They didn't stop running until they reached the busy street two blocks away. Only then did Naomi realize she was shaking. Her silk pajamas were torn and splattered with coffee. Blood trickled from cuts on her feet. Kiana didn't look much better, her T-shirt ripped at the shoulder, hair wild around her face.
"Are you okay?" Naomi asked, grabbing Kiana's shoulders. "Yeah." Kiana nodded, still breathing hard. "You?" ""I'll live."" Naomi tried to steady her trembling hands.
"We need to get somewhere safe. They'll be watching my backup hotel." "My cousin has an apartment in the university district." Kiana said. "She's out of town this week."
They found a taxi willing to take them despite their disheveled state. As they drove through the pre-dawn streets, Naomi's phone buzzed with a message from the hotel manager. Police were investigating an apparent robbery attempt. No suspects found. Minimal evidence.
"They'll bury this." Naomi said quietly. "Write it off as common criminals." "Those weren't random burglars." Kiana replied.
"They moved like professionals." ""Ming's men."" ""Had to be."" Naomi's jaw clenched. "He's desperate to stop us from exposing what we found." The sky was beginning to lighten when they returned to the hotel room with police escort. The destruction looked worse in the gray dawn light. Overturned furniture, shattered glass, papers scattered like fallen leaves.
Blood drops stained the carpet where Naomi's knee had connected with someone's face. She pulled out her phone, hands still trembling slightly, and began photographing everything. The broken door. The lamp she'd used as a weapon. The coffee stains on the wall.
Each image was evidence of how far Ming would go to protect his secrets. "They drew first blood." Naomi whispered, lowering her phone. The words tasted like iron in her mouth, like the promise of retribution. The room fell silent except for the click of her camera phone.
Morning sun crept through the windows, painting the wreckage in shades of gold and shadow. Each photo was another piece of ammunition in a war that had just turned deadly serious. The private jet hummed steadily as it carried them away from Beijing. Naomi stared out the window, watching China's coastline fade into a distant smudge. Her body ached from the attack, cuts and bruises hidden beneath a crisp business suit.
Two armed security guards sat near the cockpit, a new addition she'd never needed before. Kiana dozed fitfully in the seat across from her, dark circles under her eyes betraying their sleepless nights. They'd barely rested since fleeing to her cousin's apartment, spending hours documenting everything and arranging secure transport home. "Ms. Brooks." Naomi said softly, touching her assistant's arm. ""We're almost home."" Kiana startled awake, instantly alert. ""Any word from the office?"" "David's called four times.
Says it's urgent we meet as soon as we land." Naomi's voice was careful, measured. "He's very concerned about our safety." "Too concerned." Kiana muttered, rubbing her eyes.
"Where was that concern when we were actually in danger?" Naomi nodded slowly. Something had been nagging at her about the attack, a detail just out of reach. She closed her eyes, replaying that violent night. The masks.
The precision. The way they'd known exactly when to strike. The jet touched down in Atlanta under heavy gray skies. A corporate car waited on the tarmac, more security visible in the terminal. Naomi felt the weight of eyes on her as they walked through the airport, whispers following in their wake.
The attack hadn't made international news, but rumors spread fast in business circles. Ellison Global's headquarters loomed ahead, glass and steel reaching toward storm clouds. Naomi straightened her spine, ignoring the protest of bruised ribs. She wouldn't let them see her pain. The elevator ride to the executive floor was silent.
When the doors opened, David Levin stood waiting, concern etched on his polished features. "Naomi." He said, stepping forward with open arms. "Thank God you're safe. When we heard about the attack."
She stepped past his attempted embrace, noting how his smile flickered. ""Save the theatrics, David." We have work to do." His pressed suit and perfect hair seemed suddenly artificial to her, a costume rather than clothing. He followed them into her office, launching into a prepared speech. "The board is concerned about market stability."
He said, pacing. "Ming's team is pushing a narrative about cultural misunderstanding. If we apologize, smooth things over." ""Smooth things over?"" Naomi's voice could have frozen flame. ""They tried to kill us."" "We don't know it was them." David said quickly. "Local police say it was probably opportunistic criminals."
"Criminals who knew exactly when we'd be reviewing sensitive documents?" Kiana cut in. "Who moved like trained fighters?" David's hand went to his tie, adjusting it nervously. The motion made his sleeve ride up slightly, and Naomi's breath caught.
There, partly hidden by his watch, was a healing scratch, red and recent. Memory clicked into place like a key turning in a lock. The golden cufflink she'd found in the wreckage of her hotel room. The same custom design she'd seen David wearing at last month's board meeting. Her mind raced through the implications, each revelation more damning than the last.
"You're right." Naomi said, keeping her voice steady through sheer will. "We need to handle this carefully. Give me the weekend to review our options." Relief flooded David's face.
He hadn't noticed her staring at his wrist. "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say. We can draft a statement, maybe arrange a private meeting with Ming." "Monday." She cut him off.
"We'll discuss everything Monday." After he left, Kiana turned to her. ""You saw something."" ""His wrist."" Naomi's hands clenched the edge of her desk. "And I remember something else now. During the attack, one of them hesitated when I swung the lamp, pulled back instead of following through. Like he didn't actually want to hurt me."
Understanding dawned on Kiana's face. ""You think David was there? In Beijing?"" ""I think David's been playing both sides for a while."" Naomi opened her laptop, fingers flying across the keys. "Those patent changes didn't happen by accident. The attack wasn't just about stopping us from exposing Zhao's corruption. It was about destroying evidence of David's involvement."
They worked through the evening, sending the security team home to avoid suspicion. Thunder rolled outside as night fell, rain lashing against the windows. Naomi's cybersecurity team had given her specialized tools for emergencies, programs that could crack encrypted emails without leaving traces. "There." Kiana said at last, pointing to her screen.
"Hidden account routing through servers in Singapore." Naomi's jaw tightened as she read. Dozens of messages between David and Ming, stretching back months. Plans to manipulate contract terms. Warnings about her investigation.
Details about her schedule in Beijing. "She's too dangerous to control," Naomi read aloud, voice hard as steel. The parent company won't act. We need to handle this ourselves. The final email was dated the night before the attack.