The Shadow Employer

Chapter Ten

Sarah hesitated, and then pulled out her phone and showed Kael the messages. They were cryptic and threatening, and Kael's heart sank as he read them.

Kael decided to interrogate his ally.

He put on a black jacket and went out the door.

"Hey there", he said as he flung the door open.

Isaac, their ally was working on his study desk.

What's the meaning of those texts?

He leaned in, his eyes locked on the ally's.

'It's not me. It's them".

"Tell me more," Kael said, his voice firm but controlled. "Who are this people, and what do they want?"

The ally hesitated, looking around nervously. "I don't know if I should say," they said. "But...I think it's someone close to the employer. They've been watching us, Kael. They know everything we're doing."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, they know everything we're doing?" he asked.

The ally swallowed hard. "I mean, they know about the evidence we've been gathering. They know about our plans to take down the employer. They even know about our safe houses and our communication channels."

Kael's mind was racing. This was a disaster. If the employer had access to all of this information, they could be in grave danger.

Suddenly, Kael's phone buzzed. He looked down to see a message from an unknown number.

"You're getting close to the truth," the message read. "But you'll never take us down. We'll always be one step ahead."

Kael's eyes widened in shock. Who was this, and how did they know what he was doing?

Kael decided to try to respond to the message and gather more information. He typed out a response, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"Who is this?" Kael asked. "What do you want?"

He sent the message, waiting anxiously for a response. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed again.

"We're the ones who have been watching you," the message read. "We know all about your little investigation. And we're not happy about it."

Kael's eyes narrowed. This was getting interesting. He decided to press for more information.

"What do you want from me?" Kael asked.

There was a pause, and then another message arrived.

"We want you to stop investigating," the message read. "We want you to leave the employer alone. And we want you to forget all about this little chat."

Kael raised an eyebrow. This was a pretty bold demand. He decided to respond, trying to keep his tone light.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Kael said. "I'm not the kind of person who backs down from a challenge."

There was another pause, and then a final message arrived.

"Very well," the message read. "If that's how you want to play it, then let's play. But be warned, Kael: you're in over your head. And you're going to regret ever crossing us."

The message ended with a sinister emoticon, and Kael felt a shiver run down his spine. This was getting serious.

Karl received another text. He didn't bother to check it, because her thought it came from the unknown number.

It was from a private number.

"I have the information you seek", the text read.

"Cetral bridge. 10Pm. Alone".

As he made his way to the central bridge, he felt a sense of unease.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a woman dressed in a black hoodie and jeans.

She looked nervous, glancing around as if expected someone to jump out at her.

Kael decided to ask the woman who she is and why she's been sending him messages. He took a step forward, his eyes locked on hers.

"Who are you?" Kael asked, his voice firm but controlled. "And why have you been sending me these messages?"

The woman hesitated, looking around the warehouse nervously. Then, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"My name is Rachel," she said. "I used to work for the employer, but I discovered some things that made me realize I had to get out. I've been trying to gather evidence to take them down, but it's not easy. They have a lot of power and resources."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "What kind of evidence do you have?" he asked.

Rachel hesitated, looking around the warehouse again. Then, she pulled out a small USB drive from her pocket.

"I have documents and recordings that prove the employer's involvement in some pretty shady dealings," she said. "But I need your help to get this evidence to the right people. I'm not sure who to trust."

Kael's eyes widened as he took the USB drive from Rachel. This could be the break they needed to take down the employer.

Kael decided to take the evidence to the authorities and try to get them to take action. He, left the warehouse with Rachel, making their way to the police station.

As they arrived, Kael could feel a sense of unease. What if the police were in on it too? What if they couldn't trust anyone?

Kael decided to meet the mysterious sender at the old clock tower at midnight. He felt a sense of unease, but he also felt that this could be a crucial lead in the investigation.

As the clock struck midnight, Kael made his way to the old clock tower. The building loomed above him, its clock face glowing in the darkness.

Kael approached the entrance, his heart pounding in his chest. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The interior of the clock tower was dimly lit, the only sound the ticking of the clock mechanism. Kael looked around, trying to see if anyone was there.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a woman, dressed in a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat. She looked at Kael with a piercing gaze.

"Who are you?" Kael asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The woman smiled. "My name is not important," she said. "What's important is that I have information about the employer. Information that could bring them down."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "What kind of information?"

The woman hesitated, looking around the clock tower nervously. "I have proof that the employer is involved in a massive conspiracy," she said. "A conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the government."

Kael's eyes widened. This was big. This was the kind of information that could bring down the entire government.

"What do you want in exchange for this information?" Kael asked.

The woman smiled again. "I want protection," she said. "I want to be able to testify against the employer without fear of reprisal."

Kael nodded. "I can arrange that," he said. "But I need to see the proof first."

The woman nodded, pulling out a small USB drive from her pocket. "This contains all the evidence you need," she said. "But be warned, Kael. The employer will stop at nothing to keep this information from getting out. You're taking a big risk by getting involved in this."

As Kael examined the contents of the USB drive, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The evidence was overwhelming, and it all pointed to one person: Mr. Bricks, the wealthy businessman who had been secretly manipulating the city's economy.

Kael's eyes widened as he realized that Mr. Edmond, the man who had been collecting rent from the tenants in the building, had been working for Mr. Bricks all along. He remembered how Mr. Edmond would always speak in a hushed tone, with a look of fear in his eyes, whenever he came to collect the rent.

It all made sense now. Mr. Edmond had been reporting to Mr. Bricks, who had been using the rent money to fund his own nefarious activities.

Kael knew that he had to act fast. He contacted Captain Lewis and the police department, and together they hatched a plan to bring Mr. Bricks to justice.