RUIN AND REDEMPTION

Chapter 002: The Flames Rekindled

"You cannot just walk away from me like this, Ethan. Not after all; Victor's voice was low, almost a growl, as he moved closer to me and his hand reached out in a wordless appeal. His eyes were fierce, pitiful, and full of something I wasn't ready to see. Something I had attempted years ago to bury.

Though it was little compared to the heat he projected, the chilly night air hung to my skin. My pulse thumping in my chest, I stood there frozen and watched him come forward. Though my body deceived me and I yearned to feel his touch once again, my head shouted for me to remain strong. In order to leave.

"Don't," I said, shaking my head and my voice quivering in spite of the rage burning through me. "You are not free to do this. After five years, you are not allowed to simply stroll back into my life and expect everything to be the same.

Victor tightened his jaw and twisted his face with irritation. "You believe I am ignorant of that?

You believe I have not spent every day regretting what I did? Every day I wish I could correct it. His voice broke, and I could see the unvarnished sensitivity in his eyes. It was plenty to cause my resolve to waver to tighten my chest.

Trying to keep the gap and preserve the barriers I had erected between us intact, I stepped back. "I have no need for your regrets. I have no need for your apologizes. You disappointed Victor. You broke every bit we owned.

His breath stopped, and for a brief moment, I noticed a flash of something in his eyes that I couldn't really pinpoint. "I didn't want to hurt you," he continued, his voice soft but firm. "I'm supposed to be shielding you. I considered myself to be acting morally.

I laughed, bitterness filling my bloodlines. "Protecting me? Victor, you left me absolutely empty. Not even a lifetime of questions or a wounded heart. How the devil do you expect me to believe that?

His face is only inches away from mine now, and my breath froze in my throat as he moved even another step forward. Since I never stopped loving you. Not even momentarily. And I will spend my lifetime ensuring you know that as well. His voice lowered to a whisper; his hand reached out to lightly touch my face, a featherlight caress that rocked me.

Although I sprang back and pushed his hand away, harm was already done. The contact had set off an uncontrollably raging fire inside me. The past flooded my senses; he desire, the passion, the agony. My breath accelerated, and for a second I forgot why I was furious. Why was I meant to despise him?

I stopped, inhaled, and retreated to another step. "You cannot simply walk back into my life and hope I will forget everything." A kiss or some meaningless words won't help you to correct this. You demolished Victor.

His visage stiffened, the sensitivity replaced by something darker—something deadly. You believe I lack knowledge about that? You consider me to have destroyed everything. But here, Ethan, I am right now. And I have nowhere to be headed.

His resiliency chilled my spine, and for the first time I questioned whether I had undervalued him. If this narrative included more than what I knew.

The sound of faraway footsteps filled the parking lot before I could reply. With my instincts ablaze, I turned toward the sounds, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge. I could hear that.

Victor closed his eyes and tightened his jaw. "We don't have time for this," he remarked, firmly gripping my arm and nearly hurting with his hold. "They're arriving."

Panic growing in my chest, I said, "Who?" My heart accelerated, and the weight of something unspoken electrified the air around us.

Victor's face darkened as his gaze strayed to the darkness. "I'll discuss later. We urgently need to leave this place.

I pulled away, but his hold was relentless. Victor, what's happening? Fear crept into my voice; this is not a sensation I had let myself feel in years. But standing here with him, I couldn't get rid of the impression that we both could be about to do something perilous.

"We are being watched," he continued, his voice low and anxious. "And we won't make it out of here alive if we stay still."

Every instinct shouted at me to flee; my heart fell to my stomach. But I hesitated, caught between the guy I used to love and the unidentified danger hovering far away.

Victor never waited for my reply. His hold strong around my wrist, he pulled me toward the black SUV, forcing me into the backseat before I could register what was happening. The door closed tightly, and I hardly had time to inhale before the engine came on.

"We can't outrun them," Victor remarked, his voice slightly lacking something I could not quite name. Was that anxiety? Decision-making Probably both.

My head whirling, I stared at trying to understand what was happening. "Who are they, Victor?" I pleaded, barely audible above a whisper.

He did not respond right away. His gaze scanned the vacant streets behind us from the rearview mirror. The stillness suffocatingly stretched between us. Then at last he turned to face me, his eyes black and austere.

"Ethan, I will go over everything. I will swear. Right now, though, you have to trust me. Trust me to be doing all I can to keep you secure.

The words died in my throat as I opened my mouth to demand the answers I deserved, to protest. He was not dishonest.

The rawness of his look, the way his hands grabbed the steering wheel like it was the only thing preventing him from losing control, revealed the truth to me.

The conflict between us was intolerable; the air was heavy with unspoken words, unresolved emotions, and the awareness that everything had now altered.

The SUV veered drastically, and I felt an adrenaline surge sweep across me. As I looked over my shoulder, my heart hammered against my chest, and my breath seized upon the sight of another automobile fast following us.

Under his breath, Victor said, "They're getting closer," his hand tightening on the wheel.

My stomach sinking, I turned to him. "Who the hell are they?"

Victor answered none. Rather, he pushed on the throttle, and the automobile licked ahead over the vacant streets. The night took us entirely, and my heart ran in sync with the tire screeching.

Still, it was not the speed that caused anxiety. The fact that I knew neither who was chasing us nor why.

Victor tightened his hold on the wheel, his knuckles becoming white. He issued a warning: "Hold on." "This isn't done yet."

And the car behind us made a fast bend, cutting us off just when I believed things could not get worse. Identical to the black SUV we were in, it crashed into the side of our car and sent us flying onto the pavement.

My body pushed hard against the seatbelt as the automobile slid out of control. The globe whirled. I yelled, but the voice was muffled by the screaming metal as the surge of terror coursed through me.

Under his breath, Victor swore as the ground around us spun sharply.

With a shock, I came to. My head was throbbing as I tried to make sense of what was happening. The car had stopped, its engine whirling crazily, and the outside world blurred. Trying to straighten myself, my breath came in jagged rushes, and I discovered my seatbelt was still keeping me in place.

"Virtual!" I crooned, terror rising in my chest. The quiet that followed was startling. The automobile had stopped violently.

The door creaked open, and then I heard a fast footfall. The door closed, and the frigid night air surged inside.

"Stay down," Victor said, his voice low and urgent. I stopped as his hand stretched over to unbuckle my seatbelt, uncertainty blurring my head. Though not staring at me. His body stiff and ready for anything, his eyes were darting throughout the surrounding gloom.

He whispered, his voice a whisper, "They're here."

I hardly had time to react when I heard it—the distinct sound of feet closing in, quick and weighty. Someone was on their way to see us; this time there would be no getaway.

Victor tightened his hold on my arm. "Now, move."

I saw them—figures rising from the darkness, rifles lifted—before I could answer.

Then all went dark once more.