Chapter 8: The Past That Bites
Lila Harper's breath caught as the X post glared on her phone: a photo of her outside Richard Holt's office, captioned, Lila Harper's playing a dangerous game. Who's next?
The trailer park's dim streetlights cast shadows across her mom's rusted trailer, where Angela stood in the doorway, cigarette dangling, her eyes darting between Lila and Ethan Kane. Lila's heart pounded—Holt was watching her every move, and his threat from yesterday, Stop digging, or the baby pays, felt closer than ever. Ethan, his jaw tight, stood beside her, his presence both a comfort and a spark she didn't want to feel. At 28, pregnant with his kid and no family to fall back on, Lila was cornered, and Angela's half-truths about James Kane—Ethan's dad and maybe hers—were only making it worse.
"Talk, Mom," Lila said, her voice sharp as she shoved the phone in her pocket. "You said James Kane was 'complicated.' Holt's got something on you, on my dad. What is it?"
Angela's laugh was a dry rasp, her hands shaking as she flicked ash. "You're digging up graves, girl. Holt's not some suit you can scare. He ran dirty deals through me for years—cash, drop-offs, whatever kept the lights on. James Kane was part of it, but not how you think."
Ethan stepped forward, his eyes hard. "What's that supposed to mean? You were with my dad. That photo on X—people are saying you were his mistress. Is that true?"
Angela's eyes narrowed, sizing him up. "Your dad wasn't a saint, kid. He built Kane Enterprises on favors and secrets. I wasn't his mistress—I was his fixer. Helped him move money Holt didn't want traced. But yeah, we got close. Too close."
Lila's stomach churned. "Close enough to have me?"
Angela looked away, her face tightening. "Your dad wasn't James. But Holt knows who he was, and he's holding it over you to keep you quiet. You want the truth? It's uglier than you're ready for."
"Try me," Lila snapped, stepping closer. "Holt's threatening my baby. I'm not backing off."
Ethan grabbed her arm, his voice low. "Lila, slow down. If Holt's got this much on your mom, he's got more on us. We need to be smart."
She yanked free, her eyes blazing. "Smart? You're the one who dragged us into that press conference, and now X thinks I'm your sister. I'm done waiting for you to fix this."
Angela snorted, tossing her cigarette. "You two are a mess. Holt's playing you both, and you're too busy fighting to see it." She paused, her voice dropping. "There's a storage unit, edge of town. I kept records—deals I did for Holt, names, dates. If you want to hurt him, start there. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Lila's pulse raced. Records could tie Holt to the leaks, maybe even the brick through her window. But Angela's warning—and her dodge about Lila's dad—felt like a trap. Before she could press, Ethan's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, his face darkening.
"It's Claire," he said, putting it on speaker.
"Ethan, where are you?" Claire's voice was tight, urgent. "Holt's meeting with Voss tonight at the Meridian Hotel. I hacked his calendar—he's moving fast. Whatever you and Lila are doing, you need to move faster."
Lila's eyes met Ethan's. "The storage unit," she said. "We go now."
"Lila, no," Ethan said, his voice hard. "Holt's dangerous. You heard Claire—he's with Voss. Let me handle him."
"You handle him?" Lila laughed, bitter. "You're still half-running from this baby. I'm going, Ethan. With or without you."
He stared at her, his jaw tight, then nodded. "Fine. But we're doing this together."
The storage unit was a squat, concrete maze on the city's outskirts, lit by flickering sodium lights. Rain slicked the pavement as Lila and Ethan pulled up in his SUV, the folder from Maya and Angela's vague directions their only guide. Lila's heart pounded—Holt's X post meant he knew she'd confronted him, and the storage unit felt like walking into a lion's den.
Ethan cut the engine, his voice low. "You sure about this? If Holt's got people watching…"
"I'm sure," Lila said, clutching the key Angela had given her. "If there's proof in there, it could end this. No more leaks, no more threats."
They found the unit—number 47, rusted lock, peeling paint. Lila's hands shook as she opened it, revealing stacks of boxes, damp and mildewed. Ethan pulled one open, revealing ledgers, receipts, and a photo: Angela, younger, with Holt and a man Lila didn't recognize, all smiling outside a warehouse.
"This is it," Lila said, flipping through a ledger. Names, dates, payments—Holt's shell company tied to deals from twenty years ago. "It's enough to nail him for fraud, maybe worse."
Ethan's eyes were on the photo, his voice quiet. "My dad's not in this. Maybe Angela was telling the truth—he wasn't your father."
Lila's chest tightened. "Then who was? Holt knows, and he's using it to keep me scared."
Before Ethan could answer, his phone buzzed—a text from an unknown number: Leave the unit. Now. Or you don't leave at all.
Lila's blood ran cold. "He's here," she whispered, her eyes scanning the dark rows of units.
Ethan grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door. "We're out. Grab the ledger and move."
They ran for the SUV, rain soaking them, but headlights flashed ahead—a black car blocking the exit. A figure stepped out, not Holt, but Tina, her blonde hair plastered to her face, her eyes wild.
"You couldn't leave it alone, could you?" Tina said, her voice shaking. "Holt cut me loose, but I'm not going down alone."
Lila's grip tightened on the ledger. "You leaked the videos, Tina. You and Voss. Why?"
Tina laughed, bitter. "Voss promised me your job, Lila. Said I'd run things when he took over. But Holt's the real player—he's got dirt on everyone, including me. You want to know who your dad was? Ask him. He's coming for you both."
Ethan stepped forward, his voice low. "Get out of our way, Tina. You're done."
She pulled a USB drive from her pocket, holding it up. "Not yet. This has everything—Holt's deals, your dad's secrets, Lila's mom. I was gonna give it to Voss, but I'll sell it to you. Get me out of this, Ethan, or it goes public."
Lila's heart stopped. The USB could be the key to stopping Holt—or it could expose secrets that would destroy her and Ethan for good. Headlights flashed again, closer this time, and the sound of an engine roared. Holt's people were here, and Tina's offer was a ticking bomb.