To Love a Shadow To Be the Sun novel Chapter 68

Elara grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

Summer poked her head out of the office and called after her, "Where are you going? Aren't you staying for dinner?"

Elara waved her off. "Something urgent came up. I'll text you later."

Summer hesitated. "If Brian calls and asks where you are, what should I tell him?"

Elara paused at the doorway, thinking it over. "Don't wait for him to ask. In an hour, just tell him I went to the photo studio."

Summer looked completely confused. "Why are you going there? Haven't you had enough of that poisonous smoke?"

The text Elara had received was from a janitor who worked at the mall next to the studio.

Elara had paid her to keep an eye on the place and call as soon as the building was unsealed.

When Elara arrived, the janitor was already waiting at the entrance.

"Just so happens the owner hired me and a couple of other ladies to help clean up," the woman said.

Elara pulled out a twenty and pressed it into her hand. "Thank you, ma'am."

The janitor smiled. "No problem. Take your time looking for whatever you need—I'll have the others clean the other side first."

Elara was searching for the remains of the burned battery.

She'd lost the evidence she found at the bakery; this was her last shot.

The second floor still reeked of chemicals, though much less than before—just a faint, acrid tang lingering in the air.

Wearing a mask, Elara sifted through the debris for a long time before finally finding a small chunk of scorched, high-energy battery casing, half-buried under a pile of rubble.

It matched what she'd discovered at the bakery almost exactly.

Elara suppressed her excitement and carefully sealed the fragment in a clear evidence bag.

On her way back downstairs, the cleaning ladies were still hard at work.

She thanked them again before slipping out of the studio.

The trees along the street stood silent in the dusk.

This part of town was a pedestrian plaza. Elara tucked the tiny plastic bag into her coat pocket and made her way toward a spot where she could catch a cab.

As she neared the main street, she quickened her pace—but suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behind her.

She didn't need to look back; the prickling sense of being stalked washed over her.

"I'll say it one last time—hand it over!" The thug lost patience, raising a hand to strike Elara.

Brian surged forward, kicking aside the nearest goon and landing a solid punch square on the leader's jaw.

As the man doubled over in pain, Brian seized the chance to yank Elara behind him.

The remaining two thugs retreated a step, wary now but still menacing.

"What did you take?" Brian asked, voice low.

Elara pulled the clear evidence bag from her pocket. "The explosion was deliberate. They're trying to destroy the proof."

She barely finished speaking before the two thugs lunged again.

Brian shoved her toward the car. "Go—now!"

Elara dashed for the alley's end, but the man Brian had knocked down suddenly sprang up, blocking her path.

In the struggle, Elara's back slammed against the wall. The evidence bag slipped from her grasp, flying through the air.

Lina, standing frozen by the car, let out a startled cry—but somehow managed to catch it.