The drive to the outskirts of town was silent, broken only by the hum of the engine and the occasional rattling of the road beneath the tires. Ethan glanced at Lila every now and then, her gaze fixed outside the window, her expression unreadable. She held the napkin Victor had given her in her lap, the address scrawled across it like a beacon leading them further into the unknown.
The storage facility was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by empty lots and sparse trees that looked like skeletons against the night sky. A chain-link fence stretched around the perimeter, crowned with razor wire that gleamed faintly under the moonlight.
Ethan parked the car a block away, killing the headlights. He and Lila stared at the facility in silence, the weight of the moment hanging heavily between them.
"You don't have to come with me," Lila said softly.
Ethan frowned. "You're kidding, right?"
She shook her head. "This isn't your fight, Ethan. You've already done more for me than anyone ever has. If something happens tonight…"
"Nothing's going to happen," Ethan interrupted firmly. "We're in this together, Lila. No turning back now."
Her eyes softened, and for a moment, the tension cracked just enough for her to offer him a small, genuine smile. "Then let's get this over with."
They climbed over a portion of the fence where the wire had been cut away—likely the work of someone else sneaking into the facility in the past. As they dropped down on the other side, the silence became oppressive. The air was damp, the faint scent of oil and rust hanging in the breeze.
Rows of gray, steel storage units stretched out before them like tombstones. Some were padlocked; others sat ajar, their doors hanging crookedly. In the distance, the faint hum of a generator broke the quiet, accompanied by flickering light coming from a makeshift office at the far end of the lot.
"That's got to be Hollis's place," Ethan murmured.
Lila nodded. "Let's keep it quiet."
They moved through the lot, staying close to the shadows. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as they approached the office. Inside, they could see a figure moving—a man hunched over a table cluttered with papers and what appeared to be stacks of cash.
"That's him," Lila whispered. "Hollis."
Ethan studied the man carefully. Hollis was middle-aged, with wiry, graying hair and a perpetual scowl carved into his face. He moved with the air of someone who'd spent decades looking over his shoulder, suspicious and restless.
"What's the plan?" Ethan asked.
Lila hesitated, clearly weighing her options. "We try to talk to him first. If he doesn't cooperate…" She trailed off, her jaw set with determination.
Ethan exhaled sharply. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
They crept to the door of the office. Lila raised a hand to knock, but Ethan gently grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. "We're not walking into this blind."
Instead, Ethan tested the door—it was unlocked. He pushed it open just enough to peer inside. Hollis stood with his back to them, muttering to himself as he shuffled through a box of files.
Ethan exchanged a glance with Lila and whispered, "Follow my lead."
Before Hollis could notice, Ethan stepped inside and cleared his throat loudly.
"Evening, Hollis."
The man froze, his shoulders tensing. Slowly, he turned to face them, his sharp eyes narrowing.
"Who the hell are you?" Hollis growled, his voice low and gravelly. His hand hovered near his desk, where a small pistol sat within reach.
"Let's keep this civil," Ethan said, stepping further into the room and positioning himself between Hollis and the gun. "We just want to talk."
Hollis sneered. "No one comes here to talk. What do you want?"
"Information," Lila said, stepping into view. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were cold as steel. "About Mr. Gray."
The name had the desired effect. Hollis's face paled slightly, his gaze darting to the door, the windows—any possible escape. "You don't know what you're getting yourselves into."
"Then enlighten us," Lila shot back.
Hollis licked his lips nervously. "Look, if you're smart, you'll forget you ever heard that name. Mr. Gray doesn't forgive. And he doesn't forget."
Ethan took a step forward. "That's not an option. You've worked for him—you've seen how he operates. We want to know what you know. What's his endgame? Who else is helping him?"
Hollis backed up a step, bumping into the desk. "You think I'm going to spill everything just because you asked nicely?"
Lila's voice cut through the room, sharp and cold. "I was framed for something I didn't do. Gray ruined my life, and I'm not leaving here until you give me something to work with."
For a moment, Hollis stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then he let out a bitter laugh. "You think you're the first person Gray's destroyed? He doesn't care about people like us. We're tools—useful until we're not."
"Then why keep working for him?" Ethan asked.
"Because you don't leave Gray," Hollis said darkly. "You disappear."
Lila took a step closer. "We're not asking you to betray him. Just tell us where we can start. Who else knows what he's up to?"
Hollis hesitated, his gaze flicking between them. For the first time, Ethan saw a crack in his hardened exterior—fear. Hollis was a man who'd lived his life on the edge, and now he was cornered.
Finally, he sighed. "There's a safe house on the east side of the city. Gray's people use it to meet and exchange information. It's heavily guarded, but if you're looking for something concrete, that's where you'll find it."
Ethan felt a chill run through him. "Where exactly is it?"
Hollis scribbled an address onto a scrap of paper and shoved it toward them. "Take it and get the hell out of here. I don't want to see either of you again."
Lila took the paper, her expression unreadable. "Thank you."
As they left the office, Ethan exhaled sharply. "That was easier than I expected."
"Too easy," Lila said quietly. She glanced over her shoulder, back at the dark office. "He was scared, Ethan. People like Hollis don't give up information unless they think they're already doomed."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Which means Gray probably knows we're coming."
Lila nodded. "This isn't just about clearing my name anymore. It's about surviving."
A chill wind whipped through the storage lot as they climbed back over the fence, disappearing into the night. Somewhere across the city, a safe house waited—and with it, the next step toward uncovering the truth.
[Ding! New System Task: Investigate Gray's safe house. Reward: +1 Strategic Insight.]
Ethan's system notification echoed in his mind, but he barely paid it any attention. All he could think about was what lay ahead. The deeper they dug, the clearer it became: this was a fight they couldn't walk away from.
And the shadows were starting to close in.