Page 261 of The Devil's Thorn
And still—nothing.
Eventually, I gave up. My legs folded beneath me, and I slid down to the floor outside her apartment, the cold tile biting through the fabric of my jeans. I stared at the USB clutched in my hand, trying to breathe. Trying to think. Trying not to spiral.
What the hell could be on it?
Who were thetheyshe was talking about?
“the one you let in”
I swallowed hard. My chest tightened. No. It couldn’t be?—
I shoved the thought down before it could finish forming. Not until I knew for sure. Not until Isawit.
Eventually, I forced myself to stand, my body heavier than it had been when I’d arrived. I turned away from the door, not because I wanted to… but because I finally understood she wasn’t going to open it again. Not tonight.
Maybe not ever.
I walked back down the stairs with the USB still gripped in my fist like it had claws. The city outside felt colder now. Unfamiliar. Like it knew something I didn’t.
And as I stepped into my car and started the engine, there was only one thought echoing in my head:
Please let this be a lie.
The drive back felt slower than usual, even though I didn’t stop for a single light. The streets were mostly empty now—quiet, dim, like the world was holding its breath and I was the only one who didn’t know why.
I kept glancing at the passenger seat where the USB sat. Small. Innocent-looking. But itwasn’t, was it?
Nothing about tonight had been innocent.
My thoughts spun circles I couldn’t follow. Anna had never looked afraid before. Not even once. She was calm. Composed. Sometimes cold. But never afraid. Never like that.
And she hadn’t looked at me like someone she loved. She’d looked at me like someone she waswarning.
I pulled into the garage, heart pounding harder the closer I got to my spot. The tires screeched softly against the concrete as I parked, and for a second I just sat there with my hands on the wheel, staring at nothing.
I should’ve called someone. Asked for help. But who the hell was left to call?
I climbed out, locked the door, and headed for the elevator, hugging my jacket tighter around myself even though the garage was warm.
The elevator groaned as it descended. My reflection in the mirrored walls looked pale. Wide-eyed. Like I wasn’t entirely here.
Like I already knew whatever was on that USB would ruin something I hadn’t even begun to understand.
The doors opened. I stepped into the hallway, keys rattling in my hand. Each step felt heavier, like my body already knew what my mind was trying to deny.
When I reached my apartment, I unlocked the door and shut it behind me harder than I meant to, flipping the lock with shaking fingers.
I didn’t even bother to take off my shoes. I dropped the keys, the bag, and the weight I’d been carrying since I left Anna’s, and then I stood in the middle of the living room…pacing.
Back and forth. Breathing too fast.
The USB was still in my hand. I looked at it. I wanted to throw it. I wanted to crush it under my heel and pretend none of this was happening. Pretend Anna was just tired. That Rafael’s silence meant nothing.
But pretending had never protected anyone. Not in my world.
I moved toward the kitchen table where my laptop sat and dropped the USB down next to it, then stared at it for a second like it might explode.
Then I opened the laptop. The screen blinked to life. One folder appeared the second I plugged it in. No label. Just one file. A sound file.
