Chapter 30: The Point of No Return

We choose the following evening—the day before Vasquez's flight. Elena quietly removes valuables from her home, siphons funds from a small personal account Vasquez might have overlooked. I pack a single duffel bag, too nervous to think straight.

In a tension-soaked hush, we convene at a dingy storage facility at dusk. The plan: load everything into Elena's old sedan, drive south, keep going until we're off the map. New phones, new names, some half-baked notion of disappearing.

My hands shake as I toss my bag in the trunk. Elena appears out of the swirling dust, hair unkempt, eyes blazing with a mix of fear and determination. She clutches a folder of documents—papers that might be crucial for her future freedom.

Suddenly, headlights flare, sweeping across the lot. We freeze, hearts seizing. A black SUV pulls in, engine idling ominously. I catch a glimpse of a silhouette behind the wheel. WTF? The private investigator? Someone from Vasquez?

Elena's breath hitches. "We have to go. Now."

We scramble into the car, tires screeching as we peel out of the storage facility. The SUV lurches forward, chasing us. My pulse spikes to a dizzying high. We're on the highway in seconds, heartbeats drumming like thunder in my ears. Elena's knuckles whiten on the steering wheel.

Everything we feared is happening in real time—this is the moment of no return. The city lights fade behind us, and we race into the night, uncertain if we can outrun the forces that want to cage us. Or if we're already too late.