Clair’s pov
I didn’t remember dropping to my knees outside that warehouse, but I must have — because suddenly I was on the ground, gravel digging into my skin, lungs seizing.
My hands shook uncontrollably as I ripped my phone from my purse. My thumb couldn’t seem to hit the numbers correctly. I kept mistyping. Kept trembling.
Finally — I thrust the phone to my ear.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then —
“Claire?”
His voice.
Deep.
Steady.
Dangerously familiar.
“R-Ryan—” I gasped. “Please… I need… help…”
“What happened?” His tone sharpened instantly. “Where are you?”
I looked around with wild, disoriented eyes — a row of abandoned industrial buildings, flickering streetlights, darkness swallowing everything.
“I… I don’t know—please—just come—”
A pause.
Then:
“Send me your location. I’
