A Dangerous Proposition

Inside the Car – 10:25 PM

Judith sat stiffly, her hands clenched in her lap as the car sped through urban streets. The soft rumble of the engine was the only sound, but the silence between the two was anything but relaxed.

He had swiped her recorder. He had assumed control. And now she was in his car, with no clue what was coming next.

Judith had worked with powerful men in the past. Men who believed they were invincible. But Thomas Chan was different.

He wasn't intimidated. He wasn't angry. He was amused.

And that scared her more than anything.

She took a deep, trembling breath before she turned to face him.

"Where am I going?" she asked.

Thomas subtly changed position, his eyes meeting dark with hers.

"Nowhere significant enough for a microphone," he replied coolly.

"So you can make me disappear?" she sneered.

A slow grin tugged at his lips.

"If I desired that, Miss Tucker, you wouldn't be here."

That wasn't comforting precisely.

Judith glanced at the door handle. Locked. As if she'd ever dreamed of attempting to escape. The man next to her was dangerous, and the driver ahead wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

She needed to think. And quick.

"If this is concerning my investigation—"

"It is."

His tone was level, but an edge lay hidden underneath.

"You've been digging around in my background," he continued, "following up tips you had no right following. And now someone's taken a particular interest in you."

She was shocked.

"Somebody?" she repeated. "Who?"

Thomas did not answer. He produced instead a small scrap of paper from his pocket.

He handed it to her.

Judith hesitated before she accepted it. Her eyes ran over the neat handwriting.

It was an address.

"What is this?" she demanded.

"A choice," Thomas said.

Judith's brow creased. "I don't understand."

"You asked for the truth," he said suavely. "I'm giving you a chance to find it. But you won't enjoy what you learn."

She regarded him carefully.

"And what do you have to gain by this?"

Thomas leaned back, one arm thrown across the seat.

"Take it as a test," he said. "If you can survive it, maybe you're worth keeping around."

She felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Keeping around?" she echoed.

"I admire ambition, Miss Tucker. And you've got a great deal of it."

His eyes stayed on her, weighing.

"But ambition without control? That's what kills people."

The weight of his words lay over her.

This wasn't advice, this was a threat.

The car stopped, parking in front of a skyscraper complex.

"We're here," said Thomas.

The driver opened Judith's door and stepped out.

She lingered behind, her fingers wrapped around the address.

"What if I do go there?" she asked.

Thomas didn't smile; instead, it appeared to get a little tighter, without any real warmth.

"You see who your real enemies are."

Judith's Apartment – 11:30 PM:

Judith paced around her small apartment, the piece of paper burning in her fingers.

She had spent months to get close to Thomas Chan, and now he had given her something.

Why?

He could have sabotaged her investigation. Bought out her sources. Disappeared her.

Instead, he was going deeper.

Judith slumped into the chair next to her desk, staring at her laptop screen.

She could leave this. Ignore it.

But she knew herself. She wouldn't.

She let out a sigh, and opened a search bar, typing in the address.

No results.

That wasn't surprising. If Thomas Chan wanted her to go there in person, there was a reason.

Her fingers hovered over her phone.

She could call someone. Let someone know where she was going.

But who?

She had no cover.

No backup.

Just herself.

Judith took a deep breath and grabbed her bag.

She was doing it.

The Address – 12:15 AM

The location was a building at the edge of town, between an abandoned motel and a row of storage containers. It looked innocent.

That only made her more alert.

Judith pulled down the block and entered. The air hung thick with a rain smell, the sidewalk still damp from a past shower.

There was no indication. No security.

She rapped once.

A long silence.

Then, the door creaked open.

There stood a man with part of his face obscured by shadows.

"You're early," he told her.

Judith braced herself. "Do I come back?"

The man laughed. "No. Come on in."

She paused.

But that's why she'd come.

Serving herself up, she crossed the threshold.

The door boomed shut after her, releasing a heavy sound.

Inside, she found more luxury than she had expected.

The walls were done in polished wood, and the floor was lined with costly rugs. A chandelier provided gentle light above.

It was like a private club, more than anything else.

Judith observed it all, her senses acute.

"Miss Tucker," a voice greeted suavely.

She turned around.

A man sat at a table in the middle of the room.

Travis Walker.

She knew him immediately.

Real estate tycoon. Billionaire. One of the city's most powerful men.

And also, one of Thomas Chan's rivals.

Her heart skipped a beat.

What the devil was she getting herself into?

"Please," Travis gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."

Judith didn't move.

"What is this?" she demanded.

Travis smiled. "A discussion."

Judith's skin crawled.

This wasn't a meeting. This was a game,

And she was the pawn.

Travis leaned forward, his elbows on the table.

"You've been researching Thomas Chan," he said to her. "I can help you."

Judith crossed her arms. "Why would you want to do that?"

Travis grinned. "Because Thomas and I aren't exactly buddies."

Understatement of the year.

Travis unfolded a pile of papers from a folder.

"These are papers Thomas doesn't want people to discover."

Judith caught her breath as she skimmed the first page.

It was financial documents.

Wire transfers. Offshore accounts. A web of transactions that all went back to one name.

Brittany Knox.

Judith scrunched up her brow.

"Who is she?" she insisted.

Travis's grin increased.

"Somebody very important to Thomas."

Judith's head whirled.

This was big.

Too big to be a chance.

Travis wasn't sharing information—he was working her over.

The question was why.

"What do you want in exchange?" she insisted.

Travis's eyes glinted.

"Nothing. yet."

A chill coursed down her spine.

Judith knew she needed to exit.

This was too risky and too much.

"I need time to study these," she said to him.

Travis smiled. "Certainly," he said. "But be careful, Miss Tucker. Once you have this information, there's no turning back."

She grabbed the folder and got up from her chair.

Her heart pounding, she moved towards the door.

The moment she went outside, the night air slapped her in the face.

Her gut was screaming at her.

This was a trap.

And she had just walked into it.

Her phone was ringing. It was a call from Thomas.

She didn't even look at the ID before answering.

"You were warned, Miss Tucker."

Thomas's voice was smooth, but there was an edge to it.

Judith swallowed hard.

"You set me up," she accused.

There was a silence.

Then, a low laugh.

"No, Miss Tucker."

His voice dropped, dark and sinister.

"I just let you discover how deep the game is."