Chapter 2 - Vale Tower
Adrian didn't release her immediately. Instead, he maintained his firm grip around her waist as they crossed the wet expanse of the private, underground parking deck, guiding her toward a private elevator that bypassed the main lobby entirely. Elena tried to pull away, but his grip was unyielding.
"I can walk by myself," she muttered, her breath forming small clouds in the chilled air of the underground garage.
"You already proved you couldn't," Adrian replied smoothly, pressing his thumb against a biometric scanner set into the concrete pillar beside the elevator doors.
A soft chime sounded, and the heavy steel doors slid open with absolute silence. The interior of the elevator was lined with dark mahogany and brushed chrome, a stark contrast to the gritty industrial look of the basement. Once inside, Adrian didn't press a button. The moment the doors closed, the car began to ascend automatically, moving with such smooth precision that Elena only felt the slight pressure in her ears.
"Where are we going?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
"My penthouse."
Elena stiffened. "I am not going to your apartment. I need to go home. Or to a police station."
Adrian turned to face her, leaning casually against the wood-paneled wall. "The police in Ravenport are largely on a retainer, Elena. If you walked into the 4th precinct right now, the man who tried to run you over would probably be notified before you finished filling out the report."
"That’s a cynical way to view law enforcement."
"It’s realistic."
"And you? What are you? A philanthropist?"
"I am a businessman," Adrian said, his voice dropping an octave as the elevator continued its silent climb. "And right now, someone is trying to kill a woman who holds the key to information that was stolen from one of my vaults eight months ago."
Elena stared at him, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"
"Daniel."
The name hit her like a physical blow. The air rushed out of her lungs, and she gripped the chrome railing behind her for support.
"What do you know about my brother?" she demanded, her voice cracking slightly despite her best efforts to keep it steady.
"Daniel Marlowe was a brilliant forensic accountant," Adrian said, watching her carefully to gauge every micro-expression. "He was also heavily in debt to some very dangerous men. Not just local thugs, but a syndicate that uses Ravenport as a laundering hub. Eight months ago, he came to me asking for protection. He claimed he had found a series of offshore accounts that tied half the city council and several high-profile developers to a massive embezzlement scheme."
"He... he never told me," Elena whispered, her mind racing back to the weeks before Daniel’s death. He had been stressed, constantly looking over his shoulder, working late hours at his firm. She had thought it was just financial pressure from the mortgage.
"He didn't want to drag you into it," Adrian continued. "He wanted to keep you safe. But he made a fatal mistake. He kept a digital copy of the ledger on an encrypted drive. When his car went off the east bridge, the police found his body, but the drive was missing."
"And you think I have it?" Elena asked, a wave of bitter disbelief washing over her. "You think I’m walking around with a million-dollar encrypted drive and working double shifts at a diner just for fun?"
"No," Adrian said quietly. "I know you don't have it. But the men who killed your brother don't know that. They think he gave it to you before he died."
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The elevator came to a sudden, gentle halt. The doors opened directly into a vast, minimalist penthouse that spanned the entire top floor of Vale Tower. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic, glittering view of Ravenport under the pouring rain, the city lights reflecting off the wet streets like scattered diamonds.
Adrian stepped out first and motioned for her to follow. "Welcome to safety, Elena."
