The next morning came too quickly, the storm still lingering in the air, as if the world itself hadn't yet exhaled from the tension of the night before. Sam sat in the small, dimly lit kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. The quiet hum of the apartment around them seemed to mirror the racing thoughts in their head.
Ren's words echoed in their mind: You need to find the people Jack was hiding from.
But how? Where could they even begin? The name Ren had mentioned—the idea of dangerous people lurking in the shadows—was unsettling, and Sam felt a cold knot twist in their stomach at the thought of being dragged further into this unknown world. They had always assumed Jack's life had been uncomplicated. But now, it was clear that everything had been a lie. And Jack, their best friend, had been keeping a far darker secret than Sam could ever have imagined.
They had to find answers. And the only person who seemed to have even a sliver of the truth was Ren.
Sam grabbed their phone, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed. The number rang twice before it was picked up.
"Sam?" Ren's voice was low, like they'd been waiting for this call. "I didn't think you'd reach out again."
"I don't have a choice," Sam replied, their voice hoarse. "We need to talk about what comes next."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Sam could almost hear the hesitation, the unspoken question of whether they were ready to hear the next piece of the puzzle.
"Come over to the apartment," Ren said finally. "We can't talk over the phone. Not about this. It's not safe."
Sam's pulse quickened. Not safe? That was exactly what they had feared. Still, they agreed, locking their phone with a decisive click and throwing on a jacket. The rain had stopped, but the gray clouds hung low over the city, a perfect reflection of the storm inside Sam's mind.
When Sam arrived at Ren's apartment, the door was slightly ajar, and Ren was already waiting, standing just inside. Their face was pale, eyes narrowed, as if they were constantly on alert. There was no time to exchange pleasantries. Ren motioned for Sam to come inside.
"I've been digging," Ren said without preamble. "And the more I dig, the deeper it goes. But I don't know if we're ready for what we're about to uncover."
Sam swallowed, trying to calm the storm of emotions that swirled within them. "I don't care about being ready. I need to know what happened to Jack."
Ren led them to the back of the apartment, where a small desk was cluttered with papers and a laptop. There were maps, lists, scribbled notes—an entire world of information that Sam had never known existed.
"It's all here," Ren said, gesturing to the scattered papers. "I don't know exactly who Jack was involved with, but I've pieced together some things. It's enough to show that he was in deep. Way deeper than we thought."
Ren paused, clicking open the laptop, revealing a file titled "Jack - Financials". Sam leaned forward, eyes scanning the screen.
"Jack owed money to several people—people who don't let debts go unpaid. These aren't regular loans or credit card bills. These are people who deal in things that go beyond the law." Ren ran a hand through their hair, frustration thick in their voice. "He was involved with criminal syndicates—smuggling, extortion… I don't even know all the details. But it's bad, Sam. Really bad."
Sam felt a chill seep into their bones as the words settled. The image of Jack—their carefree, loyal friend—shattered in an instant. Smuggling? Extortion? It was impossible to connect those actions with the Jack they had known. But the evidence was right in front of them, undeniable.
"I don't understand," Sam whispered, their voice trembling. "Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he trust me enough to tell me what was going on?"
Ren's face tightened, and they looked away for a moment before answering. "Jack was protecting you. From the moment he got involved with these people, he knew they could turn on anyone. And he didn't want you or me dragged into it. So he kept us in the dark. He thought… he thought it would be easier if we never knew."
"But that doesn't make sense," Sam said, their mind racing. "If Jack was in danger, why didn't he come to us? Why didn't he tell me, even at the end? We could have helped him!"
Ren's eyes flickered with guilt. "I don't know. Maybe he didn't want us to see him that way—weak, desperate. Maybe he thought if we knew the truth, we'd turn our backs on him." Ren's voice cracked, and they paused before continuing, their gaze dark and heavy with regret. "Maybe he was already too far gone to ask for help."
Sam's thoughts whirled, the weight of it all sinking in. Jack's death wasn't just a tragedy—it was a consequence of something far more sinister. There had to be a reason behind it. Someone had killed him. Someone who didn't want the truth coming to light.
Ren flipped through more files, their eyes scanning documents quickly, muttering to themselves. "There's one more thing. This is the part I'm afraid of. It's about the last few weeks… the time before Jack died. He was trying to get out of whatever mess he'd gotten into. But I think he was getting too close to something—someone didn't like that."
Sam's heart raced. "What do you mean? Who was he trying to get away from?"
Ren hesitated, then tapped the screen. A name appeared in bold letters: "Viktor Markov".
Sam froze. The name felt like a cold punch to the gut. "Viktor Markov? I've heard that name before. Isn't he—"
"Yeah," Ren interrupted, their voice strained. "He's bad news. Dangerous. And Jack… Jack thought he could make a deal with him. But from what I've found, Viktor didn't want to let Jack out. He wanted to keep him tied to the business. And I think when Jack tried to break free, that's when things went south. Viktor Markov is the one who likely killed him."
Sam's world tilted, the pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place. Viktor Markov—the name Jack had been afraid to mention. The one person who had controlled Jack's fate without Sam even knowing.
"How do we stop him?" Sam asked, their voice firm, despite the fear gnawing at their insides.
Ren's eyes darkened. "We don't stop him, Sam. We just find out everything we can before he finds us."
And in that moment, Sam realized that finding the truth about Jack would be far more dangerous than they had ever imagined.
The storm was just beginning.