NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE

As Ethan drove through the city's poorly lit streets, the silence in the car was thick with anxiety. The unidentified threat still stayed on my phone screen, its meaning chillingly clear: "There's no place you can hide. Surrender, or the people you love will pay the price." I couldn't shake the feeling that Neil's reach was deeper and more sinister than I'd realized. Crestmont had turned from a business giant to an all-consuming cloud, moving into every part of my life.

Ethan broke the quiet, his voice steady but laced with fear. "We can't stay in one place too long. Crestmont has means, and if Neil's ready to go this far, he'll find us if we're not careful."

Amelia, sitting beside me, looked pale but determined. "We need to find a way to release the files again, but somewhere secure—somewhere Neil's people can't track us. They stopped the upload at my office, so we can't use any network they're monitoring."