Chapter 12: The Key to the Truth...

The cold metal key burned against my palm. It was small, ordinary at first glance, but its weight felt impossibly heavy—as if it held secrets I wasn't meant to find.

John had hidden it.

Why?

"Move!" Adrian's sharp voice snapped me back to reality.

I shoved the key into my pocket just as gunfire erupted behind us. The bullet struck the doorframe, splintering the old wood as Adrian pulled me into the narrow alley.

The black car that had been parked there a moment ago suddenly roared to life.

Too late.

The driver saw us.

The tires screeched as the car sped forward, aiming straight for us.

"Run!" Adrian yanked me sideways just as the headlights blinded me.

We barely cleared the pavement before the car smashed into a stack of rusted crates, sending metal and wood flying. My body slammed against the wall of the warehouse, pain radiating through my side.

The driver—a tall man in a dark coat—stumbled out of the car, gun in hand.

Adrian fired first.

The shot hit its mark—the man's shoulder. He cursed, staggering back, but he didn't fall. Instead, he turned toward the open passenger door.

He was trying to escape.

Adrian didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, knocking the gun out of the man's grasp before slamming him against the side of the car.

"Who sent you?" Adrian growled, twisting the man's arm behind his back.

The man spat blood onto the pavement, laughing through gritted teeth.

"You think I'd tell you?" he sneered. "You're already too late."

I stiffened. Too late for what?

The man suddenly twisted, breaking free of Adrian's grip. He slammed his elbow into Adrian's ribs, then reached into his coat.

A knife.

"Adrian!" I screamed.

Adrian barely dodged as the blade slashed through the air. He retaliated with a sharp kick to the man's knee, sending him stumbling.

I didn't think. I acted.

I grabbed a broken metal pipe from the ground and swung it with all my strength.

The impact sent the man crashing to the pavement. He didn't get up.

Adrian wiped blood from his lip and turned to me. "Not bad."

I exhaled shakily, dropping the pipe. My hands were trembling.

The man was unconscious, but his words still echoed in my mind.

You're already too late.

Adrian checked the man's pockets, pulling out a burner phone and a folded note.

He frowned as he unfolded the paper, his jaw tightening.

I stepped closer. "What does it say?"

Adrian turned the note toward me.

One sentence.

"The widow knows too much."

The breath caught in my throat.

Adrian crushed the paper in his fist, his gaze darkening. "We need to go. Now."

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Adrian didn't waste another second. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the alley, leading me away from the wreckage, away from the man we had left behind.

But even as we ran, one thought haunted me.

Who sent that message?

And what exactly did they think I knew?

Adrian drove fast, weaving through side streets to throw off anyone who might be tailing us. My heart hadn't stopped racing.

The key in my pocket felt like a burning brand against my skin.

I turned it over in my palm, studying its shape.

It was old, made of brass, and had a number engraved on it: 413.

"What does it open?" I murmured.

Adrian glanced at me. "That's what we need to find out."

He reached into his bag, pulling out the burner phone he had taken from the attacker.

A single unread text message was on the screen.

Adrian clicked it open.

"Confirm when the job is done. No loose ends."

A chill ran down my spine.

Adrian locked the phone, his expression unreadable. "They were ordered to kill you. Not just scare you."

I swallowed hard. I had suspected it, but seeing it in writing made it feel real.

This wasn't just about John anymore.

This was about me.

Adrian pulled the car into an underground parking garage, killing the engine. The low, dim lighting cast deep shadows across the concrete walls.

"We lay low here for now," he said.

I nodded, but my mind was already racing ahead.

The number 413.

It had to mean something. A locker? A safe deposit box? A hotel room?

I pulled out my phone and quickly searched for lockers and storage units in the city.

And then—I found it.

Newcrest Storage.

Unit 413.

Adrian glanced at my screen, his brows lifting. "You think that's it?"

"It's worth checking," I said, gripping the key tighter.

Because if John had hidden something there…

It might just be the answer to everything.