Victor stepped forward.
“You don't know what you're talking about.”
Daniel smiled.
“I know enough.”
Victor pointed at Naomi.
“You brought her into this because you wanted entertainment.”
“No.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“You wanted to test me.”
Daniel didn't answer.
Naomi suddenly realized there was another layer.
The challenge wasn't really about making Daniel talk.
It was about making Victor reveal himself.
She looked at Daniel.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew from the beginning?”
“Yes.”
“And you let me walk into it?”
Daniel nodded.
“Because I needed someone Victor didn't know I was working with.”
Naomi felt betrayed.
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
The honesty hurt more than a lie would have.
Daniel didn't apologize.
Instead, he said:
“But I'm giving you a choice.”
“What choice?”
“Walk away.”
Naomi looked at Victor.
Then at Daniel.
“Why would I?”
“Because this can become dangerous.”
Victor laughed.
“You see?”
He pointed at Daniel.
“He thinks you're brave.”
Naomi turned.
“No.”
She looked Victor directly in the eyes.
“He thinks I'm capable.”
Victor scoffed.
“You're a waitress.”
Naomi's voice became quiet.
“That's all you see.”
She turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
“I accept the challenge.”
Victor smiled.
“You already accepted.”
“No.”
Naomi looked over her shoulder.
“Now I understand it.”
She walked out.
Daniel followed.
In the hallway, he caught up with her.
“You should be angry.”
“I am.”
“You should be.”
Naomi stopped.
“You said you needed someone Victor didn't know.”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Because you notice things.”
“That isn't enough.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“It isn't.”
“Then what is?”
Daniel took a breath.
“Six years ago, my younger brother disappeared.”
Naomi said nothing.
“I spent years looking for answers.”
“And?”
“I found Victor.”
Naomi's eyes widened.
Daniel continued.
“I believe Victor knows what happened.”
The restaurant noise seemed distant.
Naomi whispered:
“Your brother?”
Daniel nodded.
“His name was Michael.”
“What happened?”
“He was investigating a group of investors who were buying properties from people who couldn't afford to fight back.”
Naomi looked toward the dining room.
“Victor.”
“Yes.”
“And now you're trying to prove it?”
“Yes.”
“Why not go to the police?”
Daniel looked away.
“Because evidence disappears when powerful people know you're coming.”
Naomi understood.
“And me?”
“You are invisible to them.”
She thought about Victor's words.
Someone who dreams above her station.
Maybe being underestimated wasn't a weakness.
Maybe it was an advantage.
Naomi extended her hand.
“Then let's finish the challenge.”
Daniel looked at her hand.
“Together?”
“No.”
She smiled.
“On my terms.”
For the first time that night, Daniel laughed.
“All right.”
What Naomi Knew
The restaurant closed at midnight.
Naomi didn't go home.
Neither did Daniel.
They sat in the empty dining room beneath dimmed lights while rain began tapping against the windows.
Daniel spread documents across the table.
Naomi studied them.
Names.
Companies.
Property records.
Bank transfers.
Contracts.
At first it looked like meaningless paperwork.
Then Naomi noticed something.
“Wait.”
Daniel looked up.
“What?”
She pointed.
“These dates.”
“What about them?”
“They repeat.”
Daniel leaned closer.
Naomi circled three entries.
“Every property was purchased within thirty days after the previous owner received a legal notice.”
Daniel frowned.
“What kind of notice?”
“Tax delinquency.”
He stared at her.
“That's impossible.”
“No.”
Naomi shook her head.
“Look.”
She pointed again.
“Every owner supposedly missed payments.”
Daniel examined the documents.
“Then Victor bought the properties.”
“Yes.”
“But what's the connection?”
Naomi thought.
Then she remembered something.
“Mr. Harris.”
“Who?”
“The restaurant's old owner.”
Daniel looked confused.
“He sold the restaurant three years ago.”
“He didn't want to.”
Naomi remembered.
“He told me the day he left.”
“What did he say?”
“He said someone had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.”
Daniel's face tightened.
“Do you remember who?”
“No.”
She paused.
“Actually…”
She closed her eyes.
“I remember the name of the company.”
Daniel waited.
“Langley Holdings.”
Silence.
Daniel looked at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
They both looked at the documents.
There it was.
Langley Holdings.
Naomi's pulse quickened.
“We need evidence.”
Daniel nodded.
“We do.”
Suddenly the back door opened.
Both of them turned.
The night manager stood there.
“Naomi?”
She stood.
“What are you doing here?”
“Cleaning up.”
He looked at Daniel.
“Who's he?”
Daniel introduced himself.
The manager nodded.
“It's late.”
“We'll be gone soon.”
He left.
Naomi waited until the door closed.
Then whispered:
“He saw us.”
Daniel nodded.
“That may matter.”
“How?”
“Victor may know we're investigating.”
Naomi looked around the restaurant.
For the first time, the empty dining room felt unsafe.
“Then what do we do?”
Daniel gathered the documents.
“We find Mr. Harris.”
“Where?”
“I know where.”
They left through the rear entrance.
Across the street, a black SUV sat beneath a streetlamp.
Neither of them noticed it.
Inside, a man lifted his phone.
“They're leaving.”
A voice answered.
“Follow them.”
The man started the engine.
Mr. Harris lived forty minutes outside the city.
He was seventy-one and lived alone in a small house surrounded by oak trees.
When Naomi and Daniel arrived, he nearly closed the door.