they've taken from you."

Aidan thought of all the times his ideas had been ignored, all the times Asher had gotten praise for things Aidan had worked on. Could it really have been a trend all along?

"Why should I trust you?" Aidan asked.

"Because I can help you get back everything they took from you," Elijah said. "Including the credit for your green energy project."

Before Aidan could reply, the coffee shop door opened and a woman walked in. It was Maya Rivera. Elijah quickly put his phone away.

"Don't look at her," he whispered to Aidan. "If she sees us together, we're both in trouble."

Aidan kept his head down, but he could feel Maya's eyes searching the coffee shop. After what felt like ages, she ordered a coffee to go and left.

"That was close," Elijah sighed.

"Too close," Aidan agreed. "If you're really FBI, why not just arrest my father? Why all this secrecy?"

"We need solid proof," Elijah explained. "Your father is very careful. And very strong. He has friends in high places. We can't move against him without concrete proof."

Aidan thought of the key Asher had given him, the one that apparently opened storage unit 217. If Asher was working with their father, why give Aidan the key? Unless that too was a trick.

"I need time to think," Aidan said.

Elijah nodded. "Of course. But don't take too long." He wrote something on a napkin and slid it across the table. "This is my real number. If you decide to help, call me. If not..." He shrugged. "Well, I tried."

As Aidan stood to leave, Elijah caught his arm. "One more thing. Don't go to that storage room. It's a trap."

"How do you know about the storage unit?" Aidan asked, heart racing.

"Because we've been watching your brother for months," Elijah said. "Trust me on this, Aidan. Don't go there alone."

Outside, the day had grown cloudy and cold. Aidan walked quickly, feeling like eyes were on him from every direction. His phone buzzed with a text message from an unknown number: "He's lying about everything. Meet me at storage unit 217. Come alone. I'll prove it. —A"

Was it from Asher? Or was someone using his brother's initial to trick him into a trap? Elijah had just warned him not to go to the storage unit. But if Asher really was in trouble...

Aidan's phone buzzed again. Another message, this time with a picture attached. It showed Elijah meeting with his father and Maya in what looked like a hidden room. The three of them were smiling, looking like the best of friends. The date showed it was from this morning, before Aidan met Elijah at the coffee shop.

The message below the picture read: "Still think he's on your side? Storage unit 217. One hour. This ends today."

Aidan stared at the picture, feeling sick. Elijah had lied to him. Again. But who was telling the truth? And who had sent this new photo?

His phone rang in his hand. It was Elijah.

"Don't hang up," Elijah said quickly when Aidan answered. "I need to tell you something important about your mother."

"My mother?" Aidan's heart skipped. "What about her?"

"She didn't die in an accident," Elijah said. "She was—"

A loud bang cut through the air. Aidan looked up just in time to see a car speeding straight toward him on the curb, its driver hidden behind tinted windows.