The Chase Begins

Chapter 17

The roar of the SUV's engine shattered the quiet of the alley, its headlights cutting through the darkness like two blades of light.

Lena barely had time to respond when Noah dragged her along, and they both took off in a wild sprint.

"Move!"

The SUV lurched ahead, tires screeching on the pavement.

Lena's lungs were on fire as she strained her legs with all her might, her heart thundering in her chest. She heard the growly rumble of the car behind them, bearing down fast.

They had seconds. Maybe fewer.

"Left, Noah!" he swung suddenly to the left, pulling Lena with him as they dodged between two great dumpsters and into a dark alleyway.

The SUV sped by the alleyway entrance, tires screaming as the driver jammed on the brakes.

Lena took a breath. "They've spotted us."

Noah swore. "We need to get off the road."

Lena scanned the surroundings. The alley was dead-ended, surrounded by a chain-link fence lined with razor wire.

There was one door to their right, rusty and slightly ajar.

Lena waved her hand. "There!"

Noah did not hesitate. He opened the door and pulled her in as the SUV doors clapped shut in the distance.

The air inside reeked with the scent of oil and metal.

Lena blinked rapidly, her vision shifting to the lack of light. The space was an abandoned car repair shop—workbenches shrouded in dust, half-taken-apart automobiles, and grimy toolboxes strewn about the concrete ground.

Noah secured the door behind them, then turned back to her. "We get time here. Consider our next move."

Lena wiped the sweat from her forehead, still gasping for air. "If they were following us—"

A crashing boom boomed outside.

Lena's heart racing.

Noah dragged her behind the fallen tool cabinet.

They peered out of the alleyway through a busted window.

Two forms stepped in.

One of them was Ethan.

The other—

Lena's stomach clenched.

Damien.

He was as she remembered him—slim, unruffled, his black eyes surveying the room with killer precision.

The last she'd seen of him, she'd been bleeding on the floor of a safe house.

Now, he was tailing her.

Noah stood ready beside her. "Damien."

Lena swallowed. "This is bad."

Noah's grip on the gun flexed. "We take them out first."

Lena shook her head. "Not yet. We don't have enough ammunition, and they have reinforcements."

As if to stage it, another set of footsteps echoed outside. More men.

They were pinned.

Damien tilted his head, his eyes fixed on the door, and then he lifted his hand and gestured subtly.

One of the men stepped forward and held up a shotgun to the door.

Lena's breath caught.

"Down!"

The blast tore through the creaky metal, shreds of it hurtling through the air.

Lena and Noah hit the ground as the room filled with smoke and dust.

They had mere seconds as Lena's mind reeled.

She pulled Noah's wrist and pulled him towards it. "Come on!"

They sprinted through the garage, vaulting over a broken workbench and dodging fallen debris.

Another shot rang out.

A window behind them shattered, glass raining onto the floor.

Noah cursed. "They're not kidding."

Lena spotted the loading dock—an old, rusty roll-up door. Their only chance.

She pulled on the chain and tugged.

The door groaned, lifting inch by inch.

Footsteps pounded behind them.

Noah turned and fired one shot. A muffled oath responded, and a groan of pain.

Lena heaved with increased force, creating enough space to squeeze through.

She huddled under the debris, stumbling out onto the cracked sidewalk beyond.

Noah followed her. They ran.

The city stretched out before them—flashing neon signs, murky streetlights, and the distant rumble of traffic.

They'd escaped the trap, but Damien was hot on their heels and Lena was certain that this was far from over.