Chapter 34: The Blue Folder (Nate POV)

The black SUV sat there, dark and quiet, its engine humming like a threat. My heart pounded, my hands sweaty in my pockets as I stared at it from the edge of the park. Harper’s people had found us, just like they’d tracked me before. Liam stood next to me, his breath fast, his eyes wide. “We’ve got to move,” I whispered, my voice tight, pulling him toward the shadows.

We slipped down the street, keeping low, my legs shaky but fast. Talia’s place was close, just a block away, but every step felt like a spotlight was on us. The SUV didn’t move, not yet, but I felt it watching, waiting. My hand brushed the flash drive in my pocket—Harper on video, stealing, framing me. It was our ticket out, but we needed more, needed that folder Talia left. Liam stayed quiet, his steps matching mine, his face pale under the streetlights.

We hit her building, the door creaking loudly as I pushed it open. My hands fumbled with the key I’d kept, my chest tight. “Upstairs,” I said, my voice low, leading him to her apartment. The hall was dark and empty, but my ears strained for every sound—footsteps, a car engine, anything. We got to her door, and I unlocked it quickly, shoving us inside and locking it behind us.

The apartment was the same—messy, quiet, Talia’s stuff everywhere. My breath slowed a little, my hands unclenching. “We’re good for now,” I said, turning to Liam. He nodded, his hands in his pockets, his eyes darting to the window.

“Where’s this folder?” he asked, his voice rough, like he was still spooked.

“Desk,” I said, heading over, my legs still shaky. Papers were scattered—notes, cables, junk—but I knew where she’d hide it. I yanked open the bottom drawer, my hands digging past old drives and pens. There—a blue folder, plain, heavy, tucked under a notebook. My heart jumped, my fingers closing around it. “Got it,” I said, pulling it out, my voice shaky with relief.

I dropped it on the desk, flipping it open. Inside—papers, printouts, a sticky note on top. My eyes scanned it fast—“For Zoe. Trust no one.” Talia’s handwriting, sharp and quick. My stomach twisted—she’d known it was bad, known she might not make it back. Below the note, pages of code, numbers, stuff I couldn’t read. “Encrypted,” I said, my voice low, looking at Liam. “Can you crack it?”

He stepped closer, his hands steady now, his eyes narrowing at the pages. “Yeah,” he said, his voice quiet. “Give me a minute.” He sat down, pulling Talia’s old laptop closer—the one I’d used for the video. It hummed to life, slow and loud, and he started typing, his fingers fast, like the old Liam I knew.

I paced behind him, my hands in my hair, my chest tight. That SUV—it could roll up any second, Harper’s people busting in. The flash drive was gold, but this folder—if Talia left it, it was big. “Hurry,” I said, my voice sharp, glancing at the window. The blinds were shut, but I felt eyes out there, waiting.

“Almost there,” Liam said, his voice calm and focused. The screen flickered, lines of code scrolling, then stopped. “Got it,” he said, his hands pausing, his eyes wide. “It’s decrypted—look.”

I leaned over his shoulder, my breath catching. Files opened—bank records, wire transfers, names I didn’t know. Numbers—thousands, tens of thousands—moving to offshore accounts. “Graham,” I said, my voice low, spotting his initials—G_Morgan—on every page. “He’s laundering money, hiding it.”

“Yeah,” Liam said, his voice shaky, scrolling fast. “Years of it—ZenithTech cash, funneled out.” He stopped, his hands freezing, his face going pale. “Wait—there’s more.”

I looked closer, my heart pounding. Another file—names, dates, notes. A blackmail list. Priya—loans. Mark—DUI. Then—Liam Ellis—gambling debts, leveraged 2022. My stomach sank, my hands clenching. “You’re on here,” I said, my voice quiet, turning to him.

He stared at the screen, his breath fast, his hands shaking now. “Yeah,” he said, his voice breaking. “That’s what Graham had—why I testified. He said he’d ruin me—jail, everything—if I didn’t pin it on you.”

I stepped back, my chest tight, my hands in fists. “You knew this?” I asked, my voice hard. “All along?”

“No,” he said, his head snapping up, his eyes wet. “Not this—not all of it. He showed me some—debts, fake charges—but this? Offshore stuff? I didn’t know he was this deep.”

I stared at him, my head spinning. His name—right there, tied to Graham’s mess. It made sense—why he’d flipped, why he’d been so scared. But it hurt, seeing it, knowing he’d kept it from me. “You should’ve told me,” I said, my voice low, shaking.

“I wanted to,” he said, standing up, his hands out. “But Graham—he had me trapped. I thought I was saving you—thought it’d be lighter if I took the hit.”

“Saving me?” I said, my voice rising. “You left me to the feds, Liam. Alone.”

“I know,” he said, his voice cracking, stepping closer. “I messed up—I’m sorry. But I’m here now—we’ve got this. Graham, Harper—they’re done.”

I looked at him, his eyes pleading, his face open. The folder—money, blackmail—plus the video—it was enough. More than enough. My hands unclenched a little, my breath slowing. “Okay,” I said, my voice quiet. “We get it to Zoe, tonight.”

He nodded quickly, his hands steadying. “Tonight,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ll copy it—send it with the video.”

I grabbed the flash drive from my pocket, handing it to him. “Do it,” I said, my voice hard. “We end this.”

He sat back down, his fingers flying again, copying files, zipping them up. My chest loosened a bit, hope creeping in. Harper’s smirk, Graham’s threats—they’d fall with this. I paced again, my eyes on the window, the quiet outside too heavy. Liam worked fast, his face focused, and I felt it—the old us, working together, fighting back.

The burner phone buzzed in my pocket, loud in the silence. I jumped, my heart racing, pulling it out. Zoe’s number—finally. I answered fast, my voice low. “Zoe?”

“Nate,” she said, her voice high, panicked. “They’re onto me. I got your message, but they’re here. I’m going dark.”

The line cut, my breath gone, my hands shaking as I stared at the phone.