Chapter 2 - Breaking PointInside the locked bathroom stall at The Blue Lantern, the cheap plywood door groaned under another heavy impact.
Crash.
The deadbolt splintered, wood chips flying through the air and scattering across the wet tile floor. Derek Walsh stepped into the cramped restroom. He was tall, wearing an expensive tailored suit that looked entirely out of place in the dive bar, with a sleek silver watch gleaming on his wrist.
He didn't look drunk anymore. His eyes were sharp, cold, and calculated.
"Claire," Derek called out, his voice echoing off the tile. He walked slowly toward the row of stalls, his expensive leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the floor. "Don't make this difficult. You're a smart girl. You've been sitting next to a monster for three years. You know how dangerous Adrian Vale is. Why die for a man who views people as disposable assets?"
Claire stood shivering on top of the toilet seat, pressing her back against the partition wall. Her phone was clutched in her right hand, screen glowing faintly against her cheek. She could hear Adrian’s voice through the speaker, low and steady, but she dared not speak.
Step. Step. Step.
Derek stopped in front of her stall. He looked down and saw the hem of her dark trousers and the tips of her flats hovering just above the partition gap.
A cruel smile touched his lips.
"Found you," he murmured.
With a sudden, violent kick, Derek smashed his boot against the stall door. The cheap latch gave way, swinging the door wide open.
Claire gasped, raising her hands defensively.
Derek reached in, grabbed her arm with brutal force, and yanked her down from the toilet. She stumbled hard, hitting her shoulder against the sink counter before crashing to the tile floor. Her phone flew out of her hand, skittering across the room and sliding under the door into the main hallway.
Through the static of the fallen phone, Adrian’s voice roared from the device on the floor:
"CLAIRE! CLAIRE, ANSWER ME!"
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Derek laughed, looking down at her with mock sympathy. He reached down, picked up the phone, and crouched to eye level. He pressed the speaker button.
"Good evening, Mr. Vale," Derek said smoothly into the phone, his eyes locked on a terrified Claire. "I think your secretary owes me a few answers. And honestly? So do you."
