Chapter 8 - THE BROTHER SHE TRIED TO PROTECT|
Maya called her brother the next morning.
Daniel Reeves answered on the second ring, sounding as if he had been awake for hours.
"Finally. I've been trying to reach you."
Maya sat on the edge of her bed.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone came to my apartment last night."
Her stomach tightened.
"Who?"
"I don't know. A man in a gray coat. He asked whether you'd contacted me recently."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I hadn't seen you in months. Which is technically true."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Not directly. He said you were involved with dangerous people and that I should convince you to stop."
Maya closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing and tell me what's happening."
She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to explain the false accusations, the missing records, and the evidence now accumulating inside the Kang estate.
But Daniel had spent two years worrying about her. He had offered to lend her money when she lost her job, and she had refused because she couldn't bear the thought of him sacrificing his own future to rescue her.
She would not drag him into this without understanding the danger.
"I'm investigating something connected to my old job," she said. "It's complicated, but I'm safe right now."
"Are you sure?"
"No. But I'm taking precautions."
"Then let me help."
Maya swallowed.
"I need you to do one thing. If anyone contacts you again, don't meet them. Save the messages, call the police if you feel threatened, and tell me immediately."
Daniel was silent.
"You always do this," he said finally.
"Do what?"
"Try to protect me by deciding what I can handle."
The words hurt because they were true.
Maya had become so determined not to endanger her brother that she had mistaken silence for protection.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'll tell you more when I can."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
After the call, Maya informed James and Cross about the visitor.
James's expression hardened.
"Your brother needs protection."
"He needs to decide what protection looks like. I won't have your men following him without his consent."
James considered that.
"Fair. We'll offer him a security consultation and explain the situation honestly. He can decide what he wants."
Maya nodded, grateful that James had not simply issued an order.
That afternoon, Daniel agreed to speak with Cross by video call. Cross explained the general threat without disclosing unnecessary details. Daniel accepted a security assessment for his apartment and agreed to preserve any suspicious communications.
The conversation ended peacefully.
Then, at 6:18 p.m., Daniel sent Maya a photograph.
It showed a man standing across the street from his building.
The face was partially visible.
Maya enlarged the image.
She recognized him.
The man had been a compliance officer at Halloran Whitmore—the same man who had interviewed her after she reported the missing funds.
His name was Peter Sloan.
He had testified that Maya altered the audit records.
She called Daniel immediately.
"Where are you?"
"Inside. I took the photo from my window."
"Don't go outside."
"Was that him?"
"Yes."
Cross contacted local authorities and arranged for a patrol to check the area. By the time officers arrived, Sloan had disappeared.
The next morning, Maya received a voicemail from an unknown number.
A man's voice spoke calmly.
"Miss Reeves, you should have accepted the settlement when you had the chance. Now you've involved your brother."
The message ended.
Maya listened twice.
Then she sent it to Cross and the investigators.
She did not cry. She did not throw her phone.
She sat down, opened her laptop, and began reconstructing the original Halloran Whitmore audit from memory.
May you like
If they were willing to threaten Daniel, they believed she still possessed something valuable.
She intended to find out exactly what it was.
