Shayla disappeared, leaving Anthony with a dangerous clue.
Shayla disappeared, leaving Anthony with a dangerous clue.
"The Vanishing Act"
The city buzzed around him, but Anthony heard nothing. His heart pounded like a war drum, his fingers tightening around the small piece of paper in his hand.
Shayla was gone.
Vanished without a trace.
And all she left behind was a single, chilling clue.
Anthony had seen a lot in his life—fights, betrayal, heartbreak. But this? This was different. This wasn’t just someone cutting ties and moving on. This was something darker.
Shayla didn’t just leave.
She disappeared.
And whatever she left behind…it was meant for him.
The Last Encounter
It had been two nights ago—the last time Anthony saw Shayla.
She was waiting for him in a dimly lit parking garage, her silhouette sharp against the glow of the streetlights.
"I know you’re digging, Anthony," she had said, her voice eerily calm. "And I know you think you’re close to something."
Anthony had taken a step forward. "I am close. And you know it."
Shayla had smirked then, but there was something in her eyes. Something close to fear.
"You have no idea what you’re walking into," she had whispered.
And then she was gone.
No phone calls. No messages. Nothing.
Until today.
Until Anthony found the clue.
The Clue
It was waiting for him when he walked into his apartment.
A single matchbook sitting on his kitchen counter.
At first, he thought someone had broken in. But nothing else was out of place. No doors forced open. No signs of struggle.
Just that damn matchbook.
He picked it up, turning it over.
On the inside cover, scrawled in Shayla’s unmistakable handwriting, was a single line:
"Ask for Room 306."
Anthony’s stomach clenched.
There was no address. No explanation. But the matchbook itself gave him something to work with.
It was from a place called The Blue Orchid.
A nightclub.
One that Anthony knew wasn’t just a nightclub.
He had been there before. And he knew exactly the kind of people who ran it.
People who didn’t just let someone like Shayla walk away.
Walking Into the Fire
Anthony stood outside The Blue Orchid, staring up at its neon sign flickering against the night sky.
The place was packed. Music thumped from inside, and the bouncers at the entrance sized him up as he approached.
"Not tonight," one of them grunted.
Anthony smirked, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and slipping it into the guy’s pocket. "I’m not here for a drink. I’m here for Room 306."
The bouncer’s face darkened.
For a second, Anthony thought he might throw him out anyway.
But then, with a slow nod, the man stepped aside.
Anthony exhaled and walked inside.
The club was alive with flashing lights, the bass shaking the floor. He ignored the bodies moving on the dance floor, weaving through the crowd toward the hallway in the back.
A long, dark corridor led to the VIP rooms upstairs.
Room 306.
His heart pounded with every step.
Whatever was behind that door…
It would change everything.
The Truth Waiting in Room 306
Anthony stopped in front of the door, his pulse racing.
With a deep breath, he turned the handle and stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit, the air thick with cigarette smoke. And at the center of it all…
A file.
A thick, sealed manila folder sitting on a small round table.
And next to it?
A phone.
Anthony hesitated before picking it up. The screen lit up with a single text message.
"Now you know. What are you going to do about it?"
Anthony’s grip tightened.
Shayla was gone.
But she had left him this.
The real question was—what did she know that made her disappear?
And was he next?
To Be Continued…?
What’s in the file? Who sent the message? And where is Shayla? Let me know if you want the next part!
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