Adanna couldn't sleep.
The flash drive Malcolm left pulsed like a curse in her hand. It was small. Harmless-looking. But now she knew better than to judge danger by size.
She sat in the dim glow of her kitchen light, laptop open, the cursor blinking like it was daring her to plug the thing in.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she inserted the drive.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a single file appeared.
PROJECT_RED_CLAY.EXE
She hesitated — but clicked it.
A password prompt.
She tried Malcolm's birthday. Denied. Their anniversary. Denied again.
Then she remembered something strange: the number "199" scribbled on a sticky note tucked behind their wedding photo. She had always assumed it meant something meaningless. But she typed it in anyway.
Access granted.
The screen turned black for a second. Then lines of code began to scroll — followed by decrypted documents. Maps. Confidential contracts. Audio recordings.
And then a list titled:
KNOWN INFILTRATORS – LEVEL ONE ACCESS
Adanna froze as she read the names.
Vanessa Grey — Operative, Code 611.
Position: Handler.
Cover Identity: Business Consultant.
Assigned Target: M.H.
M.H.
Malcolm Hogan.
She stared at the screen, her blood running cold.
Malcolm wasn't just wrong about Vanessa. He had been her assignment. The woman Adanna had met for coffee — the one who smiled like a predator and handed her a breadcrumb trail — was never there to help.
She was there to monitor.
To mislead.
And possibly… to kill.
Adanna jumped at the sound of her phone vibrating.
A message. Unknown number.
Meet me at the greenhouse in thirty minutes. No phones. No questions. Come alone.
–V
She stared at the screen.
Vanessa.
Did she know about the flash drive? Or was this something else?
Her instincts told her to stay far away. But her gut whispered something different: this might be the only shot to confront the woman who had been two steps ahead from the very start.
The greenhouse was on the edge of town, tucked behind a row of abandoned cottages. It used to be a public garden before funding ran out and weeds overtook the beauty. Now, it stood hollow and dark, glass panels cracked from storms and time.
Adanna parked a block away and walked the rest of the distance on foot. She kept her hands buried in her coat, a small flashlight in one pocket and a pocket knife in the other.
The air smelled of damp earth and something metallic.
She stepped through the creaking door, heart pounding.
Vanessa stood inside, waiting.
No smile. No pretense. Just silence.
"You brought it, didn't you?" Vanessa said softly.
Adanna stayed still. "Brought what?"
Vanessa sighed. "The flash drive. Malcolm trusted you with it. But he shouldn't have."
Adanna took a slow step forward. "You lied to me. You were watching him the whole time."
"I was protecting you," Vanessa snapped. "From him."
"What are you talking about?"
Vanessa took a step closer. "You think he faked his death to save you? No. He did it to save himself. You were collateral. You still are."
Adanna's fingers tightened around the flashlight in her pocket.
Vanessa continued, "Malcolm ran with secrets he had no right to. He made a deal with people you don't want to cross. And now you're holding the evidence. Do you understand what's at stake here?"
"I think I do now," Adanna said.
Vanessa's gaze hardened. "Then give me the drive. Walk away. It's the only way you survive this."
Adanna shook her head. "Not until I know the truth."
Vanessa smiled, slow and dangerous. "Then I hope you're ready to die for it."