Kael Maddox – POV**
The sound of gunfire cracked again, echoing off the shattered concrete walls like thunder. I pressed my back tighter against the pillar, breath sharp and ragged, adrenaline surging. Bullet casings littered the ground like gold teeth, hot and gleaming.
Darren crouched beside me, his hands shaking as he tried to peek from behind the low barrier. The whites of his eyes were wide, frantic.
“What do you *mean* they’re targeting us?” he barked over the ringing in our ears. “You said us, Kael! Why us?”
I didn't look at him. My eyes stayed forward, calculating the shooter’s rhythm, listening for the exact tempo between shots. One second. Two. Four.
“On the count of three,” I said sharply, pushing down my panic, “we move.”
“What?” Darren hissed. “Kael—Kael—do you even hear
