Page 7 of Veil of Shadows

Two days slide by like molasses. Alyssa’s been quiet, too quiet. But I’m not fooled. I’ve kept an eye on her, tracking her late nights at the lab, the way she pours over those cursed files, her eyes dark with determination. Every time she gets closer, a part of me wants to pull her back. Another part? Wants to see how far she’ll go before she hits a wall.

I’m back in front of Alyssa’s apartment. The street is silent, only the distant hum of traffic breaking the stillness. Her light is on, a beacon in the night, and I can, again, see her shadow moving behind the curtains.

I watch her for a long moment, torn between going up there and walking away. But I can’t let it go.

With a soft breath, I cross the street, my footsteps swallowed by the night. I knock once, twice. The sound echoes, harsh and final.

The door swings open, revealing Alyssa. She’s dressed in an old t-shirt, her hair pulled into a messy knot. But her eyes—those eyes are sharp, burning with that same fire I saw last time. She doesn’t back down, doesn’t flinch. Just crosses her arms and blocks the doorway like she’s daring me to push past.

“What do you want, Viktor?” she snaps, her voice low and sharp.

I keep my tone steady, even as something twists in my chest. “We need to talk.”

Her eyes narrow. “Talk? Or are you here to scare me into dropping the case?”

I let out a slow breath, shaking my head. “If I wanted to scare you, Alyssa, you’d know it.”

Her jaw clenches, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t give an inch. “What’s this really about? You think I’m going to stop because you show up at my door? Newsflash, Mr. Coleman—I’m not that easily intimidated.”

Her words hit like a slap, but there’s something else in her gaze. Something that tells me she’s more afraid than she wants to admit.

“I’m trying to keep you alive,” I say quietly, stepping closer. She holds her ground, but her breath hitches. “The Bratva doesn’t play games. If you keep digging, they’ll come for you. And they won’t stop.”

“Then maybe,” she says, her voice a whisper, “you should help me instead of threatening me.”

Her words hang between us, and for a moment, the world narrows to just the two of us standing there, inches apart. I could reach out, touch her cheek, pull her into a kiss that I know would taste like fire and regret. But I don’t. Instead, I say, “Will you let me in then? I’ve got something to tell you, something about your father.”

Chapter Five – Alyssa

The lab is eerily quiet. The steady hum of the ventilation system fills the sterile air, and the cold, flickering fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across the room. Alone at my desk, surrounded by stacks of files and half-finished notes, I fight a tightening in my chest. Something feels off. It’s a prickling sensation, like someone’s eyes boring into my back.

I force myself to breathe, shaking it off as exhaustion. I’ve been here too long. But ever since that last conversation with Viktor, it’s been hard to ignore the creeping paranoia. He’d looked me dead in the eye and told me to stop digging. His words play on a loop in my mind, gnawing at me.

I rifle through a case file, skimming over pages, my fingers smudged with ink. It’s there again: a faint trace of an unusual neurotoxin. Not the kind you find in typical cases. My gut tightens as I flip through the pages, hoping for a connection, some clue I might have missed.

The clock on the wall ticks closer to midnight. Everyone else left hours ago, their laughter fading down the hallway as they headed home. Now, it’s just me, the whispering quiet of the lab, and a gnawing suspicion that I’m not alone.

I rip open an energy bar, the crinkle of plastic unnaturally loud. I take a bite, eyes scanning my scattered notes. My mind is fuzzy, too much caffeine, too little sleep.

Then, a sharp knock.

I freeze, the bar halfway to my mouth. The lab is empty. It’s way past closing. I reach for my phone, heart pounding, but then I tell myself I’m being ridiculous. It’s probably just security.

I cross the room, trying to look casual, but my hands are trembling. When I open the door, Nina is standing there, cheeks flushed, eyes wild. She doesn’t wait for an invitation—just pushes past me like the building is on fire.

“Alyssa,” she gasps, clutching her coat tight around her. “I swear, one of these days, you’re going to drive me insane.”

I force a smile, trying to ease my racing pulse. “What’s up with the late-night visit, Nina?”

She glares at me, her eyes darting to the files scattered across my desk. “I was home, trying to sleep, but I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.” She steps closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re not safe here, Alyssa. Not with... them involved.”

“The Bratva?” I scoff, trying to sound braver than I feel. “There’s no proof.”

Nina’s expression hardens. “You think they care about proof? You’re too close, Alyssa. You’re poking a hornet’s nest.”

Her words hang in the air, but I shrug them off. I can’t stop now, not when I’m so close. Nina sighs, her shoulders slumping as if she’s carrying a weight too heavy to bear.

“Just... be careful, okay?” she says, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I don’t want to see you disappear like the others.”

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