The Invitation

I sat on the bed, staring at the shattered pieces of the phone now splayed on my sheets. I had canceled my meeting with Veronica, briefly explaining what had happened. I'd told her I was fine just to calm her down. I didn't want her to worry, but the truth was different.

I was still shaken as I went home, constantly recalling every second of my mad chase after the thief. Why hadn't he taken the bag into the car? Letting go of it made no sense. Besides, the more I thought about it, the more I realized he would have been the clumsiest thief in the world if he had dropped the bag while jumping into the van. But what if he hadn't meant to steal the bag in the first place?

My gaze drifted to the smashed phone pieces, and I ground my teeth. What if the plan had been entirely different? What if the thief had taken my bag just to destroy my phone? No… It was impossible. No one knew about the secured phone I used to talk to Killian. I had never even pulled it out in public… except for today.

I