#158 “Who Sent You?”
Evelyn surveyed the desolate surroundings cautiously; it was nothing like a welcoming home, more akin to an abandoned warehouse. Dane took the lead, a silent sentinel ready to react at the first sign of trouble.
“I got the chills,” Evelyn whispered her senses on high alert.
“And there’s a reason,” a voice responded, sending shivers down their spines.
They turned sharply to find a man covered in tattoos, his shaved head giving him an intimidating presence.
“What were you doing here?” he demanded, his eyes appraising them.
Evelyn, standing behind Dane for support, didn’t falter. “I was looking for information on Kyle Vitali.”
The tattooed man narrowed his eyes, suspicion evident. “And what exactly were you interested in?”
“Everything,” she replied with determination.
The man took a step closer, a subtle threat in his demeanor. “Look, if I were you, I wouldn’t ask questions that could get me into trouble.”
Dane, protective and assertive, growled, “Was that a threat?”
“Take it as you will,” the man retorted, defiant. “You didn’t belong there. Get out.”
Undeterred by the ominous atmosphere, Evelyn held her ground. ” We weren’t leaving until we got the answers we sought about Kyle Vitali. We weren’t there to cause trouble, just looking for information.”
The man’s tone shifted, and a menacing glint appeared in his eyes. ” You two really didn’t get it, did you? That wasn’t a place for outsiders to come poking around. I strongly suggested you leave before things got unpleasant.”
Dane stepped forward, his stance firm. “We weren’t afraid of threats. We just wanted information. If you knew something about Kyle, spill it.”
The man’s hand subtly moved to his side, indicating he might be armed. ” You were playing with fire, and you might have gotten burned. This was your last warning.”
“Come on,” Dane urged Evelyn. “Let’s get out of here.”
Dane and Evelyn hastily exited the eerie building, relieved to be out of the unsettling environment. The tattooed man eyed them suspiciously until they disappeared from his sight. As soon as they left, he retrieved his phone, a sinister expression on his face.
“Hey,” he grumbled into the phone.
“There was a cop there. Inquiring about Kyle,” the man reported, his voice filled with suspicion.
“I’ll track them down and send you the location,” he declared before abruptly ending the call.
Evelyn slid into the passenger seat of Dane’s car, the worn leather feeling cool against her skin. The engine roared to life, and they merged into the flow of traffic, navigating through the city’s labyrinthine streets. The urgency in Dane’s eyes was impossible to ignore, and as he steered the car with purpose, he felt like the guardian leading her through an uncharted maze of danger.
Dane’s voice broke the silence, his tone grave, “Evelyn, listen up. We’re getting into some serious territory here. This isn’t the time to be a lone wolf. Promise me you won’t go doing anything without letting me know first. It’s dangerous out there.”
Evelyn met his gaze, recognizing the concern etched on his face. At that moment, she understood the weight of the risks they were taking, the gravity of the unknown that lay ahead. She nodded in agreement, a silent pact between them.
*
The following day dragged on, filled with a relentless pursuit of leads and elusive trails. Exhausted but determined, Evelyn returned to her apartment, hoping for a moment’s respite. As she approached her front door, weariness clinging to her every step, she noticed something unsettling the door was ajar, an open invitation to the unknown.
A shiver ran down her spine, and a sense of foreboding gripped her. With cautious trepidation, she pushed the door open, half-expecting the unexpected. The sight that greeted her was the stuff of nightmares – two imposing figures, armed and ominous, standing in her living room.
Their eyes locked onto hers, devoid of mercy or empathy. The cold steel of their guns glinted ominously, casting an eerie shadow on the walls. Fear tightened its grip on her chest as they issued a chilling warning, “Not a word, lady. Make a sound, and you won’t live to regret it.”
The two armed men, their faces obscured by shadows, directed Evelyn to sit down. The air hung heavy with tension as they issued a chilling assurance cooperate, and no harm would befall her. With trepidation, she made her way to the solitary chair placed in the room’s center.
As she lowered herself into the seat, the men wasted no time. Swiftly, they bound her hands and feet, the tightness of the restraints a stark reminder of her vulnerability. The creaking sound of the knots being tied echoed in the room, a disconcerting symphony accompanying the palpable fear that enveloped her.
The men, their expressions unreadable, initiated the interrogation. The first question cut through the silence, hanging in the air like a looming threat, “Why are you prying into Kyle Vitali’s life?”
Evelyn, though constrained, felt the weight of their inquiry. The room seemed to close in around her as she navigated a delicate balance between truth and self-preservation. Her voice, steady but tinged with anxiety, broke the silence, “I’m just trying to find information. There’s something off about him, and I need to know what it is.”
The men exchanged a glance, their unreadable expressions betraying no hint of sympathy. One of them leaned in, his eyes drilling into hers, “Why? What’s it to you? Who sent you?”
