Eva

37

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The light filters softly through the windows of Dominic’s penthouse as I sit at the dining table, surrounded by the remnants of Lena’s package. Papers are spread across the table in a chaotic sprawl, every line teasing at something larger—something more sinister. Reyes’s reach isn’t confined to Harbor Springs or Lena’s clinic. The hints scattered across these documents point to a network rippling across industries worldwide.

“Anything?” Dominic’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

I glance up to see him leaning against the doorframe, sleeves rolled up and tie loosened. His sharp blue eyes hold that familiar edge of tension. He looks like a man in control, but I know better. There’s a storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.

“Pieces,” I admit, gesturing at the table. “It’s like a puzzle, but the edges are missing.”

Dominic moves closer, pulling out a chair beside me. The faint scent of his cologne lingers as he scans the papers. His brow furrows when his gaze lands on a scribbled note from Lena: “Check the timeline. It’s all connected.”

He picks it up, flipping it over. “Timeline of what?”

“That’s the problem,” I say with a sigh, pushing a photograph toward him. It’s of Lena’s clinic, the glass doors shattered. “This doesn’t feel random. It’s targeted. And then there’s this.”

I hand him a typed report detailing delays in shipments to Lena’s clinic. A pattern emerges: the same shipping company flagged repeatedly— Reyes Logistics —circled in bold red ink.

Dominic’s jaw tightens. “He’s using his network to choke her out.”

“And not just her,” I add, swallowing hard. “If Lena’s right and the timeline is the key, this is part of something much bigger. It’s not just about sabotaging her clinic—it’s about consolidating control.”

Dominic’s eyes meet mine, steady and full of resolve. “Reyes made a mistake sending this package. It means he’s worried. And worried people get sloppy.”

I nod, wanting to believe him. But as I look at the papers, a weight settles in my chest. If Reyes is worried, what does that make us? Desperate? Or cornered?

The Puzzle Deepens

The next few hours pass in a blur of research. Dominic dives into financial records while I sift through news articles, environmental studies, and old shipping manifests. Every lead we uncover points back to the same conclusion: Reyes is expanding, and he’s willing to destroy anyone in his path to do it.

“What’s this?” Dominic asks suddenly, breaking the silence.

I look up from my laptop to see him holding a file. His expression is grim as he flips it open and scans the contents. “Halcyon Resources,” he mutters. “Adrian flagged them as one of Reyes’s shell companies. They’ve been acquiring drilling rights in protected areas.”

“Drilling rights?” My stomach tightens. “How does that connect to Lena?”

Dominic sets the file down, tapping a line of text. “It doesn’t—not directly. But Halcyon has been moving resources through subsidiaries tied to Lena’s region. It’s the same pattern: choke out the locals, then move in with offers they can’t refuse.”

I stare at the file, my pulse quickening. “So, Lena’s clinic is just collateral damage?”

“Not just her clinic,” Dominic says darkly. “Her entire town.”

A chill runs down my spine. Reyes isn’t just attacking individuals—he’s systematically dismantling communities. And Lena’s town is his next target.

A Fragile Alliance

As night falls, Lena joins us in the penthouse. Her face is pale, her hands trembling slightly as she places a folder on the table.

“I’ve been doing some digging of my own,” she says, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. “There’s a company—South Haven Partners—that’s been buying up properties in Harbor Springs. They’re offering more than the properties are worth, but anyone who refuses gets… targeted.”

Dominic frowns. “Targeted how?”

Lena hesitates, glancing at me before answering. “Sabotage. Power outages, vandalism, sudden permit issues. It’s happening all over town.”

“Reyes’s MO,” Dominic says grimly.

Lena nods. “And then there’s this.” She pulls out a map, marking several locations across the region. “These are the properties South Haven has already acquired. They’re strategically placed—near water sources, transportation hubs, and protected land. It’s like they’re building a framework.”

“For what?” I ask, leaning forward.

“I don’t know,” Lena admits. “But it’s deliberate.”

Dominic studies the map, his jaw tightening. “If Reyes is involved, he’s not just buying land. He’s positioning himself for something bigger.”

The weight of his words hangs in the air. Lena looks at me, her expression pleading. “, I don’t know what to do. My clinic is all I have left, but I can’t fight this alone.”

I reach across the table, squeezing her hand. “You’re not alone, Lena. We’ll figure this out.”

Dominic’s gaze meets mine, a silent promise in his eyes. “She’s right. We’re not letting Reyes win.”

A Cryptic Warning

As Lena leaves for the night, unease creeps in. The penthouse is quiet, save for the faint hum of Dominic’s computer as he works late into the night. I sit on the couch, staring at Lena’s map and notes, when my phone buzzes.

It’s an unknown number.

I hesitate before answering. “Hello?”

Silence. Then, a voice—smooth, cold, and unmistakable. “You’re in over your head, Ms. Walker.”

My blood runs cold. “Reyes.”

“You’ve been busy,” he continues, his tone almost amused. “But let me give you some advice: walk away. Before you lose more than you can afford.”

“Is that a threat?” I snap, gripping the phone tightly.

“It’s a promise,” he says. “Stay out of this, . Or you’ll regret it.”

The line goes dead.

I sit frozen, the weight of his words pressing down on me. Dominic appears in the doorway, his sharp eyes narrowing as he sees my expression.

“What happened?” he asks, crossing the room in quick strides.

I hand him the phone, my hands trembling. “It was him.”

Dominic reads the call log, his expression darkening. “What did he say?”

“He told me to walk away. Or else.”

Dominic’s jaw tightens, his fists clenching. “He’s trying to scare you.”

“Well, it’s working,” I admit, my voice shaky.

Dominic steps closer, his hands resting on my shoulders. “Listen to me, . He’s afraid. He knows we’re getting close. That’s why he’s lashing out. But we’re not stopping.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “I won’t let him win.”

His gaze softens, pride flickering in his eyes. “That’s my girl.”

Just as the tension eases, Dominic’s phone buzzes. He glances at the screen, his expression hardening. “It’s Adrian.”

He answers, his tone clipped. “What do you have?”

Adrian’s voice crackles through the line. “Dominic, we’ve got a problem. The facility Lena’s notes led to? It’s more than just a storage site. It’s a front.”

“For what?” Dominic demands.

Adrian hesitates. “Chemical production. Illegal, unregulated, and tied directly to Reyes Industries. It’s dangerous, Dominic. If this gets out…”

“It won’t,” Dominic says firmly. “Not yet.”

Adrian continues. “There’s more. We’ve intercepted chatter suggesting Reyes is planning a major move in the next 48 hours. Something big.”

Dominic’s gaze meets mine, the weight of the revelation sinking in. “We’re running out of time.”

The storm is coming. And we’re standing directly in its path.

Dominic’s voice, sharp and decisive, cuts through the weight of Adrian’s revelation. “Do we have the location of the storage site?”

“Confirmed,” Adrian replies, the tension in his voice palpable even over the phone. “It’s in a remote industrial park on the outskirts of Chicago. Tight security, but not impenetrable.”

“Then we move,” Dominic says, pacing the room as he speaks. “I want blueprints, guard rotations, and every piece of intel you can get your hands on. If Reyes is using this site to house chemical materials, we can’t give him a chance to mobilize.”

Adrian hesitates. “Dominic, this isn’t just another storage facility. These are high-grade explosives, and the chatter we’ve intercepted suggests he’s planning to move them within the next forty-eight hours.”

“What’s the target?” I ask, my voice firmer than I feel.

“We don’t know yet,” Adrian admits. “But if Reyes is involved, it’s safe to assume it’s high-profile. He’s not stockpiling this kind of material for a small job.”

Dominic ends the call with a curt, “Send me everything. Now.” He turns to me, his expression dark and unrelenting.

“Reyes is escalating,” he says, his voice low but steady. “If we don’t shut this down, the fallout could be catastrophic.”

I meet his gaze, my pulse hammering. “Then we shut it down. But we need to know what he’s planning. Otherwise, we’re playing right into his hands.”

Digging Deeper

Dominic wastes no time. As soon as Adrian’s files come through, he dives into them, scanning blueprints and security logs with surgical precision. I join him at the dining table, Lena’s notes spread out beside my laptop. The room feels like a war room—quiet except for the faint hum of electronics and the occasional scrape of a chair as Dominic shifts positions.

“He’s moving fast,” Dominic mutters, tapping on a blueprint. “This facility was set up less than a year ago, and it’s already running at full capacity. Reyes knew exactly what he was doing.”

I lean over to look at the screen. The layout of the facility is sprawling, with multiple warehouses and a central hub marked Admin. “If this is his staging ground, the admin building might hold the records we need—shipping manifests, communication logs, anything that could give us a clearer picture of his plans.”

Dominic nods. “We’ll need to get inside without raising alarms. Reyes will have eyes on this place.”

“Do you think he knows we’re onto him?” I ask.

“He knows,” Dominic replies grimly. “But he doesn’t know how close we are.”

A sharp knock at the door interrupts us. Dominic tenses, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun.

“It’s Lena,” I say, standing to answer the door.

Lena steps inside, clutching a file folder to her chest. Her face is pale, her eyes rimmed with exhaustion. “I found something,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dominic motions for her to sit as I guide her to the table. “What is it?” I ask, glancing at the folder.

She opens it with trembling hands, revealing a series of photographs and documents. “These are from a friend of mine—a journalist who’s been investigating corporate corruption. He didn’t want to get involved directly, but he passed these to me when he heard what’s happening in Harbor Springs.”

The photos show crates being loaded onto unmarked trucks, their sides emblazoned with a small but distinct logo: Reyes Industries.

“These were taken at a dock outside Chicago,” Lena explains. “The shipments match the manifests I flagged in my earlier research. He’s moving something—something big.”

Dominic studies the photos, his jaw tightening. “This confirms Adrian’s intel. The docks are a secondary hub, likely where the explosives are being staged before transport.”

“Do you think that’s the target?” I ask.

Dominic shakes his head. “No. It’s too exposed. Reyes wouldn’t risk staging an attack there.”

Lena looks between us, her brow furrowing. “What are you saying?”

Dominic’s voice is cold, calculated. “He’s planning something much bigger. And the docks are just the beginning.”

The Plan

By the time Adrian arrives, the pieces are starting to fall into place. He strides into the penthouse, his laptop in hand, and sets up at the dining table without preamble.

“I pulled everything I could find on the industrial site and the docks,” he says, opening a file on his screen. “Reyes has been using both locations to move materials through his shell companies. If we hit the docks, we might disrupt his supply chain, but it won’t be enough to stop him.”

“We’re not just disrupting,” Dominic says. “We’re shutting him down.”

Adrian nods. “The industrial site is the linchpin. If we can get in and extract the records from the admin hub, we’ll have enough to dismantle his operation piece by piece.”

“It’s a risk,” I say, my voice wavering slightly.

“It’s the only move we’ve got,” Dominic counters, his gaze locking onto mine. “Reyes has been one step ahead this entire time. If we don’t act now, he’ll bury us.”

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “What do you need me to do?”

Dominic’s expression softens slightly. “I need you to stay here, . This isn’t a safe play.”

“No,” I say firmly. “I’m not sitting on the sidelines while you go into danger alone. I can help.”

“She’s right,” Adrian says reluctantly. “We need someone on the outside to monitor communications. If Reyes catches wind of this, can alert us before we walk into a trap.”

Dominic hesitates, his jaw working as he considers the risk. Finally, he nods. “Fine. But you stay out of the line of fire. Promise me.”

I meet his gaze, my heart pounding. “I promise.”

Into the Shadows

The night is cold and quiet as Dominic and Adrian prepare to infiltrate the industrial site. From my position at the penthouse, I watch their progress through the secure video feed Adrian set up. The tension is suffocating, every sound amplified in the silence of the room.

“Adrian, you’re up,” Dominic says over the comms, his voice low and steady.

Adrian moves to disable the external security systems, his fingers flying over the keyboard of a portable terminal. “Give me sixty seconds.”

I watch the screen, my hands clenched into fists as the feed switches to show the interior of the admin building. Rows of filing cabinets and computer terminals fill the space, each one potentially holding the key to Reyes’s operation.

“We’re in,” Adrian announces.

Dominic and Adrian move quickly, scanning the room for anything useful. Dominic finds a terminal and plugs in a flash drive, his focus unyielding as he begins downloading files.

“Hurry,” I urge over the comms.

“Almost there,” Dominic replies.

A sudden movement on the video feed makes my stomach drop. “Dominic, you’ve got company!”

The camera shows two guards entering the building, their weapons drawn.

“Adrian, cover me,” Dominic orders.

The feed cuts out as the first gunshot echoes through the comms, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. My heart pounds as I wait for an update, the silence stretching endlessly.

“Dominic?” I whisper.

“We’re clear,” he finally says, his voice strained but steady. “Files are secure. We’re pulling out.”

Relief floods through me, but it’s short-lived. Adrian’s voice crackles through the comms, urgent and sharp.

“Dominic, we’ve got a bigger problem. Reyes knows we’re here.”

The sound of distant sirens fills the feed, growing louder with every second.

“Move!” Dominic barks, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The screen flashes to black, leaving me staring at my reflection in the darkened glass. My chest tightens as I realize the truth: this fight isn’t just about taking Reyes down. It’s about surviving long enough to finish the job.

And the clock is ticking.

The storm has arrived, and it’s coming for us all.