Chapter 14: Nowhere to Hide...

The air inside the ventilation shaft was thick with dust, every breath scraping my throat like sandpaper. My muscles ached as I crawled forward, heart pounding with every metallic creak beneath me.

Adrian moved behind me, his presence a silent shield, his breathing steady despite the urgency pressing down on us.

Below, the voices of our pursuers echoed through the storage unit.

"Where is she?"

"Check the damn shelves—she couldn't have just vanished!"

Then—a crash. Metal rattled against concrete as they overturned shelves and crates.

Adrian nudged me forward, his voice a tight whisper. "Faster."

I bit back my fear and pushed ahead, spotting a vent opening up ahead. Moonlight trickled through the slats.

An exit.

Hope surged in my chest, but it was short-lived.

The vent rattled.

I froze.

So did Adrian.

Below us, one of the men muttered something. Then—

BANG!

A gunshot shattered the silence.

I barely bit back a scream as the bullet tore through the vent beneath me, sending bits of metal flying. The structure groaned under our weight.

"They're in the vents!" someone yelled.

Adrian grabbed my wrist. "Move—now!"

I scrambled forward just as another shot rang out. The bullet hit inches from my knee, a burst of heat searing past me.

The thin sheet metal beneath me buckled.

I felt my stomach drop as my hands scrambled for purchase, but the vent gave way—

CRACK.

My body lurched downward.

I gasped, my arms flailing—

Then Adrian caught me.

His strong grip locked around my wrist, yanking me up before I could plunge into the darkness below.

"Hold on," he hissed, his muscles straining.

I clung to his arm, my pulse a wild thunder in my ears.

Below, our pursuers sprinted closer, their boots slamming against the storage floor.

Adrian's gaze flicked to the vent opening ahead.

No hesitation.

He kicked the slatted vent cover. Metal groaned, then snapped free. A gust of cold night air rushed in.

A way out.

"Go," Adrian ordered.

I scrambled forward, pulling myself out onto the rooftop. Adrian was right behind me.

We barely had a second to recover before—

BANG!

The door to the rooftop burst open.

They had found us.

Adrian grabbed my hand and ran.

We sprinted across the rooftop, the city skyline stretching beyond us in a blur of neon and darkness. The wind whipped at my face, burning my lungs with each gasping breath.

Behind us, footsteps thundered closer.

A bullet whizzed past, striking a metal pipe ahead with a sharp clang.

"We have to jump," Adrian said, his sharp eyes scanning the alleyway below.

Jump?

I barely had time to protest.

Adrian grabbed me—and leapt.

The air rushed past us as we plummeted—

I braced for impact—

THUD.

We landed on a pile of stacked crates. The wood cracked beneath our weight, breaking our fall but jarring every bone in my body.

I let out a choked gasp, pain lancing through my ribs.

Adrian was already pulling me up. "Move."

We took off down the alley, weaving through the darkness. I risked a glance back.

Silhouettes stood at the rooftop's edge. One lifted a gun.

CRACK.

A bullet exploded against the brick wall beside us.

I ducked, my pulse hammering.

"They won't stop," I panted.

Adrian's expression was grim. "No. They won't."

After several blocks, the sounds of pursuit faded. Adrian led me through a narrow backstreet, his hand firm on my wrist.

We stopped near an abandoned building, hidden from the streetlights.

I pressed my back against the wall, my chest heaving.

"Who the hell were they?" I whispered.

Adrian wiped a streak of blood from his temple where a stray bullet had grazed him. "Not amateurs."

That much was obvious.

These men weren't just thugs. They were trained. Coordinated. Dangerous.

And they had known exactly where to find us.

My fingers tightened around the notebook.

This was what they wanted.

Adrian turned to me, his expression calculating.

"We can't go back to your place. It's compromised."

A shiver crawled down my spine. Nowhere was safe.

I looked up at him. "What do we do?"

Adrian hesitated. His jaw tensed like he was debating something.

Then he said, "There's someone we need to see."

I frowned. "Who?"

His gaze flickered, unreadable. "An old… contact."

I didn't like the sound of that.

But we didn't have a choice.

I exhaled slowly. "Let's go."

We weren't just running anymore.

We were hunting for answers.

And I was done being afraid.