The Billionaire’s Contract Bride: A Deadly marriage

Chapter four

“Move now!”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I was already out of the penthouse before the call ended, heading straight for the private elevator. My mind locked onto one thing,she was exposed, and whoever pulled that trigger wasn’t missing again.

By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, I had already rerouted building security, pulled nearby surveillance, and marked the rooftop across from mine.

The shooter’s position was clear.Professional.Clean angle.No hesitation.This wasn’t a warning shot.It was meant to kill.

I stepped out and into the car waiting at the entrance. The driver didn’t ask questions.

“Across the street. Now.”The car moved instantly.

On my screen, I tracked heat signatures from nearby buildings. One stood out,upper level, direct line of sight to her last known position.

“Got you,” I muttered.But something felt off.Too easy. Up on the rooftop, she was still moving.

I could hear it through the line,the sound of impact, shifting steps, controlled breathing.She wasn’t panicking.She was calculating.Good.

That meant she was still alive.“For once,” I said into the phone, “do exactly as I say.”

“That depends,” she replied, voice low but steady.

“Drop left. There’s a lower ledge two feet from you.”A pause.Then movement.A sharp scrape followed by a thud.She landed.Still alive.“Keep moving,” I added.“Working on it.”Another shot echoed.Closer this time.Too close.

“They’ve adjusted,” she said.

“They always do.”The car stopped.I stepped out before it fully settled, already moving toward the building entrance. Locked.Of course.I didn’t slow down.I forced it open.Inside, the stairwell was clear.No guards.No noise.Too quiet.I moved fast, taking the stairs two at a time.

“This wasn’t just a sniper,” I said.

“No,” she replied. “It never is.”Halfway up, I stopped.Something clicked.The timing.The position.The second breach.“They’re not trying to kill you,” I said.“Could’ve fooled me.”

“They’re controlling your movement.”Silence.

Then,“…toward something,” she finished.Exactly.I pushed forward again.“Get off the roof,” I said. “Now.”

“I’m trying.”Another shot rang out.Then a sharp sound,Metal.Impact.She inhaled sharply.“Are you hit?” I asked.

“No. Close.”Too close.I reached the rooftop door and kicked it open.Empty.Cold air.No sign of her.

But the angle told me everything.“She forced you down,” I said.“Yeah.”

“Where are you now?”

“Fire escapes. Heading down.”I moved to the edge, scanning.Then I saw her.Halfway down the side of the building, moving fast, controlled.

And above,Movement.Another figure.Closing in.“Company,” I said.“I see him.”

“Don’t engage.”

“Too late.”The man dropped down onto the fire escape above her, blocking her path.No gun this time.Close combat.Intentional.

“Go down,” I said.

“Can’t.”

“Then go through him.”A pause.Then,Impact.Metal clanged.Bodies shifted.She moved fast, but so did he.Not like the others.This one matched her.Step for step.Precision.Training.I moved along the edge, tracking both of them.

“Who is he?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, breathing tighter now.But something in her tone,Recognition.Or something close to it.The man spoke.I couldn’t hear the words clearly.But she did.And whatever he said,It changed everything.Her movement faltered.Just for a second.Enough.He grabbed her arm.Hard.

She reacted immediately, twisting, breaking free, but not clean.Not controlled.Different.“Isabella,” I said sharply, “focus.”She didn’t respond.The man moved again.Faster.More aggressive.He wasn’t trying to kill her.He was trying to take her.That confirmed it.“They want you alive,” I said.

“I figured that out.”

“Then don’t let them.”

“I’m trying not to.”Their fight shifted downward.Closer to the ground.I ran back inside, taking the stairs again, intercepting.Two floors down,I heard it.Impact.A body hitting metal.Then silence.Too much silence.

I pushed through the exit door.The alley was empty.No sign of her.No sign of him.Nothing.I scanned the area quickly.Then I saw it.A small drop of blood.Fresh.Not much.But enough.I crouched slightly, analyzing.Direction.Movement.

Then,a sound behind me.I turned instantly.Too late.Something hit the back of my head.Hard.Not enough to knock me out.But enough to disorient.I steadied myself quickly, turning again.A man stood there.Different from the others.Older.Calm.

Watching me like he already knew the outcome.

“You’re late,” he said.I didn’t respond.I didn’t need to.I moved first.Fast.Direct.He blocked easily.Too easily.That told me everything.This wasn’t random.This wasn’t just an operation.This was planned.Layered.“You shouldn’t have married her,” he said.I stopped.Not physically.Mentally.Just for a second.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because now you’re part of it.”

“I was always part of it.”He smiled slightly.“No,” he said. “You were just adjacent.”That wasn’t reassuring.“Where is she?” I asked.He tilted his head slightly.“Still fighting.”That meant she wasn’t taken.Yet.“What do you want?” I asked.“Not you.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Because you insisted.”I didn’t like that answer.“Say it clearly,” I said.His eyes sharpened slightly.“We want her back.”Back?.That word is different.“From who?” I asked.“From herself.”That didn’t make sense.Or maybe It did.Pieces started connecting.The file.The name.The photo.“You know who she is,” I said.

“I know who she was.”

“And now?”He didn’t answer immediately.Then,“That depends on you.”Before I could respond, something moved behind him.Fast.Silent.Precise.A shadow,Then impact.The man’s body jerked forward slightly.His expression changed.Not pain.Surprise.He looked down slowly.At the blade now embedded in his side.Then he collapsed.And she stepped out from behind him.Breathing steady.Eyes sharp.Alive.

“You’re slow,” she said.I almost smiled.Almost.“You disappeared,” I replied.“I handled it.”I glanced at the body.“He talks?”

“Enough.”

“What did you get?”She looked at me for a second longer than necessary.

Then,“They want me back.”Same word.Same meaning.Different weights.“Back where?” I asked.She didn’t answer immediately.And that told me,She knew.More than she was saying.Before I could push further,A sound cut through the air.

Engines.Multiple.Closing in.We both looked toward the street.Black vehicles.Too many.Too fast.“They’re not done,” I said.“They never are.”She stepped back slightly.Not away.Just enough to move.Strategic.

“What now?” I asked.She met my gaze.And for the first time,There was something real in it.Not control.Not calculation.Something deeper.“We stop running,” she said.“That’s a bad idea.”

“Maybe.”Another vehicle screeched to a stop.Doors opened.Men stepped out.Armed.Organized.Ready.“This is bigger than you think,” she added.“I already know that.”

“No,” she said quietly. “You don’t.”I looked at her.Really looked this time.And I saw it.The truth she hadn’t said.The one thing she had been holding back.“Tell me,” I said.She shook her head slightly.“Not here.”

“Then when?”She glanced at the incoming men.Then back at me.“When you’re ready to hear it.”That wasn’t reassuring.The first gun raised.No more time.I stepped closer to her.“Then we survived first,” I said.She nodded once.Agreed.For now.The first shot fired.And everything exploded into motion again.But this time,We weren’t just being hunted.We were being pulled into something

far worse.And neither of us knew where it would end.