Page 50 of Captured Heart

First Global Bank

My breath catches. My blood runs cold. Why is Victor paying me already?

The deal was clear: I’d get $600,000 if I got the job done and half if I failed.

So, that’s it. He’s calling it. He’s accepted those were the only files and the rest can’t be found.

A weird emotion plays inside of me. It’s done. I’m free. I can disappear, wipe out my debt, leave Victor and all this chaos behind. The relief that spills over inside me is so foreign that I don’t recognize it immediately. Ever since I was a kid, there wasn’t a single day that I didn’t have to worry about something, and now it feels like I’ve been given a second chance, like I can start my life over again with a clean slate.

It feels too good to be true.

My mom always told me that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

Slowly, the dopamine wears off and is replaced with a sobering shot of reality.

If I’ve been paid half, it means the other part of the deal is in motion. Vic said if I couldn’t get the files, he’d pay me half...

And take the girl as leverage.

Oh, fuck!

My stomach twists into knots, and panic grips me. My thumb flies over the screen, dialing Victor. The call connects after two rings.

“Vic, what the hell’s going on?”

“It’s getting too risky, Johnny,” Victor says, his voice calm, but I can hear the undertone of the same panic I’m feeling. “The walls are closing in, I can feel it, and if I don’t act now—”

“No, Vic. Listen to me. I’ll get those files, I promise.”

“You said they weren’t there.”

I grit my teeth. I can hear the determination in his voice. He’s already made up his mind, and it’s not going to be easy to talk him out of this. “I just need a little more time. We’ve still got seven more days until that fake deal was supposed to happen, right? Let’s not make any rash decisions.”

“You’ve been paid, Johnny. You’re free to go.”

“Victor, wait!” My voice comes out too sharp, and I force myself to steady it. “Just give me a few more days because if yougo through with this, there’s no going back. You can’t undo it once it’s done.”

“I know all the risks. Now, get out of there. The plan’s already in motion.”

“Vic—”

The line goes dead.

“Shit!” My mind races with every possible plan I could use to diffuse the situation.

I check her location on my phone. She’s at home. The worst place she could be right now. I call her. No answer. I call again. And again. And again. And again. Until she eventually picks up.

“I told you to stay away from me,” she says irritably.

“Katie, listen to me. You need to get out—”

She hangs up and when I call back, it goes straight to voicemail. She blocked me.

“Fuuuucccckkk!”

My phone flies across the tiny trailer, slamming into the opposite wall. I grab the keys and race to my truck, my mind spinning with options as I climb into the driver’s seat. Spoiler alert: none of them are good.

Option one:Disappear. Drive far away and never look back. Forget all of this. Forget her. Just take my money and start a new life.

---