Aria's POV
The pier smells like salt water and fried food, but my stomach's too twisted to think about eating.
Zane parks at the north end, far from where the anonymous caller told us to meet. His jaw's clenched so tight I'm worried he'll crack a tooth.
"You promised to stay in the car," he reminds me for the third time.
"I know. I will." But my hands won't stop shaking. Someone knows about Maya. Someone dangerous enough to make Zane look actually scared.
He cups my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. "If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, you drive straight to the police station. Don't wait. Don't come looking for me. Understand?"
"Zane—"
"Promise me, Aria."
"I promise." The words taste like ash.
He kisses me hard and fast, then he's gone, walking toward the south end of the pier with his hands in his pockets. Casual. Like he's not walking into potential danger.
I watch him disappear into the crowd of tourists. Check the time on my phone. 3:47pm.
Fifteen minutes. I can handle fifteen minutes.
Except at 3:49pm, my phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number.
"Wrong Hartley showed up. I wanted to talk to you, Aria. Alone."
Ice floods my veins. How do they know I'm here? Are they watching the car right now?
Another text: "Walk to the arcade. Third machine from the left. You have two minutes or Maya gets these photos tonight instead of at midnight."
A photo loads. It's me and Zane from this morning, leaving my apartment building. Laughing. His arm around my waist. Clear proof we spent the night together.
My hands shake so badly I almost drop the phone. I should text Zane. Should stay in the car like I promised.
But if I don't go, Maya finds out everything. Tonight. Before we can explain. Before we can fight Victoria. Before anything.
I grab my purse and run.
The arcade's packed with kids playing games, parents watching. I find the third machine from the left—an old racing game. Nobody's around it.
I stand there awkwardly, waiting. My phone buzzes again.
"Behind you."
I spin around. A woman stands there, maybe mid-thirties, with sharp eyes and a kind smile that doesn't match the situation. She's dressed normal—jeans, sweater, nothing threatening. But something about her makes my skin crawl.
"Who are you?" I demand.
"Someone who's been watching Maya for a long time." She gestures to a bench in the corner. "Sit. We need to talk fast before your boyfriend realizes you're gone."
"I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what this is about."
She sighs. "Fine. The short version? Victoria Chen isn't just some jealous rich girl. She's dangerous. And she's not really after Zane. She's after Maya."
My heart stops. "What?"
"Six months ago, Maya applied for an internship at Chen Industries. Senator Chen's company. She got it based on merit—your friend's brilliant, by the way. But then Maya discovered something she wasn't supposed to see." The woman pulls out a folder. "Financial records. Proof that Senator Chen's been taking bribes. Lots of them."
I stare at the papers she's showing me. Numbers. Bank accounts. Documents with official-looking seals.
"Maya found these?"
"She didn't know what she was looking at. Thought they were regular files. But she mentioned them to Victoria during a coffee meeting. Said something about 'weird numbers that don't add up.' Victoria realized Maya had seen proof of her father's crimes."
"Oh my God."
"Victoria's been trying to figure out how much Maya knows. How much she told others. That's where you come in." The woman's eyes turn sympathetic. "Victoria knows Maya tells you everything. So she's been watching you both. Trying to find leverage."
"The photos. Of me and Zane."
"Exactly. Victoria figures if she can control you through blackmail, she can control what Maya knows. Or doesn't know." The woman closes the folder. "But here's the real problem: Victoria's not working alone. Her father knows Maya's a threat. And Senator Chen doesn't leave threats alive."
The world tilts. "Are you saying they want to hurt Maya?"
"I'm saying there's already been one attempt. Three weeks ago. Maya's brakes failed on the highway. Remember?"
I do remember. Maya called me, terrified, saying her car nearly crashed. The mechanic said it looked like a manufacturing defect.
"That was them?" My voice rises. "They tried to kill her?"
"And they'll try again if they think she's going to expose them." The woman stands. "That's why I'm here. To warn you. Stop fighting with Victoria. Give her what she wants. Let her think she's won. Because if you keep pushing, they'll go after Maya again. And next time, they'll make sure it works."
My legs feel like water. "Why are you telling me this? Who are you?"
"Let's just say I'm someone who owes Maya's family a debt. Consider this repayment." She turns to leave, then stops. "One more thing. Don't trust anyone. Not Zane's mother. Not his business partner. Not even—"
"Aria!"
Zane's voice. He's running toward us through the arcade, his face furious and terrified.
The woman disappears into the crowd before he reaches me. I try to follow her, but she's gone. Vanished like smoke.
Zane grabs my shoulders. "What the hell? You promised to stay in the car!"
"She texted me. Said she wanted to talk to me, not you." My words tumble out fast. "Zane, Maya's in danger. Real danger. Victoria's father tried to kill her. The brake thing wasn't an accident. They know Maya saw something about bribes and—"
"Slow down. What woman? What did she say?"
I tell him everything. The financial records. The bribe proof. The failed brake attempt. How Victoria's using us as leverage to control Maya.
Zane's face goes pale. "The brakes. I thought... God, I thought it was just bad luck."
"It wasn't. And they'll try again if we don't back off from Victoria." Tears burn my eyes. "What do we do? We can't let them hurt Maya."
Zane pulls me close, his heart pounding against my ear. "We need to find out if that woman was telling the truth. If Senator Chen really is taking bribes."
"Why would she lie?"
"I don't know. But nothing about this makes sense." He pulls back, looking at me intensely. "Did she give you the folder? Any proof?"
"No. She showed me but didn't let me keep it."
"Convenient. So we have no evidence. Just her word." Zane runs a hand through his hair. "For all we know, this is another one of Victoria's games. Scare us into backing off by threatening Maya."
"Or it's real and Maya's in actual danger and we're wasting time questioning it!"
My phone buzzes. Both our phones buzz. Same text from Maya:
"Emergency. Someone broke into my apartment. Nothing stolen but everything's trashed. I'm at the police station. Please come."
Zane and I stare at each other. The message is clear: this is a warning. Stop digging, or next time it won't just be an apartment that gets destroyed.
"We need to get to Maya," I say.
"Agreed. But Aria—" He grabs my hand as we run toward the car. "We can't tell her about any of this. Not yet. If Victoria's father thinks Maya knows about the bribes, telling her will make her an even bigger target."
"So we just lie? Let her think it's a random break-in?"
"We protect her. That's what matters." His voice is steel. "And then we figure out how to destroy Victoria Chen and her father before they can hurt anyone else we love."
We reach the car and Zane speeds toward the police station. My mind's racing. Maya's in danger. Real, life-threatening danger. And somehow, by falling for Zane, I've pulled her deeper into it.
My phone buzzes one more time. Victoria: "Tick tock. Six hours until midnight. Hope you're making the right choice."
I want to throw my phone out the window. Instead, I text back: "We need to meet. Now. Call off your father."
Her response is immediate: "I don't know what you're talking about. But sure. Let's meet. Hartley Grand Hotel. Room 2847. Come alone. Both of you."
I show Zane. His jaw clenches.
"It's a trap," he says.
"Maybe. But what choice do we have?" I look at him. "If there's even a chance Victoria can stop her father from hurting Maya—"
"We'll go. After we check on Maya. After we make sure she's safe." Zane reaches for my hand. "We're going to end this. Tonight. Whatever it takes."
I squeeze his fingers, trying to believe him. But deep down, I know the truth:
We're about to walk into something much bigger and more dangerous than a jealous rich girl's threats.
We're about to go to war with a corrupt senator who's already tried to kill my best friend once.
And I have no idea if we're strong enough to win.