I pulled it out, my fingers slick with sweat.

A text message from an unknown number appeared on the screen.

It was a live-stream video feed of myself standing in the study.

Beneath the video, a message popped up.

The text message beneath the live-stream video of me was short and cold.

“We are watching your every move, Evelyn.”

“If you do not leave the study right now, your academic career will not be the only thing that ends today.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I almost slipped off the desk chair.

I kept my balance, my hand gripping the edge of the bookshelf until my fingernails dug into the wood.

I looked directly at the tiny lens of the camera hidden behind the vase.

I had to think fast, and I had to act like I was completely defeated.

If they realized I had figured out their game, they would move the drives before I could ever find them.

I slowly stepped down from the chair, letting my shoulders slump.

I made sure my movements looked heavy, like those of a woman who had finally given up.