Chapter 33: The Plan (Nate POV)

Liam’s whisper hung in the air, “Then let me earn it back,” his voice soft, shaky, his eyes locked on mine. My heart pounded, my hands sweaty in my pockets. The park was dark around us, the swings creaking, the wind cold against my face. I wanted to believe him, wanted it so bad it hurt, but trust was a cracked thing now, broken by his testimony, his silence. Still, that video in my pocket, Harper’s guilt caught on tape, was too big to carry alone. I needed him, even if it scared me.

I took a breath, my chest tight. “Okay,” I said, my voice low, rough. “You’re in, but we’ve got to move fast.”

He nodded quickly, his hands unclenching a little. “What’s the plan?” he asked, his voice steadier now.

I glanced around, the shadows thick, my stomach twisting. That rustle in the trees was still there, faint but real. Someone might be watching, maybe Harper’s people. “We expose her,” I said, keeping my voice quiet. “That video—it’s her in the server room, stealing files, framing me. We get it out, show everyone.”

Liam’s eyes widened, his breath catching. “Out how? Feds? News?”

“Zoe,” I said, my hands moving to the flash drive in my pocket. “She’s a reporter, been digging into this. I sent her half the files before, but they got blocked. This video—it’s solid. She’ll run it.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his face tight. “Zoe Carter? The one who wrote about the breach?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “She’s on our side—called me after it started, said it wasn’t just me in this mess. If we get her the video, she can blow it open.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes darting to the trees like he’d heard something too. “Okay,” he said, his voice low. “But Harper—she’s got IT everywhere. They’ll know if we send it, block it again.”

My stomach sank, my hands clenching. He was right—Harper’s crew had shut down my last try, tracked me, sent that message: “You really thought I wouldn’t see this?” They were fast, too fast. “We need a backup,” I said, my mind racing. “Something they can’t touch.”

“Talia?” he asked, his voice quiet, like he was testing it.

“Yeah,” I said, my chest tightening. “She left me a note, ‘If I’m gone too long, check the blue folder.’ It’s at her place. She’s off-grid, but she knew something—had files, maybe more proof.”

Liam’s face softened, his eyes dropping. “She helped you,” he said, almost to himself. “After I didn’t.”

I swallowed, my throat tight. “Yeah,” I said, my voice hard. “She stuck around, until she couldn’t.” I didn’t want to dig into that, not now, not with him standing there, guilt all over his face. “Point is, that folder—it’s our safety net. If Zoe can’t run the video, we’ve got more.”

He nodded, his hands in his pockets now, his breath fogging in the cold. “So we get the video to Zoe, folder to back it up. Then what?”

“Then Harper’s done,” I said, my voice firm. “She can’t hide from this—feds, public, everyone will see. Graham too, maybe—he’s in it deep.”

Liam’s face went pale, his hands clenching again. “Graham,” he said, his voice low, shaky. “He’ll come after us, hard. He’s got people, Nate—stuff on me still. If we do this—”

“If?” I cut in, stepping closer, my voice sharp. “There’s no ‘if,’ Liam. She framed me—jail, lies, all of it. You saw her gloat about it. We’ve got one shot, our shot.”

He looked away, his jaw tight, his hands shaking a little. “I know,” he said, his voice small. “But Graham—he’s not just talk. He’ll hit back—me, you, worse than before.”

I stared at him, my chest burning. He was scared—I got it. Graham had him by the throat, those debts, that folder he’d shown me in the lounge. But this—Harper on video, me in cuffs—was bigger than fear. “You said you’d earn it back,” I said, my voice low, steady. “This is how. We fight together, or we’re done anyway.”

He met my eyes, his breath fast, his face torn. I saw it—the guilt, the doubt, the Liam I’d lost. “I’m in,” he said finally, his voice rough but sure. “All the way—our shot.”

I nodded, my hands unclenching a little, relief hitting me softly. “Good,” I said, my voice quieter. “We go to Talia’s, get the folder. Then Zoe. Tonight.”

“Tonight?” he said, his eyes wide. “Nate, it’s late—Harper’s people—”

“No waiting,” I said, my voice hard. “They’re already on me—blocked my last try, tracked me. We move now, or they win.”

He took a breath, his hands steadying. “Okay,” he said, his voice low. “Talia’s, then Zoe. Together.”

“Together,” I said, my chest loosening just a bit. I looked at him, his tired eyes, his messy hair, and felt something old stir, something I’d buried. Trust wasn’t back, not yet, but this was a start. “Let’s go,” I said, turning toward the park exit, my legs moving.

He followed, his steps close, the quiet stretching between us. I kept my eyes ahead, my hands in my pockets, the flash drive heavy against my leg. The street was dark when we stepped out, the air colder now, biting my face. We’d made it halfway down the block, Talia’s place just ahead, when I stopped, my heart jumping.

A black SUV sat at the corner, lights off, engine low. My breath caught, my hands clenching. I’d seen it before—outside my arrest, tailing me after the hack. Harper’s people—her watchers. “Liam,” I whispered, my voice tight, nodding toward it.

He froze, his eyes darting to the car. “They’re here,” he said, his voice shaking.

“Yeah,” I said, my stomach sinking, my hands sweaty. “They’re closing in.”