Jake arrived at the bank just after it opened, dressed in a simple button-down shirt and dark jeans. The morning air was dry and chilly, but again he barely felt it as he pushed through the glass doors into the familiar fluorescent-lit interior.
The same loan officer from before looked up from his desk.
"Mr. Carlson. Good to see you again." He gestured to the chair.
Jake sat down. "Good morning, Mr. Brad. I'd like to take the loan you offered previously."
"Just give me a minute. I'll have your paperwork ready."
Jake waited as the officer slid a stack of documents across the desk.
"Personal loan, five thousand dollars, as discussed. Interest rate is twelve percent, repayment terms are here..." He tapped the pages. "Sign at the bottom of each page."
Jake picked up the pen and started signing. His hand moved steadily, but his mind was already on other things.
Not much, but it's a start. In eight days, this becomes eighty thousand.
"All set," the officer said, collecting the papers. "The funds will be available in your account within the hour."
"Thank you."
Jake stood and shook his hand, then walked out into the morning sun. He sat on a bench outside the bank and pulled out his phone, waiting for the loan to arrive. A buzz.
$5,000 credited to receiver account as loan
Taking a deep breath, he opened his trading app. The screen loaded. Vertex Solutions: $47.32
His finger hovered over the screen. A little hesitant. What if his memory was wrong? What if the timeline had changed somehow? What if Vertex didn't crash?
Jake closed his eyes, remembering. The news report. The stock ticker plummeting. People in the shelter talking about how they'd lost everything betting on Vertex.
He had already lived through this once. He knew what would happen.
This time he was going to make no hesitation.
Jake opened his eyes and placed the order. Short position. 200 shares at $47.32. The confirmation appeared instantly.
Order Executed
Jake exhaled slowly, pocketing his phone. "Day one of fighting back."
At the Carlson house, Angela paced the living room, phone pressed to her ear. Markus sat on the couch, scrolling through his tablet, a cup of coffee on the table beside him.
"Yes, I understand," Angela said into the phone. "Thank you for letting me know."
She hung up and turned to Markus, her expression tight.
"That was someone from the hotel. Jake was there yesterday."
Markus looked up, setting his tablet aside. "At Lux?"
"Yes." Angela crossed her arms. "He was asking questions. Taking pictures. They said he spent hours there, looking at everything."
Markus leaned back. "What kind of questions?"
"About the finances. The operations. How things have been running." Angela's voice sharpened. "He's snooping, Markus. He knows something."
Hailey walked in from the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Markus from behind. "Why are we still talking about Jake? He's already gone. Let him sulk somewhere else."
Markus ignored her, his jaw tight. He stood and moved to the window, looking at the lawn.
"What if someone told him about the ownership transfer?" Angela asked. "What if he knows the hotel is legally his?"
"Then we move faster." Markus turned back to face her. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."
"How?"
Markus picked up his phone. "By making sure Jake understands that some doors, once closed, stay closed."
He kissed Angela's cheek. "Don't worry, Mom. Jake's playing a game he doesn't understand. I'll remind him of the rules."
As he opened the door, Angela watched him leave, her fingers drumming against her arm.
The bar was dim with little light. Classic rock played low from a jukebox in the corner. Only a handful of people scattered throughout—a couple at the far end, a lone man sat in a corner with his drink.
Diaz sat in a back booth, a glass of whiskey in front of him. He was mid-thirties with a heavy build and the kind of sharpness that came from military training. His eyes tracked the door.
Markus walked in wearing a designer suit and expensive watch, out of place in these surroundings. The contrast was stark. Markus looked like money. Diaz looked like trouble.
Markus slid into the booth across from him, hands on the table, checking his watch.
"Report," Markus said simply.
Diaz took a sip of his whiskey. "I found where he's staying. Moonshine Motel. Room 14."
"And?"
"I searched his place yesterday. Found notes about some company called Chronetech, market analysis, stuff about the hotel."
Markus's eyes narrowed. "He noticed?"
"Maybe. Hard to say. Didn't want to make it obvious, but I think he did."
Markus drummed his fingers on the table. "What else?"
"He's planning something, but he's sloppy. Leaves everything out in the open." Diaz pulled out his phone and scrolled through photos. "He met with a girl for lunch yesterday. Blonde, early twenties. They seemed close."
He showed Markus a photo of Jake and Jules at the café, laughing.
Markus studied it, then shook his head. "Not useful. She's not leverage."
"There's someone else."
Diaz swiped to another photo. A young woman with blonde hair at a motel front desk, smiling at something off-camera.
"Works at the motel. Name's Tracy Renner. Single, lives alone, been working there about three years."
Markus leaned forward. "And Jake?"
"She's been trying to talk to him. Made him cookies yesterday morning. I think she likes him."
"Does he have an interest in her?"
Diaz shrugged. "Doesn't seem like it. He's polite but distant. But..." He paused. "He's the type who'd come running anyway. I can tell. He's got that hero complex."
Markus sat back, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Perfect."
"You want me to grab her?"
"Not yet." Markus tapped the table. "First, I need you to confirm something. There are financial records at the hotel. Ledgers, transaction histories. I need to know if they still exist and where they're kept."
"And then?"
"Then we make our move." Markus leaned forward. "We take the girl. Jake comes running to save her. We get the location of those records. They get destroyed. After that, clean up the loose ends."
"Both of them?" Diaz asked, his voice flat.
Markus slid a thick envelope across the table.
Diaz opened it, thumbing through the cash inside. He nodded slowly. "When?"
"Soon. I'll let you know." Markus stood. "For now, keep watching. I want to know everywhere he goes, everyone he talks to."
Diaz pocketed the envelope. "Consider it done."
Markus walked out of the bar into the cool evening air. He pulled out his phone and texted Angela.
Situation handled. Jake won't be a problem much longer.
He got into his car and started the engine. Through the windshield, the city lights stretched out before him.
"You should've stayed useful, Jake," he muttered, pulling onto the expressway. "The hotel was never meant for you anyway."
Back at the Moonshine Motel, Jake sat at the small desk in his room, laptop open. The screen showed Vertex Solutions' stock chart, still stable at $47.15.
He glanced at his phone. A countdown timer he'd set read: 6 days, 14 hours until Vertex announcement
Jake leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. His notes about Nexus Corp were spread across the desk. The Nexus card sat on top of them.
Phase One. July. Climate adaptation infrastructure.
He picked up the card, turning it over in his fingers.
"I couldn't save you before," he said quietly to the empty room. "I won't fail again."
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Jake stood and opened it. Tracy stood there with an armful of fresh towels, her smile hopeful.
"Hey, Jake. Just wanted to check if everything's okay with the room?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks."
Tracy shifted the towels in her arms. "You seem stressed. If you ever want to talk, I'm right here."
Jake's expression softened slightly. "I appreciate it, Tracy. Really. But I'm okay."
Her smile dimmed a little. "Okay. Well, I'm around if you need anything."
"Thanks."
She turned and walked down the hallway. Jake watched her go, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. Then he closed the door and returned to his desk.
His phone buzzed. An email notification.
From: Richard Rice
Subject: Motion Filed
Jake opened it.
Jake - Emergency annulment paperwork submitted. Hearing scheduled in one week. Angela and Markus will be notified tomorrow morning. Expect retaliation. Stay alert. - R
Jake read it twice, then set his phone down. He walked to the window, looking out at the quiet parking lot. A few cars scattered across the asphalt. The motel sign flickering in the distance.
Everything seemed peaceful.
But Jake's instincts, honed by surviving an apocalypse, by watching people die, by learning too late who to trust, told him something was coming.
He just didn't know what yet.
The next morning, Diaz sat in a worn-down gray sedan parked across from the Moonshine Motel. From here he had a clear view of the entrance.
At 7:15 AM, Tracy's small blue Honda pulled into the lot. She got out, adjusting her bag over her shoulder, and walked toward the entrance.
Diaz raised his camera and took several photos. Click. Click. Click.
He made notes on his phone:
Arrives 7:15 AM
Parks in same spot
Enters through front
He watched her through the window as she took her place behind the desk, organizing papers and turning on the coffee maker.
Diaz pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Yeah, it's me. I've got eyes on the target. She's perfect."
A pause as he listened.
"Give me two days to map her schedule. Then I move."
He hung up and lit a cigarette, cracking the window. Smoke drifted out into the cool morning air.
Through the motel window, Tracy laughed at something a customer said, her face bright and unguarded.
Diaz took another photo.
"Sorry, sweetheart," he muttered, exhaling smoke. "Wrong place. Wrong time."
He settled back in his seat, camera ready as he watched and waited.
Inside the motel, completely unaware, Tracy hummed softly as she poured herself a cup of coffee, smiling at nothing in particular.
She had no idea that danger was already watching her and it was closer than anyone could have guessed.