Mara pov
My gaze flicked between him and the memory card. If I gave it to him, the Ghost would kill Lina. If I didn't give it to him, I wouldn't get the money for the treatment. But the Ghost already knew where she was. He was faster than any doctor.
"I don't have it," I said suddenly.
Mr. Vance blinked. "What? You just said you had it."
"I was mistaken," I said, backing away. "I thought I saved the file, but I just checked. The card is corrupted. It's empty."
"Are you joking with me?" He slammed his hand on the desk. His face turned red. "You said you had it!"
"I'm sorry! I realized I don't!"
"Show me the camera," he demanded. "Give it here. I want to see the 'nothing' myself. I'll find a way to fix the file."
"There's nothing to see!" I brushed him aside and slammed the door beside me.
"Mara! Come back here! Or You're fired!" he screamed.
I didn't care. I scrambled down the stairs. My phone buzzed again.
"Two minutes," the voice said.
I hit the street. I looked for a taxi, but the road was full of cars and none of them were stopping. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I called the number back.
"I'm coming. Please don't touch her, I can't find a car! I'm trying as much as can!" My voice breaks as I pressed my palm to my forehead.
"Look in front of you," the voice said.
A black SUV pulled up to the curb right in front of me. The back door opened. It was dark inside. I didn't think twice. I jumped in.
As soon as I sat down, a man in the back seat put a black cloth over my eyes. "Don't move," he said.
I was terrified. I felt the car speeding through the streets. I couldn't see anything. I just heard the hum of the engine. After a long drive, the car stopped. They pulled me out and led me inside a building.
I heard a strange electronic sound. It was like a machine scanning me from head to toe. Beep. Beep.
"Clear," a mechanical voice said.
"You can leave," another voice said. This one was human.
The blindfold was pulled off. I blinked against the bright lights. I was in a large, clean room. Standing in front of me was the man from the warehouse. He was still wearing his mask.
"Welcome, Mara," he said.
I reached into my bra and pulled out the memory card. My hand was shaking so much I almost dropped it. I held it out to him. "Here. Take it. Please, just call your people. Tell them to leave my sister alone. Let her have the treatment. If she doesn't get it in ten minutes, she could die."
He took the card from my hand. He didn't even look at it. He just put it in his pocket.
"It won't happen that easily," he said.
"What? I gave you what you wanted!" I shouted. I felt like crying again. "You said you would let her go!"
"I said I would spare her life. I didn't say I would pay for her surgery," he said. He sat on the edge of a mahogany desk. "First, you have to tell me something."
"What? Ask me anything! Just hurry!"
"How did you get into my warehouse?" he asked. He leaned forward. "That place is locked down. My men are everywhere. No student just 'walks in' to my shipment area. Who gave you the code for the back gate?"
I shook my head. "I don't know about any codes! I just followed the instructions my boss gave me. He told me to go to the East Dock and look for the sealed boxes. I found a loose vent in the back and crawled through. I had no idea it was your place!"
He stared at me for a long time. I could see my own reflection in his dark eyes. I looked small and scared.
"You crawled through a vent?" he asked.
"Yes! I'm small! I just wanted the money for Lina!"
He stood up and walked toward me. I backed up until I hit the wall. He put his hands on the wall on both sides of my head and I could smell his expensive scent again. It was strong and masculine.
"You are either very brave or very stupid, Mara Santi," he whispered.