Gunfire roared behind her like a storm. The two cartels were tearing each other apart—screaming, shouting, bullets flying in every direction. Elena didn’t look back. She had no time to think. She just ran.
Her legs moved like they didn’t belong to her. Her chest burned. Branches whipped her face as she pushed through the trees. The forest was dark, cold, and silent—except for the distant echoes of war behind her.
She was tired. Not just from running. But from days without sleep, from fear digging into her bones, from Merrissa’s screams still echoing in her mind. Her body was giving up, but her heart refused to stop. She had to get away. She had to survive.
Somewhere behind her, leaves cracked.
She didn’t need to look. She knew it was him.
Rico.
Her heart pounded faster. She kept runn
