CHAPTER 15
1281 Words
CHAPTER 15 THE ESCAPE WINDOW
The elevator hummed as it descended, its soft lights flickering slightly under the tension that hung thick in the air. Aurora’s pulse thundered so loud she was convinced Adrian could hear it. His grip on her hand was firm protective but urgent his jaw clenched tight enough to crack.
Marcus stood beside them, tapping rapidly on his phone, eyes sharp and calculating. His normally calm demeanor had hardened into something colder, something that told Aurora this wasn’t just another warning. This wasn’t just another close call.
This was real.
This was now.
“Are they sure they saw Victor’s men?” Adrian asked without opening his eyes, voice low and deadly calm.
“Positive,” Marcus muttered. “Two SUVs. Same plate patterns as their scouting rounds last week. They weren’t hiding this time.”
The elevator dinged softly.
Aurora flinched.
Adrian’s fingers squeezed hers gently. “It’s alright. You’re safe.”
She didn’t feel safe. Not even close.
The doors opened into the underground parking garage quiet, dimly lit, smelling faintly of gasoline and cold concrete. Marcus motioned them forward.
“Our window is small,” he said. “They’ll take the elevator up first. They won’t expect you to evacuate downward.”
Adrian nodded once. “Car?”
“This way.”
They hurried through the garage, their footsteps echoing a terrible reminder that any sound could give them away. Aurora kept glancing over her shoulder, half-expecting men in black suits to emerge from the shadows.
Adrian noticed.
“Don’t look back,” he murmured. “Just stay beside me.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m trying.”
When they reached the sleek black sedan parked in a secluded corner, Marcus unlocked it remotely. Adrian opened the back door and guided Aurora inside gently, his hand lingering a second longer than necessary.
That tiny moment shouldn’t have meant anything.
But it did.
Adrian slid in beside her, Marcus taking the front seat. He started the car silently electric, smooth, quiet and within seconds they were gliding out of the parking lot, merging with the evening traffic.
Only when they reached the main road did Aurora finally breathe.
But her relief was short-lived.
Marcus checked the rear mirror, frowning. “Two vehicles behind. They turned when we turned.”
Adrian didn’t curse, but his silence was loud enough.
“Are you sure?” Aurora whispered.
“Not yet,” Marcus said. “But their formation looks”
He didn’t finish.
Because right then, the second vehicle switched lanes and maintained equal speed with them.
Adrian leaned forward. “Marcus”
“I see them.”
Aurora’s heart fell into her stomach.
“No,” she breathed. “Already?”
“They traced the building far faster than expected,” Marcus muttered. “Someone tipped them.”
Adrian’s expression darkened. “Who?”
Marcus shook his head. “No idea. But whoever it is… they want her badly.”
Aurora hugged herself. “Why? I still don’t understand what Victor wants with me.”
Adrian looked at her then really looked. His eyes softened in a way she wasn’t used to. “He wants leverage. And you… unfortunately… became the perfect target.”
“But leverage for what?”
Adrian hesitated.
Marcus answered instead. “For Adrian.”
Aurora froze. “For him? But… why me?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened, and he looked away.
Marcus sighed. “Victor believes Adrian has a weakness. And he thinks—”
He glanced at Aurora in the rearview mirror.
“He thinks you’re it.”
Aurora blinked fast, confused, overwhelmed, terrified… and something else she couldn’t name.
“That’s ridiculous,” she whispered. “I barely know him.”
Adrian didn’t speak.
He didn’t deny it.
And the silence said everything.
Marcus tapped the steering wheel. “Hold on.”
Suddenly he accelerated, switching lanes smoothly, pushing the car through a narrow gap between a bus and a speeding bike. Aurora gasped, grabbing Adrian’s arm for support.
He steadied her instantly. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Marcus kept maneuvering sharply, trying to shake the vehicles behind. But they followed—unrelenting, persistent, too coordinated to be coincidence.
“They’re definitely tailing,” Marcus confirmed, voice tightening. “One of them is Victor’s lieutenant Orion.”
Adrian cursed under his breath. “This just escalated.”
“Who’s Orion?” Aurora asked.
Adrian exhaled slowly. “Someone Victor uses when he wants things done quietly. Efficiently. Without witnesses.”
Aurora’s blood ran cold.
Marcus glanced back. “We can’t go to the safehouse. Not with them on us.”
“Then where?” Adrian asked.
Marcus smirked faintly. “Don’t worry. I have an idea.”
Aurora didn’t trust that smile.
The chase intensified as the car swerved through traffic. Marcus drove like a man who’d been trained for this a terrifying blend of control and recklessness. The tires screeched at sharp turns, horns blared, and Aurora’s heart slammed against her ribs with each shift.
“Almost there,” Marcus muttered.
They took a sudden right, entering a narrow service road leading to an old warehouse district. The buildings towered over them, their windows cracked, graffiti scrawled across the walls.
“This looks abandoned,” Aurora whispered.
“That’s the point,” Marcus said.
He accelerated toward a rusted metal gate, not slowing.
“Marcus!” Adrian snapped.
“It’ll give.”
The gate didn’t just give
It burst open as the car crashed through, metal screeching against metal before flinging outward.
They drove into a large, empty warehouse interior.
The car screeched to a stop.
Marcus turned off the engine. Silence swallowed the space.
Aurora’s breathing was ragged. Her hands shook. Adrian turned to her, cupping her jaw gently.
“You’re safe.”
Her eyes watered, not from fear, but from the painful sincerity in his voice.
But then
Headlights flashed outside.
Marcus cursed. “They’re here.”
Adrian stiffened. “Weapons?”
Marcus reached under the driver’s seat and handed him a sleek black pistol.
Adrian took it without hesitation.
Aurora’s breath caught. “You’re armed?”
Adrian looked at her softly. “I promised I’d keep you safe. I meant it.”
Before she could respond, Marcus spoke sharply:
“We need to move. Now.”
Adrian opened the door, stepping out with the fluid, dangerous grace of someone who’d been trained for far more than Aurora knew. He extended a hand to her.
She hesitated only a second.
Then she took it.
He pulled her close, shielding her body with his as they moved through the warehouse. Marcus walked ahead, checking corners, scanning shadows.
Voices echoed outside.
“We don’t have much time,” Adrian whispered.
Aurora’s heart pounded.
“Where do we go?” she whispered.
Marcus pointed toward a metal staircase leading to the upper catwalk. “There’s an emergency exit at the top. Leads out the back.”
Adrian nodded. “Move.”
They hurried up the stairs, their footsteps soft but urgent. Aurora tried not to look down, tried not to imagine the men below hunting her.
Halfway up, a gunshot cracked.
Aurora screamed as a bullet tore through the railing inches from her hand.
Adrian yanked her to his chest.
“They’re inside!” Marcus shouted.
Adrian pushed Aurora behind him, eyes blazing with cold fury.
“You’re not touching her,” he growled into the shadows.
Another bullet fired.
And then
A familiar voice echoed through the warehouse.
Deep. Cold. Mocking.
“Well, well,” the voice drawled.
“Looks like I found my little leverage piece after all.”
Aurora’s blood froze.
Victor.
He had come himself.
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