She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“His name is Daniel.”
“Who is Daniel?”
She swallowed.
“He worked with Liam.”
“Where?”
“At the company.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
Sarah leaned against the elevator wall.
“Liam discovered that the company had been hiding money through fake accounts.”
“And your account?”
“They needed somewhere to move the money.”
I stared at her.
“Why would they choose you?”
“Because I was close to Liam.”
The elevator suddenly stopped.
The lights flickered.
Sarah grabbed my hand.
“Emily…”
“What?”
“I need to tell you something before we get out.”
“What?”
She looked terrified.
“Liam wasn’t the only person investigating them.”
I waited.
“Who else?”
“Me.”
I stared at her.
“You?”
Sarah nodded.
“Liam asked me to help him.”
“Then why did you lie?”
“Because I was scared.”
The elevator started moving again.
Sarah continued.
“The night Liam died, he gave me something.”
“What?”
“A second USB drive.”
I felt my heart sink.
“Where is it?”
She looked at me.
“I gave it to you.”
I frowned.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes.”
She pointed toward my handbag.
“Check the small inside pocket.”
I opened my bag.
My fingers searched through the pocket.
Then I felt something hard.
I pulled it out.
A tiny black USB drive.
I stared at it.
“I’ve never seen this before.”
Sarah shook her head.
“Liam put it there himself.”
My hands began to tremble.
“What’s on it?”
“The truth.”
The elevator doors opened.
We stepped into the lobby.
People were walking around as if nothing had happened.
Security guards stood near the entrance.
For the first time, I thought we were safe.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I opened the message.
There was only one sentence.
You have ten minutes to leave the city.
Underneath it was a photograph.
I opened it.
It was a picture of my house.
Taken that morning.
I looked at Sarah.
Someone had been watching my home.
Someone knew exactly where my children were.
Then another message arrived.
And Emily… don’t trust Sarah.
I looked at my sister.
She was staring at the same message.
And then she whispered:
“It’s already too late.”
