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Chapter 8: The Man in the Trench Coat
Rina stirred her coffee absently, eyes fixed on the steam but mind elsewhere.
They'd ended up walking for blocks last night—her and Eliot. She hadn't meant to say so much, but his silence wasn't empty. It was safe.
Now, inside a bookstore café off Main, she replayed their conversation.
> "You ever feel like someone's watching you?"
"Only when they are."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be."
She hadn't decided if he was flirting or warning her.
The bell above the door jingled.
Rina looked up—and froze.
The man in the trench coat stood still as stone near the entrance. Gaunt. Greying. And entirely out of place.
"Rina Maxwell," he said, voice low but direct. "Your father wasn't paranoid. He was hunted."
Rina stood up fast. "Who are you?"
"Someone who used to work with him. There are files—buried. CorePath isn't what it seems."
Before she could respond, Eliot stepped in.
Out of nowhere. Like shadow. Like shield.
"Is there a problem here?" he asked calmly, eyes sharp and unreadable.
The man backed off. "Tell her to stop digging, Mr. Kane. Or she'll end up just like him."
Rina turned to Eliot, shocked. "He… he called you—?"
But the man was gone.
And Eliot? He wasn't smiling anymore.
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