Cash Baker tightened the hood of his jacket around his neck, earbuds blasting static-heavy music he barely noticed. Every beat felt like a countdown, every echo a whisper from Cypriana.
"You can't be serious," Maverick said behind him, arms crossed, leaning against the black SUV. His eyes scanned the quiet street, but he knew Cash had already decided.
"I'm serious," Cash replied, voice low, dangerous. "She's out there. And I'm not gonna sit around waiting for her to text or drop another creepy-ass video."
Maverick ran a hand down his face. "And breaking into some random archive is gonna help how? Do you even know what you're walking into?"
Cash smirked. "No. That's the fun part."
Mychael, crouched in the backseat with a flashlight and his laptop, muttered, "Fun? Bro, this is a crime. You could go to jail."
Cash shrugged. "Better to be in jail than dead from standing still."
Harper Vale – Watching From Afar
Harper perched in her car across the street, rain dripping down the windshield. Her fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel. She didn't trust the Bakers. Never had. Especially Cash. Impulsive, reckless, a magnet for trouble.
Her sister, Cypriana, had vanished once. Harper would not let her go through that again. Not for anything — fame, music, or some cryptic game of codes.
She tapped her phone, sending a single text she didn't intend to be seen:
"I'm watching. Stay away."
Her jaw clenched as she watched Cash disappear into the building's shadowed doorway.
The Crime
Cash slipped inside the abandoned music archive, the stench of dust and mold thick in the air. Old records stacked like monuments to forgotten talent loomed on either side. He moved silently, adrenaline sharp, eyes scanning for anything that could link him to Cypriana — her handwriting, her name, anything.
He found it in the corner: a crate of old tapes, each labeled in fading ink. One stood out. "The Baker Code – E.V."
Cash's fingers trembled as he pried it open. Inside, dozens of tapes, notebooks, and a small flash drive. His pulse raced — this had to be her work, or their father's project. Someone was leaving breadcrumbs.
Maverick's voice snapped in his earpiece. "Cash. Are you insane? That building is crawling with sensors and cameras. I told you—"
"I see it!" Cash whispered, eyes locking on a small notebook on the top shelf. It had her name scrawled across it: Cypriana Vale.
Flashback – Cypriana Leaving Again
Cash's mind flickered to that memory, as vivid as a photograph. 17. Cypriana at the oak tree, notebook in hand.
"You ever feel like no one really listens?" she had asked.
"Sometimes," he admitted. "But people notice you. That's enough, right?"
She had shaken her head, hands trembling slightly. "Not when it matters. One day, you'll realize it's the silent ones who matter most."
Cash shook his head, breaking from the memory. He had listened too late. Too late.
Maverick's Anxiety
Maverick leaned against the building's wall outside, fists clenched, waiting for Cash to come back. He hated this — hated how easily his brother threw himself into danger. But he also knew Cash's obsession wouldn't let him wait.
"Cash!" Maverick hissed into the earpiece. "You better not be touching anything you don't understand!"
A soft crash. A muffled curse. Then silence.
Maverick's stomach churned. He pulled out his phone and flicked through surveillance apps. Nothing. He cursed under his breath. The building had more cameras than he realized. Someone was watching them.
The Discovery
Inside, Cash opened the notebook, hands shaking. Page after page — notes, sketches, and symbols he didn't understand. But one thing was clear: this wasn't just his father's old project. It was alive, somehow connected to Cypriana's disappearance and return.
A single page caught his eye: a date — tonight. And a location.
Cash's grin turned sharp, dangerous. "Maverick… I think she wants us here. Tonight."
Harper Intervenes
From her car, Harper saw Cash move toward the exit with the notebook. She started her engine. She didn't need anyone's permission.
Not this time.
The Confrontation
Cash exited the building into the alley, notebook clutched to his chest. Maverick appeared behind him, furious.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Maverick hissed, grabbing his shoulder.
"I'm thinking," Cash shot back, "we find her before it's too late. Before someone else does."
Maverick's jaw tightened. "You could get us killed. Or worse — you could drag her back into danger!"
Cash laughed softly, darkly. "And maybe that's exactly what she wants."
From the shadows, a car door creaked. Harper stepped out, eyes blazing.
"Stay away from her," she said, voice sharp as a knife. "You don't know what you're getting into. And you will regret it."
Cash's grin faltered. "And if we don't?"
Harper didn't answer. She just stared, warning enough.
Rain began to fall, drenching the alley. Cash opened the notebook again, and a folded photograph slipped out. It was of a hallway he didn't recognize — and standing at the far end was a silhouette.
Cypriana.
She wasn't smiling.
And behind her, something darker waited.
Maverick's eyes widened. "Cash… we are so not ready for this."
But Cash didn't care. He pocketed the notebook and stepped forward, toward the unknown, toward Cypriana, toward the danger he couldn't resist.
And Harper Vale knew the storm had only just begun.