Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Wasn’t Supposed to ExistThe penthouse doors slammed shut.
Every elevator stopped.
Every exit locked.
The city outside continued glowing, unaware that the most dangerous apartment in Tribeca had just become a sealed box.
I stood near the fireplace, trying not to shake.
Adrian was on the phone again.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
That frightened me more than shouting would have.
“Run every access badge from the last seventy-two hours.”
He listened.
“Not just staff. Executives. Security. Family.”
A pause.
“No exceptions.”
He ended the call.
I looked at him.
“Family?”
His eyes settled on mine.
“You heard that.”
“I hear everything when people think I’m invisible.”
For the first time, he smiled.
Not warmly.
More like a man discovering a locked door and deciding to find the key.
“Tell me what else you heard.”
“Nothing important.”
“Cara.”
The way he said my name made it sound like a warning.
Then a guard entered.
“Mr. Duca.”
Adrian turned.
“We found this.”
The guard held up a tiny black device.
A camera.
My stomach dropped.
“It was inside the smoke detector.”
Adrian took it.
“Whose frequency?”
“Encrypted.”
Adrian glanced at me.
I knew what he was going to ask.
“You think I planted it?”
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at me?”
“Because you’re the only person who noticed something was wrong before tonight.”
The guard hesitated.
“There’s more.”
He handed Adrian a tablet.
A live surveillance feed played.
My heart stopped.
The camera wasn’t recording the wet bar.
It was pointed toward the hallway.
Toward Adrian’s bedroom.
Someone had been watching him for weeks.
Maybe months.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“When was this installed?”
“Estimated thirty-six days ago.”
I remembered something.
Thirty-six days.
I had been cleaning that exact hallway thirty-seven days ago.
“Wait.”
Adrian turned.
“What?”
“I saw someone.”
“Who?”
“A woman.”
He went completely still.
“What woman?”
“She was standing near the service elevator.”
“What did she look like?”
“Red hair. Gray coat. She asked me where your bedroom was.”
A guard drew his weapon.
Adrian didn’t move.
“Why didn’t you report her?”
“Because she said she was your sister.”
Silence.
One guard slowly lowered his gun.
Adrian stared at me.
“I don’t have a sister.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“What?”
“I have a brother.”
I swallowed.
“She knew your private schedule.”
Adrian stepped toward me.
“Exactly what did she say?”
I tried to remember.
“She asked what time you usually returned home. Which elevator you preferred. Whether you slept with the windows open.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“And what did you tell her?”
“Nothing.”
He nodded.
Then his phone rang again.
This time, he answered immediately.
A voice came through.
I couldn’t hear the words.
But I could see Adrian’s expression change.
“Say that again.”
The voice repeated itself.
Adrian looked at me.
“Toby Jenkins checked into the hospital tonight under an emergency admission.”
My blood turned to ice.
“What?”
“He wasn’t sick this morning.”
I grabbed Adrian’s sleeve.
“What happened to my brother?”
He put the phone on speaker.
A man’s trembling voice filled the room.
“Mr. Duca, we think someone tampered with his oxygen line.”
My knees weakened.
“No.”
“Cara,” Adrian said.
I barely heard him.
“My brother…”
The caller continued.
“He survived. The nurse caught it in time.”
I closed my eyes.
Relief hit me so hard it hurt.
Then the nurse said the sentence that destroyed that relief.
“But whoever did it left a message.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“What message?”
“A piece of paper was taped beneath the bed.”
“What did it say?”
There was silence.
Then:
“Tell Cara Jenkins the punch only bought her twenty-four hours.”
I couldn’t breathe.
May you like
Adrian looked at me.
“Get the car.”
