The room was silent after Ethan's words.
"They won't let you walk away."
Maya sat still, her mind racing.
"Who are they?" she asked quietly.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stood up and walked toward the window, pulling the curtain slightly aside as if checking something outside.
That alone made Maya uneasy.
"They're not just people," he finally said. "They're… organized."
Maya frowned. "Organized how?"
Ethan hesitated.
Like he was choosing his words carefully.
"Think of them as a group that doesn't like loose ends," he said.
Her stomach tightened.
"And Daniel?" she asked. "Was he a loose end?"
Ethan's silence confirmed it.
A chill ran down her spine.
Before Maya could say anything else—
A sudden noise came from outside.
A car door slamming.
Both of them froze.
Ethan's expression changed instantly.
Sharp. Alert.
"Stay here," he said quickly.
"What—"
"Don't move."
He walked toward the door quietly, every step careful.
Maya's heart pounded as she listened.
Footsteps outside.
More than one person.
Then—
A voice.
Calm.
Cold.
"You don't have to hide, Ethan."
Maya's breath caught.
That voice…
Something about it felt wrong.
Dangerous.
Ethan stiffened.
Slowly, he opened the door.
And standing outside—
Was a man dressed in black.
Tall. Composed.
His eyes scanned everything with quiet authority.
When his gaze shifted—
It landed directly on Maya.
Even from a distance, she felt it.
Like he could see straight through her.
"So," the man said softly, "this is the girl."
Maya's heart dropped.
He knew about her.