Chapter 7 – The USB They Were Willing to Kill For
The USB drive skidded across the concrete floor, stopping only inches from Elena's shoe.
For a split second, nobody moved.
Then every armed man lunged toward it at once.
"Get the drive!" their leader roared.
Elena reacted first.
Ignoring the searing pain in her lower back, she dropped to her knees and snatched up the tiny black device.
A gunshot exploded behind her.
Concrete shattered beside her hand.
She scrambled to her feet and ran.
"Don't let her escape!"
The narrow tunnel erupted into chaos.
Sofia lay bleeding on the cold floor.
With the last of her strength, she grabbed the ankle of the nearest gunman.
He stumbled.
"You old woman!" he snarled.
Sofia smiled weakly.
"You'll... never... find the truth."
The gunman fired once more.
Her body went still.
But those precious few seconds were enough.
Elena disappeared into another maintenance passage.
Above ground, Julian heard another burst of gunfire echo through the building.
His stomach twisted.
"That came from below," Marco said.
Julian didn't hesitate.
"Find the basement access."
Marco nodded and immediately split his team.
Two men headed toward the loading dock.
Three rushed to the freight elevators.
Julian started after them.
Isabella didn't even try to stop him.
Instead, she calmly folded her hands.
"Go."
Julian looked back.
"You think I'll fail."
"No."
She smiled almost sadly.
"I think you'll discover something far more painful than failure."
"What does that mean?"
She took a slow breath.
"Ask yourself one question."
"If Elena trusted you so completely..."
"...why didn't she come home the night she disappeared?"
Julian froze.
He had asked himself that question every day for eight months.
Now...
He wasn't sure he wanted the answer.
Deep beneath the hotel, Elena leaned against the damp concrete wall, gasping for breath.
Her baby kicked violently.
She winced.
"It's okay," she whispered through tears.
"Just a little farther."
She looked at the USB drive in her shaking hand.
There was no label.
No markings.
Just a tiny strip of black tape.
She remembered Richard Mercer.
His dying words.
"They aren't after your company..."
"...the baby..."
He hadn't finished.
Maybe...
The answer was inside this drive.
She spotted an abandoned maintenance office.
The dusty room still contained an old desktop computer.
She hesitated.
If she plugged the drive into it...
Who knew what she might find?
But she had no choice.
She inserted the USB.
The screen flickered.
A password prompt appeared.
Before she could react...
The computer unlocked automatically.
A single video file filled the screen.
FINAL EVIDENCE
Recorded: Eight Months Earlier
Elena pressed Play.
The grainy security footage showed a private conference room inside the Grand Alcazar Hotel.
Around the polished table sat six people.
Julian recognized none of them.
Then the seventh person entered.
Julian's father.
Antonio Rossi.
Elena's breathing stopped.
Antonio placed a thick folder on the table.
"I've changed my mind."
"I won't sign."
A woman spoke off-camera.
"You already accepted payment."
Antonio shook his head.
"I won't destroy innocent families."
Another voice answered calmly.
"You don't have a choice."
Antonio stood.
"Neither do you."
"I've copied every document."
"If anything happens to me..."
"...the authorities will receive everything."
The room fell silent.
One of the men slowly reached inside his jacket.
Elena watched in horror.
Antonio noticed too late.
Three suppressed gunshots echoed through the room.
Antonio collapsed beside the conference table.
Blood spread across the marble floor.
The camera continued recording.
Then...
A familiar voice spoke.
Cold.
Calm.
Unmistakable.
"Clean it up."
Elena's blood turned to ice.
That voice...
It belonged to Isabella Moretti.
At that exact moment, the maintenance office door burst open.
The leader of the armed team stormed inside.
He saw the computer screen.
He saw Antonio Rossi's body.
His face drained of color.
"You watched it."
Elena slowly backed away.
"You murdered Julian's father."
The man raised his pistol.
"No."
"We followed orders."
He aimed directly at her.
"I'm sorry."
"You've seen too much."
Before he could pull the trigger—
A fire axe crashed into his arm.
The pistol flew across the room.
Julian Rossi charged through the doorway like a man possessed.
His shoulder slammed into the gunman, driving both men through the rotten wooden wall.
They crashed into the next room.
The gunman reached for a knife.
Julian caught his wrist.
The blade stopped inches from his throat.
Years of controlled discipline gave way to raw fury.
Julian landed one devastating punch.
Then another.
The gunman collapsed unconscious.
Julian spun toward Elena.
Their eyes met.
For the first time in eight months...
No lies.
No distance.
No pretending.
Only truth.
He crossed the room in two long strides and caught her as her knees gave out.
Elena buried her face against his chest.
"I thought you hated me," she sobbed.
Julian wrapped his arms around her carefully, one hand protectively supporting her back and the other resting gently beneath her pregnant belly.
"I searched for you every single day."
His voice broke.
"I never stopped."
Elena looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"I have to tell you something."
Julian gently brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"You don't have to explain anything."
"No..."
She shook her head desperately.
"You don't understand."
"The baby..."
A sudden, sharp pain ripped through her body.
She cried out.
Warm liquid soaked through her uniform.
Julian looked down.
His heart stopped.
Blood.
A lot of blood.
Elena grabbed his arm with trembling fingers.
"It's too early..."
Another wave of pain hit.
She gasped for air.
Julian shouted toward the doorway,
"Marco!"
His security chief rushed inside.
One look at Elena was enough.
Marco's expression changed instantly.
"We need an ambulance."
Julian carefully lifted Elena into his arms.
She was shaking uncontrollably.
Just as he turned toward the exit...
The computer monitor behind them flickered one last time.
A hidden file opened automatically.
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Across the screen appeared a single sentence:
IF YOU ARE WATCHING THIS... NEVER TRUST CAMILA.
