"You're lying."
The words escaped Maya's mouth before she could stop them.
Damien Cross didn't flinch. He kept sipping his espresso with a disconcerting calm.
"Tommy never mentioned you," she continued. "He told me everything."
"Really?" Damien set his cup down with precision. "Did he tell you he infiltrated Nexus Corp's servers? That he uncovered their links to organ trafficking in Asia? That he stole their financial records?"
Maya felt the ground vanish beneath her feet.
Nexus Corp. The name had shown up in Tommy's recent research. She had assumed it was related to his classes at MIT.
"How do you know that?"
"Because he worked for me. On contract. A freelance data infiltrator."
Damien pulled out his phone and swiped across the screen. He turned it toward Maya.
A photo. Tommy and Damien Cross, in what looked like a sleek modern office. Tommy was smiling, shaking the billionaire's hand.
"Impossible," Maya whispered.
"Date stamped: September 15th. Three weeks before he died."
Maya stared at the photo, scanning for any signs of manipulation. But everything looked real. The lighting. The shadows. Tommy's relaxed expression.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"Because I asked him not to. For your safety."
"My safety?"
Damien tucked his phone away and leaned in closer.
"Nexus Corp doesn't take leaks lightly. They use... expedited methods to silence inconvenient witnesses."
"You're telling me Tommy died because of his work for you?"
"I'm telling you Tommy died because he tried to do the right thing."
"The right thing? He's dead, dammit!"
A few customers turned their heads. Damien raised a hand in a calming gesture.
"Lower your voice. We're not alone."
Maya glanced around. Three men in dark suits were scattered throughout the café. Pretending to read or work on laptops, but she recognized the posture. Bodyguards.
"You afraid of me?"
"I'm afraid for you."
Damien signaled the waiter.
"Two coffees, please."
He waited for the server to walk away before continuing.
"Your brother uncovered something massive. An international organ trafficking ring funded by cryptocurrency. Nexus Corp was a front for laundering the money."
Maya shook her head.
"Tommy studied computer science. Not criminal networks."
"Tommy was a genius. Like you. He developed an algorithm that could trace anonymous blockchain transactions. Nexus Corp approached him for recruitment. He pretended to accept and reached out to me."
"Why you?"
"Because CrossVault had been investigating Nexus. Unsuccessfully. We needed someone on the inside."
The coffees arrived. Maya didn't touch hers.
"Prove it."
Damien pulled an envelope from his jacket.
"Tommy's last messages to me."
Maya opened the envelope with a trembling hand. Printed emails. Tommy's address. Damien Cross's address.
[Subject: Package Delivered – T.Chen]
[Damien, I have everything. Offshore accounts, client names, clinic locations. But they suspect me. I need to disappear for a few days. If anything happens to me, tell my sister. She'll know what to do with the data. – T]
[Subject: RE: Package Delivered – D.Cross]
[Tommy, get out now. My men are coming for you. Don't take your car. I repeat: DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR. – D]
[Subject: (empty) – T.Chen]
[They found me. Brakes sabotaged. I'm heading for the bridge. If you're reading this, I'm dead. The data's hidden in Maya's server. Access code: Phoenix_2023. Take care of her. – T]
Maya felt tears rise. The address was Tommy's. So was the writing style. Dry, precise, no fluff.
"He... he knew he was going to die?"
"He suspected. That's why he hid the evidence with you."
Maya snapped her head up.
"With me?"
"In your personal server. The one you use for your... Phoenix activities."
Everything suddenly clicked. The corrupted file she could never open. The one that crashed her system every time she tried to analyze it.
"Phoenix_2023," she whispered.
"Tommy told me you were the only one who could decrypt the data. That you had a gift."
Maya finally took a sip of her coffee. It was bitter. Perfect.
"Why are you telling me all this now?"
"Because Nexus Corp is moving again. They've launched a new project. Bigger. More dangerous."
Damien leaned toward her.
"And because they know who you are, Maya. Phoenix is no longer a secret."
"How?"
"Your break-in last night. Into my servers. It was traced."
"Impossible. I used my best proxies."
"Nexus Corp has resources you can't imagine. They tracked you to me."
Maya felt panic creeping in.
"Then why am I still alive?"
"Because my security systems detected them and neutralized the threat. Temporarily."
Damien glanced at his Rolex.
"In exactly forty-three minutes, your apartment will explode."
Maya shot to her feet.
"What?!"
"Sit down. Calmly."
"My apartment's about to explode and you want me to stay calm?"
"Your apartment's been empty since you left. My men retrieved your important belongings."
Maya stared at him, stunned.
"You... you went into my home?"
"I saved your servers. And your family photos. The rest didn't matter."
"You bastard... you had no right!"
"I had a duty. To Tommy. And to you."
Damien stood and dropped a fifty-dollar bill on the table.
"Now we're leaving. Together."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Yes, you are. Because in thirty-nine minutes, Nexus Corp will realize you weren't home. And they'll start hunting for you."
He held out his hand.
"I can protect you, Maya."