Chapter 13: The Flashlight's Secret
The helicopter passed, but the drone of its engine lingered in the distance. Chloe crawled out from under the oak, her hands numb, her teeth chattering so hard they ached. She needed shelter. By mid-morning, she stumbled upon a dilapidated hunting blind elevated in a cluster of birch trees. It was rotting and smelled of animal droppings, but it was out of the wind.
Huddled in the corner, she finally allowed herself to look at the small, waterproof flashlight Lilith had pressed into her hand. It was heavy aluminum, tactical grade. As she turned it over in her numb fingers, she noticed a faint seam near the base. Twisting the bottom cap, the battery compartment didn't open; instead, a false bottom popped out. Inside was a tightly rolled micro-SD card and a piece of water-resistant paper. Unrolling it, she saw a series of GPS coordinates written in Lilith's sharp, hurried handwriting, and a single phrase: Trust Elias. He owes me a ghost. Chloe stared at the tiny memory card. This was it. This was the fire Lilith had started. The proof of Julian Vance’s empire—the trafficking, the offshore accounts, the blackmail rings. Lilith had died for this little piece of plastic, and now it was a target painted directly on Chloe's back.
