Chapter 6 - The Hidden Compartment
Vanessa’s laughter through the door was thin and razor-sharp. ""Liar. You never let that drive out of your sight. You have ninety seconds, Cole. If you don't hand it through this chain, the car drives away.""
Elena grabbed Cole by the collar of his white t-shirt, twisting the fabric until her knuckles grazed his throat. ""Tell me where it is, or I swear to God I’ll let her take you down first.""
""Under the radiator in the spare bedroom,"" Cole rasped out, his hands gripping Elena's wrists gently, pleading. ""There’s a loose floorboard wrapped in electrical tape. It’s inside a metal tin.""
Elena didn't hesitate. She sprinted down the narrow hallway, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. She burst into the small guest room, dropping to her knees before the cast-iron radiator. Dust coated her clothes as her fingers clawed frantically beneath the iron pipes, searching for the seam in the wood. Her nails caught an edge; she pried upward with a sickening splintering sound.
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Her hand plunged into the dark cavity. Her fingers brushed against cold metal—a flat tobacco tin. She yanked it out and flipped the latch open.
Inside rested a black high-encryption thumb drive, wrapped in a handwritten note. Elena unfolded the paper beneath the moonlight pouring through the bedroom window. The handwriting belonged to her late father, dated three days before his sudden death: “Elena, if you are reading this, Cole has betrayed you. Run.”
