TUG: The Start

Previously

…Before I could decide, headlights flooded my rearview mirror. A black sedan pulled up behind me, blocking my car. A tall man in a long coat got out and walked toward my window. His face was hard, eyes like two black stones. “You have something of mine,” he said. His voice was flat, but it cut through the glass. I gripped the box. The vibration spiked, and the whisper came back, louder now. The man smiled. It wasn’t friendly. “Get out of the car, kid. We need to talk.” I didn’t move. The box was burning my fingers. Jess’s text was still on my screen. I thought about running, but there was nowhere to go. This was the job I chose. And now I had to choose again.