CHAPTER 12 NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN
284 Words
The moment Adrian said it, they’re coming for you, Something inside Erica shifted. Fear? Yes. But not just fear. Instinct. Raw. Sharp. Urgent.
“Who are they?” she asked. Adrian didn’t answer immediately. His eyes scanned the street, every muscle in his body tightening. “People who don’t leave loose ends,” he said finally. Her stomach dropped. “So I'm at a loose end?” His gaze flicked to her. “No,” he said quietly.
“You’re the mistake they couldn’t erase.”
A black SUV turned the corner. Then another. Too slow to be normal traffic. Too deliberate. Adrian saw it instantly.
“Stay down,” he ordered. Erica’s pulse spiked. “Adrian”
“Down.” This time, she listened. The car accelerated suddenly. Sharp. Fast. Dangerous.
A loud screech echoed behind them as one of the SUVs swerved. “They found us,” Erica whispered.
“No,” Adrian said, his voice turning cold. “I let them.” Her head snapped toward him. “What?”
“I needed to know how close they were.” Her breath caught. “You used me as bait?” A pause. A dangerous one. “…Yes.”
“Are you insane?” she snapped, anger cutting through her fear. “I could have died!” “You didn’t,” he replied.
“That doesn’t make it okay!” The car sped through an intersection. Adrian’s voice dropped low, intense. “Because I wouldn’t let it happen.” The certainty in his toneterrifying.Unshakable.Real. And somehow…
That scared her more than the chase.
Gunshots rang out behind them.Glass shattered.
And Erica realized this wasn’t just about her past anymore. This was war.
- Writer
