CHAPTER 4- SHADOWS DON'T SLEEP
1329 Words
The blinking red light beneath the safe house flashed once.
Then disappeared.
No one noticed.
Not Aimaara.
Not Rayyan.
Not even Emmeer.
---
Outside, a black SUV rolled silently into an abandoned warehouse a few kilometres away.
The engine died.
A man stepped out, dressed in an immaculate black suit despite the pouring rain.
His polished shoes splashed through puddles as he entered the warehouse.
More than twenty men were already waiting.
No one spoke.
They lowered their heads the moment he appeared.
At the far end of the room, dozens of surveillance monitors glowed in the darkness.
One screen displayed a blinking red dot.
The man's lips curved into a faint smile.
"We found them."
One of his subordinates stepped forward.
"Should we move tonight, sir?"
The man rested a gloved hand on the table.
"No."
"They've only just begun to trust each other."
He tapped the screen showing the blinking dot.
"Fear grows best..."
His smile widened.
"...when people still believe they're safe."
---
Meanwhile, inside the safe house, Aimaara couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard gunshots.
She saw the shattered bookshelves inside Libreria Aurora.
She felt Emmeer's hand pulling her through the smoke.
None of it felt real.
Just yesterday, her biggest worry had been missing a project deadline.
Now, she was hiding in an underground safe house with a man carrying a gun and enough secrets to fill an entire library.
She let out a slow sigh.
"This can't be my life."
Unable to sleep, she quietly stepped into the kitchen.
The digital clock read 2:43 A.M.
She poured herself a glass of water.
As she turned, she almost screamed.
Emmeer was standing by the window.
Motionless.
Watching the rain.
"You walk too quietly," she whispered, placing a hand over her racing heart.
His eyes remained fixed outside.
"I could say the same about you."
She walked closer.
Moonlight filtered through the rain-streaked glass, outlining the sharp angles of his face.
For the first time, he looked tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like a man who hadn't allowed himself to rest in years.
"You don't sleep?"
He shook his head.
"Not much."
"Nightmares?"
A faint silence followed.
Then—
"Memories."
His answer lingered in the room.
Aimaara looked down.
"I know what that's like."
Emmeer finally turned to face her.
"What do you dream about?"
She hesitated.
"Rain."
"A man calling my name."
"A gunshot."
She swallowed.
"And..."
Her voice dropped.
"Grey eyes."
For the first time since they'd met, Emmeer looked genuinely shaken.
He took half a step toward her.
"What did you just say?"
"My dreams."
"I've had the same one since I was twelve."
She laughed softly, trying to ease the tension.
"Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"
"It isn't."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"It isn't ridiculous at all."
Before she could ask why—
A shrill alarm suddenly echoed through the safe house.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Rayyan bolted upright from the sofa.
His laptop screen lit up automatically.
Multiple security cameras flashed red.
His expression drained of colour.
"Emmeer..."
"We've got movement."
"How many?"
Rayyan's fingers flew across the keyboard.
He zoomed in on one camera after another.
"...Eight."
Another camera.
"...Twelve."
His breathing became uneven.
"Oh, no..."
"They're surrounding the entire perimeter."
Emmeer didn't hesitate.
"How long?"
Rayyan looked at the countdown on the screen.
"...Less than three minutes."
Emmeer turned toward Aimaara.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
"The safe house is compromised."
Aimaara's pulse hammered.
"What do we do?"
He picked up his pistol and checked the magazine.
Then he reached beneath the table and retrieved a black tactical rifle.
He handed a small earpiece to Rayyan.
"Plan Echo."
Rayyan nodded immediately.
"What about her?"
Emmeer looked at Aimaara.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he said quietly,
"This time..."
His gaze hardened.
"I'm not letting them take you."
The safest place in Kuala Lumpur had just become the most dangerous.
Red warning lights flashed across the concrete walls.
Rayyan's fingers flew over the keyboard.
"They've disabled Camera Three."
A second later—
"...Camera Five too."
His jaw tightened.
"They know exactly where they're going."
Emmeer didn't look surprised.
He looked prepared.
As though this day had always been inevitable.
He opened a hidden compartment beneath the table.
Inside lay several passports, cash, a satellite phone and three black pistols.
Aimaara stared.
"How many safe houses do you have?"
"Enough."
"Enough for what?"
He loaded another magazine into his pistol.
"For people who don't expect to live long."
His answer sent a chill down her spine.
Rayyan looked up from the monitor.
"They're splitting into four teams."
"They're blocking every exit."
Emmeer nodded once.
"They're learning."
Rayyan frowned.
"That's not funny."
"I wasn't joking."
The room fell silent.
Aimaara watched the two men.
Neither panicked.
Neither raised their voices.
That frightened her more than the alarms.
Because people only stayed this calm when they had survived this before.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The entire safe house shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The lights flickered.
"They've breached the outer wall!" Rayyan shouted.
Another explosion sounded, closer this time.
Concrete cracked above them.
Emmeer grabbed Aimaara's wrist.
"Stay behind me."
She wanted to argue.
She wanted answers.
Instead, she nodded.
The steel door burst open.
Three armed men stormed into the corridor.
Black tactical uniforms.
Silver crescent insignias on their shoulders.
The Covenant.
One of them raised his rifle.
Everything happened in less than a second.
BANG!
Emmeer's shot echoed first.
The attacker dropped.
The second man fired.
Bullets struck the concrete wall.
Emmeer shoved Aimaara behind a pillar before returning fire.
His movements were terrifyingly precise.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
No fear.
He wasn't fighting.
He was surviving.
Aimaara covered her ears.
Gunfire filled the corridor.
Smoke spread through the air.
Her breathing became ragged.
This wasn't like the movies.
It wasn't exciting.
It was horrifying.
Every gunshot made her flinch.
Every scream made her stomach twist.
Then she saw him.
A fourth attacker had slipped behind Emmeer unnoticed.
He raised his pistol.
Straight at Emmeer's back.
Aimaara's eyes widened.
"EMMEER!"
Without thinking, she ran.
She shoved him aside.
A shot rang out.
Aimaara cried out and fell to the floor.
Her shoulder throbbed with pain.
For a moment, everything blurred.
Emmeer turned.
For the first time, the calm man disappeared.
Fear flashed across his face.
Real fear.
"Aimaara!"
He dropped to his knees beside her.
His hands trembled as he tried to help her.
"Stay with me."
She tried to smile.
"I'm..."
Her voice shook.
"I'm okay."
"No."
His voice cracked.
"Don't you dare lie to me."
Rayyan rushed over with his medical bag.
"She's hurt."
"I know!"
Emmeer snapped.
The fury in his voice froze everyone.
Rayyan had never seen him like this.
Neither had Aimaara.
The remaining attackers hesitated.
One of them whispered,
"...The Dark Prince."
Another immediately lowered his weapon.
"Retreat."
"What?"
"NOW!"
Within seconds, the surviving members of The Covenant disappeared into the smoke.
Silence returned.
Broken only by Aimaara's uneven breathing.
Rayyan looked toward the doorway in confusion.
"They..."
"They ran."
Emmeer didn't answer.
His entire focus remained on Aimaara.
He gently brushed damp strands of hair away from her face.
"You idiot..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Why would you do that?"
Aimaara forced a weak smile.
"You..."
She swallowed.
"...were standing in front of the bullet."
For a moment, Emmeer closed his eyes.
His forehead rested lightly against hers.
"I promised your father..."
His voice shook.
"...I'd protect you."
He opened his eyes.
"I wasn't supposed to fail again."
---
Outside, a man watched the safe house through a sniper scope from a distant rooftop.
He smiled faintly.
"So..."
His gaze remained fixed on Emmeer.
"The Dark Prince finally has a weakness."
He lowered the rifle.
"This changes everything."
The Covenant no longer wanted the key.
They had found something far more valuable.
Emmeer Fahren's heart.
— TO BE CONTINUED —
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