A Deadly Warning

The bell over Maria's store entrance jingled as Ethan stepped inside. The scent of freshly cut flowers couldn't mask the tension hanging thick in the air. Maria stood behind the counter, her hands trembling as she stared at her phone.

"What's going on?" Ethan asked in a low, even tone. He knew that look… fear mixed with vulnerability.

Maria didn't respond right away. She placed her telephone in her pocket and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to composed herself, but her eyes betrayed the truth.

"Maria," Ethan insisted, taking a step closer to her. "Talk to me. What is going on?

She let out a deep groan, pulled her telephone back out and handed it to him silently. Ethan glanced at the screen; his face darkening as he read the text. It was a picture of Maria's child, Marco, in the park with just one simple message: * "Stop now, or he pays the price."*

Ethan swore under his breath. "When did you get this?

"A little while ago," Maria whispered, her voice trembling. "They're watching me, Ethan. They are familiar Marco. I. I can't do this any longer."

"Maria, listen to me," Ethan said firmly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "This is exactly what they want. If you back down now, they'll see it as a victory. You really think they'll leave you alone because you stopped helping me? No. They'll make sure you never speak again.

She shook her head, and tears slipped to tumble down her cheeks. "I can't seriously jeopardize my child. I can't, Ethan."

Ethan took a deep breath, softening his tone. "I get it. I do. But the only way to protect Marco is to expose these people. If we stop now, they win. And they'll keep coming after you, Maria. We've got to see this through."

Maria hesitated, biting her lip as she glanced at the photo again. "What's your plan?" 

"We'll figure it out together," Ethan said. "But we'll be more careful. No more public meetings, no more phones. We stay one step ahead. Agreed?" 

Maria nodded reluctantly. "Agreed."

That night, Ethan sat at his messy desk, rummaging through the papers he had stolen from Mayor Calloway's office. His eyes flicked to the clock.it was almost midnight, but he had no time to sleep. The links were there; he only had to find them. 

A knock came from the door, breaking into his thoughts. His heart racing, he went up to it warily and looked through the peephole. The hall was empty.

He slowly opened the door and found a plain envelope lying on the floor. He picked it up, tore it open, and found one sheet of paper inside with bold, typed words: *"Last warning."* 

Ethan clenched his jaw. "Cowards," he muttered, crumpling the note in his hand.

The following night, Ethan cruised randomly through the city, driving his thoughts away. He had a nagging feeling of being watched. Every other second, he would turn to his side mirror, but the streets were dead.

As he neared an abandoned intersection, a glowing something on the highway in front…splintered pieces of glass were thrown across the pavement purposefully—came into his beaming headlights.

"What the hell?" Ethan growled under his breath, slowing down. 

His tires suddenly blew, the car lurching violently to the side; Ethan fought the wheel, hardly keeping himself from slamming against a lamppost. 

Inhaling sharply, one dark SUV roared to life a block away, its headlights yet out. "Hey!" exclaimed Ethan as he leaped from his vehicle.

Before he could obtain a clear view of the driver, the SUV drove off into the night. 

Ethan kicked the side of his car in irritation and swore. This was a warning, not an accident.

Unwilling to risk his cell, Ethan used a payphone back at his flat to call Maria. 

His voice was tense with rage as he added, "Maria, they tried to kill me tonight,"

What?" Maria exclaimed. "Ethan, this is getting out of hand! We're not safe. You're not safe." 

"They're scared," Ethan replied. "That means we're onto something. We can't back down now." 

Maria hesitated. "I don't know, Ethan. What if this gets worse?

"It probably will," Ethan admitted. "But the only way we stop them is by pushing forward. They're desperate, Maria. That's why they're making these moves." 

There was a moment of silence from the other end of the line. Finally, Maria let out a sigh. "What do we do now?"

"We keep digging," Ethan said. "The warehouse, The Meridian, Allan…they're all connected. I'm going to The Meridian tomorrow. If there's anything there, I'll find it." 

Maria's voice was soft but resolute. "Be careful, Ethan. I mean it." 

"You too," he said before hanging up.

The next day found Ethan meeting Maria in a secluded park, far from prying eyes.

"I did some digging last night," Maria said, handing him a folder. "These are Calloway's connections to The Meridian. It's a lot of offshore accounts, shady business deals. Nothing concrete, but enough to raise questions." 

Ethan flipped through the papers. "This is good. Really good. If we can tie this to the original case, we might have enough to blow it wide open."

Maria frowned. "But how do we do that without ending up dead?" 

Ethan smirked. "That's the tricky part."

Later that night, Ethan parked his car meters away from The Meridian, he through a side alley, avoiding the main entrance.

The windows were dark and the building was silent. Ethan slipped inside after picking the lock on a rear entrance. 

He discovered himself in a poorly lighted corridor. He moved swiftly through the rooms, searching for any clues that would link Calloway to the initial case or the warehouse.

In an office on the second floor, he hit the jackpot…a filing cabinet labeled "Special Projects." Inside he found blueprints for the warehouse, along with invoices for "security services" paid to a shell company. 

"Bingo," Ethan whispered, snapping photos of the documents with his phone. 

Outside, a torch ray swept over the hallway as he turned to go. 

"Who's there?" asked a voice.

With his heart thumping, Ethan froze. The footsteps approached, and he crept behind the desk, holding his breath. 

Glancing around the office with his torch, the security man entered. Ethan waited until the beam passed over him, then lunged forward, knocking the

guard out with a single punch. 

"Sorry, pal," Ethan muttered, stepping over the unconscious man.