Once we level off, the pilot announces a multi-hour flight toward a remote coastal airstrip. We're crossing more borders, forging deeper into unknown territory. Zach and Marta confer quietly in the cockpit, leaving Elena and me in the back with our racing thoughts.
She leans against me, voice barely audible above the engine noise. "What if he catches us? Adrian is relentless, and… I betrayed him in the worst way. He might want revenge more than anything."
I press a soft kiss to her temple. "I won't let him touch you."
She shivers, half-laughing at the bravado. "We can't run forever, Lucas."
My heart twists. I cradle her face, ignoring the cramped quarters. "Then we find a place to stop running. Start over." She nods, though the doubt in her eyes mirrors mine.
Outside, clouds drift in lazy formations. Inside, our fear twists with the spark of desire that never truly fades. I squeeze her thigh, reminding her—and myself—that we still have each other, no matter how precarious.