By seven that evening, I'd convinced myself I was being ridiculous. Meeting my boss—my very complicated boss—at a secret storage facility after dark was the beginning of either a thriller movie or a horror film, neither with great outcomes for the female lead.
Yet as I hailed a cab and gave the address Alexander had texted, I couldn't deny the pull of curiosity. Whatever was happening went beyond a workplace kiss or corporate politics. People had died. And somehow, I'd been pulled into the center of it.
The facility was in an industrial area of Queens, surrounded by warehouses and manufacturing plants now quiet in the evening hours. A high fence topped with barbed wire encircled a nondescript building with minimal signage. No company name, just "Private Storage" in faded letters.
I paid the cab driver and asked him to wait, but he shook his head. "Sorry, lady. End of my shift. Another car will be by in twenty minutes if you need a pickup."
Wonderful. I was officially stranded at the creepy warehouse.
I approached the gate, surprised to find it unlocked. The small parking area held only one vehicle—Alexander's sleek black Audi. At least he was already here.
The main entrance required a keycard, but a side door opened as I approached. Alexander stood there, dressed casually in jeans and a dark sweater that made him look younger, less like the corporate titan and more like a regular man with troubled eyes.
"You came," he said, sounding both relieved and concerned.
"Against my better judgment." I stepped inside, looking around curiously. "What is this place?"
The interior was clean and climate-controlled, with long corridors lined with metal doors. It resembled a typical storage facility, if more upscale than most.
"A secure archive," Alexander explained, leading me down one of the hallways. "Officially, it holds backup servers and paper records for several Thornton subsidiaries."
"And unofficially?"
He stopped at a door near the end of the corridor, entering a complex code on a keypad. "Unofficially, it holds the evidence I've been gathering against Richard Vasquez for the past three years."
The door swung open to reveal a room that looked like a detective's investigation center from a crime show. Three walls were covered with documents, photographs, and maps, all connected by colored strings. A large table in the center held stacks of files and a high-end computer setup.
I stepped inside, stunned by the scope of it. "You've been doing this alone?"
"Not entirely. James had already compiled some of this before he died. And I have a few trusted investigators who've helped fill in gaps."
I moved closer to one wall, examining the photos. Many showed Richard Vasquez with various men, some in business attire, others looking distinctly less reputable. Several images featured Chinese factories with working conditions that made my stomach turn.
"These are the suppliers James discovered?"
Alexander nodded grimly. "They were using child labor in horrific conditions. Paying bribes to bypass safety inspections. Creating environmental disasters in poor communities." He pointed to a section of financial documents. "All while Vasquez was receiving 'consulting fees' through shell companies."
"But you shut them down, right? After James died?"
"I replaced every supplier and implemented new standards, yes. But Vasquez had already made millions from the arrangement. Money that's now funding his attempt to take control of the company."
I turned to face him. "Why show me this now?"
Alexander's expression was solemn. "Because you're in danger, Eliza. Vasquez thinks you have access to information that could expose him. The kiss gave him the perfect opportunity to target you."
"What information?" I asked, bewildered. "I knew nothing about any of this until yesterday."
"This." Alexander moved to the computer and pulled up a file. "Three weeks ago, our cyber security team intercepted an attempt to access our Beijing records. The attempt came from your department."
"That's impossible. I would have known if someone in HR was—"
"Not someone in HR," he interrupted. "Your computer, specifically. While you were at lunch."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "Someone used my computer to try to access restricted files? Who?"
"We don't know. The security camera for that corridor was conveniently malfunctioning that day."
"So Vasquez thinks I have whatever they were looking for," I said slowly, the pieces falling into place. "That's why he sent me the photo of you and Elena. He's trying to turn me against you."
Alexander nodded. "Exactly. And now that his initial attempt failed—"
"He'll try something more direct," I finished, a chill running through me.
"Which is why I brought you here." Alexander moved to a cabinet and unlocked it, revealing a safe. He entered another code and removed a small hard drive. "This contains everything I've gathered on Vasquez. Financial records, witness statements, photographic evidence. Enough to not only remove him from the board but potentially send him to prison."
"Why haven't you used it?"
"The final piece is still missing. Proof that Vasquez ordered James's death." His voice grew tight with suppressed emotion. "Without that, he could claim he was unaware of the suppliers' conditions. That James acted without authorization in investigating them. That his death really was an accident."
I looked at the hard drive, then back at Alexander. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because I need someone I can trust. Someone Vasquez wouldn't suspect." He held out the drive. "I want you to keep this. Not at your apartment or the office. Somewhere safe that only you know about."
I stared at the drive without taking it. "Alexander, this is... a lot. You're asking me to become involved in something dangerous, potentially illegal—"
"I'm asking you to help me get justice for James," he said quietly. "And to protect yourself. Knowledge is your best defense right now."
Before I could respond, a phone I hadn't noticed on the table buzzed with an alert. Alexander checked it, his expression darkening.
"Security breach at the main gate," he said tersely. "We need to go. Now."
He grabbed the hard drive and a laptop, shoving them into a bag along with several folders.
"Is there another way out?" I asked, heart pounding.
"Emergency exit at the back." He took my arm, guiding me quickly toward the door. "My car is too obvious. We'll have to go on foot until we can find transportation."
As we hurried down the corridor, I heard the main entrance door opening, followed by footsteps.
"Alexander?" a familiar voice called. "I know you're here. Your security system needs updating."
Richard Vasquez.
Alexander pulled me into a side room, closing the door silently behind us. He pressed his finger to his lips, then whispered, "There's an exit through the storage area. Follow me and stay quiet."
We moved through the dimly lit room, navigating around shelves of boxes. I could hear Vasquez moving through the main corridor, trying doors as he went.
"You can't protect her, Alexander," Vasquez called out, his voice echoing. "She's in this now, whether you like it or not."
We reached a metal door marked "Emergency Exit Only - Alarm Will Sound." Alexander pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into a small panel beside the door, presumably disabling the alarm. He pushed the door open slowly, checking outside before motioning for me to follow.
The night air hit my face as we slipped out into a narrow alley behind the facility. Alexander closed the door quietly behind us.
"This way," he whispered, leading me toward a chain-link fence at the end of the alley. "There's a hole we can slip through."
Just as we reached the fence, lights flooded the alley. A car had pulled up at the far end, its high beams illuminating us like actors on a stage.
Elena Vasquez stepped out of the driver's side, a thin smile on her face. "Hello, Alexander. Elizabeth." She held up her phone. "Richard, I found them."
Alexander pushed the bag into my hands. "Take this and run. Don't stop for anyone."
"I'm not leaving you here," I protested.
"Yes, you are." His eyes met mine, fierce and determined. "This was never about us, Eliza. It was about justice for James and stopping Vasquez from taking control of the company." He glanced at the approaching car, then back to me. "Go. Please."
I clutched the bag to my chest, torn between staying and running. "How will I find you?"
"You won't. I'll find you." And then, despite the danger closing in from both ends of the alley, Alexander pulled me close and kissed me—not the gentle kiss we'd shared in the park, but something desperate and urgent.
When he released me, he gave me a gentle push toward the fence. "Now go."
I slipped through the gap in the fence just as Richard Vasquez emerged from the exit we'd used. The last thing I saw before turning to run was Alexander standing tall, facing both Vasquez siblings with a calm determination that made my heart ache.
Whatever this was—corporate espionage, corruption, maybe even murder—I was now at the center of it. And the evidence that could bring down Richard Vasquez was in my hands.
As I ran through the darkened industrial area, clutching the bag containing Alexander's years of investigation, I realized how completely my life had changed in just forty-eight hours. From HR manager to... what? Confidante? Accomplice? Target?
One thing was certain: nothing would ever be the same. And Alexander Thornton was much more than just the boss I'd impulsively kissed. He was a man with secrets, enemies, and a mission for justice that had now become mine as well.