December 19th
Chapter 19 — Trust No One
The following evening, while Alina stood guard at the bathroom door, Kateryna eased the toilet cistern lid open and retrieved the burner phone. Still dry. Still working. Her hands trembled as she turned it over, hoping — and dreading — what she might see.
One message blinked on the screen.
From Michael.
DO NOT TRUST ANYONE. LEAK IN UNIT. GANG KNOW ABOUT FOOTAGE. THEY KNOW SOMEONE INSIDE HELPED GET IT OUT. STAY QUIET. DON’T RESPOND.
She stood frozen. For a long moment, her thumb hovered uselessly above the keys. Her heart thudded against her ribs. The message blurred, not from tears, but from the sudden flood of fear washing over her like ice cold water.
There was no telling what the gang knew now. Or suspected.
Had they seen her with Michael? Did they know about the USB, the burner, the lists? Had Alina been suspected when she distracted Mace?
The walls of Club Elysium were no longer just closing in. They were listening.
Kateryna forced herself to breathe. She deleted the message, powered down the burner, and returned it to the cistern. The lid clicked back into place with a soft, echoing sound. Her fingers were clammy. She flushed the loo, then washed her hands. She watched the water swirl and thought, pointlessly, that panic had a smell. Metallic and sharp.
Alina joined her at the sink, eyes flicking to the stall, then to Kateryna’s face.
“There’s been a leak,” Kateryna whispered.
Alina stilled. “What kind?”
“A bad one. Michael’s police contact says the gang knows. About the footage. The USB. Maybe more.”
Alina gawped. “Do they know it was you?”
Kateryna shook her head. “Not yet. But Mace has been watching me. Every move. Every word. He knows something’s off.”
Alina didn’t respond right away. She looked at her own reflection in the mirror, and didn’t seem to like what she saw. “If you fall,” she said softly, “we all fall.”
Kateryna nodded once. The plan was held together with hope and fear, and now the stitches were pulling loose. The story might be ready to break, but they weren’t safe.
Back in the dorm, the others were already in bed. The light buzzed low above them. Kateryna lay on her side, listening to the occasional sigh, someone muttering in sleep. The air felt thicker tonight. Like it had weight.
She thought of Marta. Of Tanya. Of Room One with the hidden lens where girls were filmed and secrets were turned into currency.
We were never people to them, she thought. Just leverage.
Her eyes burned. Sleep didn’t come.
Not that night. Maybe not ever again.
***
