Don’t Let Go
794 Words
The door handle jerked violently.
Once.
Twice.
Then came the sound of metal scraping against metal.
Someone was trying to force the lock.
Nathan moved first.
“We have less than a minute.”
He crossed the suite and pulled open what looked like an ordinary bookshelf.
A hidden door clicked open.
A narrow passage disappeared into darkness.
Ava stared.
“What is that?”
“A private exit,” Adrian said.
“We’re leaving.”
She didn’t move.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
“My whole life has fallen apart in one afternoon. My fiancé betrayed me. My sister disappeared. You tell me my father has been lying to me for years, and now you expect me to follow you through a secret passage without a single explanation?”
Her voice shook.
“I can’t do that.”
Another loud bang echoed through the suite.
This time the hinges groaned.
Nathan glanced toward the door.
“They’re almost inside.”
Daniel stepped closer to Ava.
“You don’t know him.”
She looked at him.
“And I know you?”
His face tightened.
“I made mistakes.”
“Mistakes?”
Her laugh came out hollow.
“You slept with my sister.”
“I know.”
“You lied to me for three years.”
“I know.”
“You stood there and watched me fall apart.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I never wanted this.”
Ava felt something inside her harden.
“It doesn’t matter what you wanted anymore.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Adrian spoke.
“If you stay, they won’t ask questions.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“They’ll take you.”
Her heart skipped.
“Who?”
“I’ll explain.”
“No.”
She folded her arms.
“You keep saying that.”
His jaw tightened.
“I can’t explain everything here.”
“Why not?”
“Because we don’t have time.”
As if to prove his point, the suite door splintered.
A crack spread across the wood.
Nathan reached beneath his jacket.
Ava’s eyes widened as he pulled out a handgun.
Daniel noticed too.
“What the hell is going on?”
Nathan didn’t answer.
He simply took position beside the door.
Adrian walked toward Ava.
For the first time, the calm expression he’d worn all evening slipped.
He looked… worried.
Genuinely worried.
“I know you have no reason to trust me.”
“You’re right.”
“But trust your instincts.”
She searched his face.
There was no panic there.
No manipulation.
Only urgency.
And something else.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
Another crash shook the room.
Wood snapped.
A hand appeared through the broken gap in the door.
Nathan shoved it back with his shoulder.
“They’re in!”
Adrian reached for Ava.
“Come with me.”
She looked at his outstretched hand.
Just hours ago, she had been ready to promise forever to another man.
Now she didn’t know who anyone really was.
Behind her, Daniel spoke quietly.
“If you go with him…”
She turned.
“there’s a chance you’ll never come back.”
Her chest tightened.
“And if I stay?”
Daniel couldn’t answer.
That silence told her everything.
Ava closed her eyes for one brief second.
When she opened them again, she placed her hand in Adrian’s.
His fingers closed around hers.
They were warm.
Steady.
“Don’t let go,” he said.
Nathan disappeared into the hidden passage first.
Adrian pulled Ava in behind him.
The bookshelf swung shut just as the suite door burst open.
Heavy footsteps thundered into the room.
Voices shouted.
“Search everywhere!”
“They couldn’t have gone far!”
Ava pressed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from breathing too loudly.
The passage was pitch-black.
Only Adrian’s grip reminded her she wasn’t alone.
They moved deeper underground.
After several minutes, the narrow corridor opened into a small underground parking garage.
A sleek black car waited with its engine already running.
Nathan climbed into the driver’s seat.
Adrian opened the passenger door for Ava.
“Hurry.”
She was about to get inside when headlights flooded the garage.
Another SUV sped down the ramp.
It stopped sideways, blocking the exit.
Three men climbed out.
All dressed in black.
One of them smiled.
“There you are.”
Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
He stepped in front of Ava.
His voice became cold enough to freeze the air.
“Stay behind me.”
The tallest man looked directly at Ava.
Then he said something that made her blood run cold.
“Miss Carter”
He smiled again.
“your father wants you brought home.”
- Writer
