Chapter 1 - THE CALL
The black business card stayed in my hand long after the man walked away.
I stared at it beneath the harsh yellow light of Laurel Corner Café.
One side was completely black.
The other carried a silver serpent wrapped around a single letter.
V.
Nothing else.
No phone number.
No company name.
Just one number embossed beneath the serpent.
I looked toward the entrance.
The man was gone.
So were the two men who had followed him.
For several seconds, nobody in the restaurant moved.
Then the noise returned all at once.
Forks clattered.
Chairs scraped.
People started whispering.
I slipped the card into my apron pocket.
My hands were still shaking.
“Emily.”
I looked up.
Mrs. Alvarez, the café manager, stood beside me.
Her face had gone pale.
“Do you know who that was?”
“No.”
She stared at me.
“That was Victor Vale.”
The name meant nothing to me.
I frowned.
“Who?”
Mrs. Alvarez looked around before lowering her voice.
“Don't say his name so loudly.”
I almost laughed.
“I don't even know who he is.”
“You will.”
She walked away before I could ask another question.
I turned toward the older woman.
She was still sitting at the table.
But now she was smiling.
“You really don't know who my son is?”
I hesitated.
“No.”
Her smile became almost sad.
“Perhaps that's why he noticed you.”
I swallowed.
“Your son scared everyone.”
“He usually does.”
She slowly pushed herself to her feet.
I instinctively reached for her arm.
She allowed me to steady her.
“Thank you, Emily.”
“You're welcome.”
She looked at me for another moment.
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
“Don't be afraid of Victor.”
I gave her a nervous smile.
“I wasn't planning on meeting him again.”
She laughed softly.
“You already have.”
Before I could respond, a black SUV stopped outside the café.
A man in a dark suit stepped out.
He opened the rear door.
The woman looked at me one final time.
“Call him tomorrow.”
Then she walked outside.
I stood there staring through the window.
The SUV disappeared into traffic.
That evening, I worked my delivery shift until nearly midnight.
I told myself the strange encounter was over.
I was wrong.
When I returned to my tiny apartment, my electricity had already been disconnected.
The hallway was dark.
I climbed the stairs using my phone flashlight.
Inside my apartment, I sat on the edge of my bed.
The overdue bill was still folded inside my apron.
I took it out.
Then I pulled the black card from my pocket.
The silver serpent seemed almost alive beneath the light from my phone.
I turned it over.
Nothing.
I stared at the number.
My entire life had taught me one thing:
People like me didn't call people like him.
I placed the card on the table.
Then I went to sleep.
At 2:13 in the morning, someone knocked on my door.
Three slow knocks.
I froze.
Nobody visited me.
Ever.
Another three knocks.
I approached the door.
“Who is it?”
Silence.
I looked through the peephole.
The hallway was empty.
Then my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
You should have called him tonight.
My blood ran cold.
I stepped away from the door.
Another message arrived.
Tomorrow may be too late.
I stared at the screen.
Then came a final message.
They know what you did for his mother.
I didn't sleep again.
At exactly 7:00 the next morning, I called the number on the black card.
The phone rang once.
Victor Vale answered.
“Emily.”
My heart stopped.
“How did you know it was me?”
“I've been waiting.”
“For what?”
A pause.
“For you to ask the question you should have asked yesterday.”
“What question?”
His voice became colder.
“Why did my mother recognize you?”
I frowned.
“She didn't.”
“She knew your name.”
I remembered the conversation.
She had asked my name.
Nothing more.
“I told her my name.”
“No.”
Victor's voice was almost a whisper.
“My mother already knew it.”
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“It will.”
A long silence followed.
Then he said:
“Come to my house.”
I almost laughed from disbelief.
“No.”
“You should.”
“I don't know you.”
“You don't need to.”
“Then why should I come?”
His answer made my blood run cold.
“Because someone has been watching you for six months.”
I stopped breathing.
“How do you know that?”
“I have security footage.”
“From where?”
“Your apartment.”
I stared at the wall.
Victor continued.
“And Emily?”
“Yes?”
“Don't go to work today.”
“Why?”
His voice changed.
“Because the man who has been following you just walked into Laurel Corner.”
The line went dead.
May you like
I grabbed my jacket.
And ran.
