The Vitamin D Protocol

Emma stared at the vitamin D supplement on her kitchen counter, the orange bottle catching morning light like an accusation. At 42, she'd never imagined she'd be this person — someone who considered corporate espionage as a career pivot, someone who'd met a handler at a padel club of all places.

The iPhone in her pocket buzzed again. That was the signal.

She grabbed her racket bag, leaving Tomas a note about dinner. He'd understand eventually. Or he wouldn't. Their marriage had been dissolving like sugar in cold water anyway — slow, inevitable, barely noticeable until nothing remained.

The padel courts at the upscale club were mostly empty at 10 AM on a Tuesday. Perfect for a dead drop. She'd met Carlos here three times now, each conversation more coded than the last. He worked for the hedge fund that wanted insider information on her pharmaceutical company's upcoming merger. The bull market in healthcare M&A had everyone hungry, and Emma had access to the due diligence files.

"Your backhand's improving," Carlos said as they rallied, his serves deliberately soft to keep the conversation flowing.

"My wrist's been bothering me. That's why the vitamins," she lied smoothly. "When do you need the files?"

"Friday. The bull's getting restless." Their term for his boss, known for his bullish negotiating style and temper.

She returned a smash down the line, narrowly missing his ankle. "Double the rate. I'm taking a real risk here."

"Agreed." Carlos's expression didn't change. "But Emma — this isn't a game. If something goes wrong, nobody's coming to save you."

The words hung in the air between rallies. She thought about Tomas at home, about the promotion she'd just been offered, about how quickly everything could unravel. She'd already photographed the documents with her iPhone during a late night at the office last week, encrypted the files, prepared the drive. All that remained was handing them over.

Something in her stomach hardened. Not fear — resolve.

"I know exactly what I'm doing," she said, and hit the ball perfectly into the corner where he couldn't reach it.

"That's what they all think," Carlos called back, retrieving the ball with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Right up until the moment they don't."