Chapter 8: The First Lead
The drive back to Martha’s house was tense, the silence in the car heavy with unspoken thoughts. Yelena stared out the window, her mind racing as she replayed Victor’s words over and over. A ledger filled with secrets. Enemies who would stop at nothing to find it. And her mother, who had made a deal to protect her.
Ethan broke the silence first. “You know this is a trap, right?”
Yelena glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“Victor doesn’t do anything out of the goodness of his heart,” Ethan said, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “He wants that ledger for a reason, and it’s not just to help you. If we find it, we’re putting ourselves in the crosshairs of some very dangerous people.”
Yelena frowned. “Do you think he’s lying about my mother?”
Ethan hesitated. “I don’t know. But I do know that Victor’s not the kind of man you want to owe a favor to. If we’re going to do this, we need to be smart about it.”
Yelena nodded, her resolve hardening. “Then we’ll be smart. But I’m not backing down. Not now.”
Ethan glanced at her, a flicker of respect in his eyes. “You’re a lot like him, you know. Our father. Stubborn, determined, and a little reckless.”
Yelena smiled faintly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
When they arrived back at Martha’s house, the older woman was waiting for them, her expression a mix of worry and curiosity.
“Well?” she asked as they stepped inside. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Not exactly,” Ethan said, sinking into a chair by the fireplace. “But we’ve got a lead. Victor claims our father had a ledger—something filled with dangerous secrets. If we can find it, he’ll tell us what he knows about Yelena’s mother.”
Martha’s eyes widened. “A ledger? That sounds… risky.”
“It is,” Ethan admitted. “But it’s the only way we’re going to get answers.”
Yelena sat down across from Ethan, her mind racing. “Where do we even start looking? Do you know any of our father’s old hiding places?”
Ethan frowned, thinking. “There are a few places he used to go when he needed to lay low. But it’s been years. They could be long gone by now.”
“We have to try,” Yelena said. “Do you remember anything specific?”
Ethan leaned back, his gaze distant. “There was a cabin. Up in the mountains, near the border. He used to take me there sometimes when I was a kid. Said it was a good place to clear his head.”
Yelena’s pulse quickened. “Do you think he could have hidden the ledger there?”
“It’s possible,” Ethan said. “But it’s a long shot. And even if it is there, getting to it won’t be easy. The cabin’s in the middle of nowhere, and the roads are treacherous this time of year.”
Yelena didn’t hesitate. “Then we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
Yelena met his gaze, her expression determined. “I didn’t come this far to give up now.”
Ethan studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. We’ll leave at dawn. But we need to be careful. If Victor’s enemies are watching us, they’ll be looking for any excuse to strike.”
Yelena nodded, her mind already racing with plans. She didn’t know what they would find at the cabin, but she knew one thing for certain—she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.
The next morning, they set out before the sun had fully risen, the sky still painted in shades of gray and pink. The drive to the mountains was long and winding, the roads narrow and slick with frost. Yelena sat in the passenger seat, her hands clenched in her lap as she stared out at the rugged landscape.
“How much farther?” she asked after what felt like hours.
Ethan glanced at the GPS on the dashboard. “Not far. But the last part of the trip is on foot. The cabin’s not accessible by car.”
Yelena nodded, her nerves tingling with anticipation. She didn’t know what they would find at the cabin, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were on the brink of something important.
When they finally reached the trailhead, they parked the car and began the hike up the mountain. The air was crisp and cold, the silence broken only by the crunch of their boots on the snow-covered path.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached the cabin. It was small and weathered, its wooden walls gray with age. The windows were dark, and the door hung slightly ajar, as if it hadn’t been touched in years.
Ethan stepped forward, pushing the door open with a creak. The inside of the cabin was dim and dusty, the air thick with the scent of old wood and mildew.
“This is it,” Ethan said, his voice quiet. “If the ledger’s here, it’s hidden somewhere in this cabin.”
Yelena stepped inside, her heart pounding. She didn’t know what they were looking for, but she knew one thing for certain—they were about to uncover something that would change everything.