WHO AM I

SHADOWS CLOSING IN

The silence that followed Renzo’s warning was thick, each of them frozen in place, trying to process what he had just said. Lila felt like the ground had been yanked out from under her feet. Noah’s fists clenched at his sides, the protective instinct kicking in almost instantly.

“You can’t just throw that out there and expect us to walk away,” Noah finally said, stepping forward. “We’re not leaving you in this mess.”

Renzo looked torn, his eyes darting from Noah to the others. “You don’t get it. This is bigger than all of us. You think I haven’t tried to get out?”

Lila took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “There’s always a way out, Renzo. You just need to trust us.”

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “Trust? This isn’t some high school drama. These people don’t care who gets hurt. They don’t just play with money—they play with lives.”

Zara, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. “Then let’s stop playing. We can find a way to expose them. Make it public, get the authorities involved.”

Renzo shook his head, his face etched with desperation. “You don’t understand. They control everything.”

Jasper, clearly trying to lighten the mood despite the tension, chimed in, “So, what? Are we dealing with some secret mafia or something? This is starting to feel like a bad action movie.”

Renzo shot him a grim look. “That’s closer to the truth than you think.”

Jasper blinked. “Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah,” Renzo said, his voice dropping lower. “And if you’re not careful, you’ll all end up like me—fighting a battle you can’t win.”

---

As they walked away from the docks later that evening, the weight of what they had just learned hung over the group like a dark cloud. Renzo had disappeared again, leaving them with more questions than answers.

“Are we really just going to let him go like that?” Cathy asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Noah exhaled sharply. “We don’t have a choice. Until we figure out who these people are, we’re walking blind.”

Jasper kicked a pebble across the pavement. “So, what’s the plan? Because right now, this feels like the part in the horror movie where we all get picked off one by one.”

Lila gave him a pointed look. “Not helping.”

Jasper shrugged. “Hey, I cope with stress through humor. Sue me.”

“Let’s not tempt fate,” Zara muttered, glancing over her shoulder as though half expecting someone to be following them.

---

That night, Lila couldn’t sleep. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing with everything Renzo had said. He was in serious danger, and now they were too. The thought made her stomach churn.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and she reached for it, expecting another ominous text from Renzo. But when she saw the name on the screen, she froze.

Phillip.

She hadn’t spoken to him in months, not since everything had fallen apart between them. What could he possibly want now?

Lila hesitated for a moment, then swiped to open the message.

Phillip: We need to talk. I know what Renzo’s involved in.

Lila’s heart skipped a beat. How did Phillip know? She quickly typed back a response.

Lila: How do you know?

Phillip: Meet me tomorrow. I’ll explain everything. But don’t tell anyone. This is serious.

Her mind raced. Phillip had always been secretive, but this felt different. Was he somehow connected to the people Renzo was running from? Or was he just trying to help?

Either way, she couldn’t ignore it. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but the picture they were forming was far from clear.

---

The next morning, Lila met Phillip at their usual spot near the old coffee shop, her nerves on edge. He was already there, leaning against his car with his arms crossed, looking as serious as she had ever seen him.

“Thanks for coming,” he said as she approached.

“I almost didn’t,” Lila replied, folding her arms. “What do you know about Renzo?”

Phillip glanced around, as if making sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice. “I know who he’s running from. And I know why.”

Lila’s heart pounded. “Then tell me.”

He exhaled slowly, looking conflicted. “I can’t give you all the details—yet. But let’s just say Renzo got mixed up with the wrong people. Powerful people. They control more than just money. They control entire businesses, politics, you name it.”

Lila’s mind raced. “Then why did you reach out to me? What do you want?”

“I want to help,” Phillip said earnestly. “I know we haven’t exactly been on the best terms, but I care about you. And I care about Renzo. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”

Lila eyed him skeptically. “So, what’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch,” Phillip insisted. “But if we’re going to do this, we need to be smart. We need to keep this quiet, or we’ll end up just like Renzo—trapped.”

Lila frowned, her mind buzzing with questions. Phillip was being more cryptic than ever, but the fear in his eyes told her he wasn’t lying. Whatever was happening was far bigger than any of them realized.