Chapter 9: The Deal in the Dark
Lila Harper's pulse thundered as the roar of an engine closed in, headlights slicing through the rain-soaked storage lot. Tina stood in front of them, her blonde hair plastered to her face, clutching a USB drive that could either save them or destroy them. Her words hung in the air: "Get me out of this, Ethan, or it goes public." Lila, 28, pregnant, and cornered, gripped the ledger from her mom's storage unit, its pages proof of Richard Holt's dirty deals.
Ethan Kane stood beside her, his jaw tight, his eyes scanning the shadows for Holt's men. The black car blocking their exit idled ominously, and Lila knew they had seconds to decide—trust Tina, the traitor who'd leaked her shoplifting past, or run and risk losing everything.
"Tina, put the damn USB down," Ethan growled, stepping forward, his voice cutting through the rain. "You're in over your head. Holt's using you, and you're too desperate to see it."
Tina's laugh was shaky, her eyes darting to the approaching headlights. "Desperate? You fired me, Ethan. Voss promised me Lila's job, but Holt's the one calling the shots. This USB's got everything—his deals, your dad's secrets, her mom's dirt." She nodded at Lila. "You want Holt off your back? Get me a deal—money, a ticket out of this city, whatever. Or this hits X in an hour."
Lila's stomach churned. The USB could expose Holt's crimes—maybe enough to stop the threats against her unborn child—but it could also spill secrets about her mom, Angela, and James Kane, Ethan's dad. The X post from the press conference, linking Angela to James, already had the internet screaming mistress and sister. If Tina's drive confirmed worse, Lila's life—and her baby's future—would be shredded.
"We don't have time for this," Lila snapped, her voice low but fierce. "Holt's guys are here. Give us the drive, Tina, or you're screwed too."
Tina's eyes widened, but before she could respond, the black car's doors opened. Two men in dark coats stepped out, their faces shadowed, one holding a crowbar. Ethan grabbed Lila's arm, pulling her behind him. "Get to the SUV," he whispered. "Now."
"No way," Lila said, clutching the ledger tighter. "I'm not leaving without that drive."
Tina backed up, her hands shaking. "You want it? Take it!" She tossed the USB at Lila, who caught it mid-air, her heart pounding. The men charged forward, and Ethan shoved Lila toward the SUV. "Run!"
They sprinted, rain stinging their faces, as the men's footsteps pounded behind them. Lila clutched the USB and ledger, her sneakers slipping on wet pavement. Ethan yanked open the SUV's door, practically throwing her inside before jumping in and slamming the gas. The tires screeched, swerving past the black car as the men shouted, one swinging the crowbar at the rear window. It cracked but held.
Lila's breath came in gasps as they sped into the city, the storage lot fading in the rearview. "You okay?" Ethan asked, his voice tight, his eyes flicking between her and the road.
"No," she said, her hands trembling as she stuffed the USB and ledger into her bag. "Tina's playing us, and those guys weren't random. Holt's not just leaking photos—he's sending muscle."
Ethan's jaw clenched. "I'm done letting him run this. We need to see what's on that drive."
Lila nodded, but her mind was on Angela's words: Your dad wasn't James. But Holt knows who he was. The USB might hold that truth, and she wasn't sure she could handle it.
They pulled into a diner on the city's edge, a neon-lit hole-in-the-wall buzzing with late-night truckers and flickering fluorescents. Lila's clothes were soaked, her hair plastered to her neck, but she didn't care. They slid into a booth, the USB and ledger between them. Ethan pulled out his laptop, his face grim.
"Let's see what Tina's selling," he said, plugging in the drive. The screen lit up with files—bank records, emails, audio clips. Lila's heart raced as Ethan opened one: a grainy recording of Holt and Angela, twenty years ago.
"You keep your mouth shut, Angela," Holt's voice crackled. "James gets wind of this, and we're both done. The money's clean as long as you deliver."
"I'm not your damn mule forever," Angela snapped. "You want me to keep quiet about the kid, pay up."
Lila's breath stopped. "The kid," she whispered. "That's me.
Ethan's eyes met hers, his voice low. "Your mom was blackmailing Holt. That's why he's coming for you now."
Lila scrolled through more files—payments from Holt's shell company to Angela, dated around her birth. One email, from Holt to an unknown contact, read: The Harper girl's a loose end. If she digs, it's over. Lila's hands shook. "He's known about me my whole life. Whatever my mom was hiding, it's big enough to scare him."
Ethan's phone buzzed—Claire, on speaker. "Where are you two?" she said, her voice sharp. "I'm at the office, and I just found something in Dad's old files. Holt wasn't just his board member—he was running an offshore account for a deal that went south. Cops were sniffing around, and Holt pinned it on Angela."
Lila's blood ran cold. "My mom took the fall for Holt's crime?"
"Looks like it," Claire said. "There's more—a name tied to the deal. Victor Russo. He's bad news, Ethan. Old-school money, maybe mob. Holt's been in his pocket for years. If you've got something on Holt, use it fast. He's meeting Russo tonight at the Meridian."
Ethan's face hardened. "I'm going. Holt's done playing me."
Lila grabbed his arm. "You can't. Those guys at the storage unit—they're not just hired muscle. If Russo's involved, this is bigger than we thought."
"I'm not running," Ethan said, his eyes burning. "Not from Holt, not from this. You're in this because of me, Lila. I'm ending it."
She wanted to believe him, but his past—abandoning Sarah, denying their baby—made her doubt. "You say that now," she said, her voice low. "But when it gets real, you bolt."
He leaned closer, his voice raw. "I'm here, Lila. For you, for the kid. Let me prove it."
Her heart twisted, the spark between them undeniable but dangerous. Before she could respond, her phone buzzed—a text from Maya: Cops at my bar asking about you. Something about a break-in at Holt's office. Get out of sight.
Lila's stomach dropped. "Holt's framing me," she said, showing Ethan the text. "He knows I was at his office yesterday. He's setting me up for the leaks."
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Then we move first. We take the USB to Claire, hit Holt before he hits us."
They left the diner, the city's neon glow blurring past as they sped toward Kane Enterprises. But as they pulled into the parking garage, a black SUV blocked their path—the same one from the storage unit. A man stepped out, his face half-lit, a gun glinting in his hand. "Give me the drive," he said, his voice cold. "Holt's done asking."
Lila's heart stopped. The USB was their only weapon, but handing it over could save her life—and her baby's. Ethan's hand tightened on hers, his eyes locked on the gunman. They were out of time, and the wrong move would end it all.