The rain pounded harder now, drumming on the armored vehicle like a relentless heartbeat. Every splash against the windshield blurred the lights of the forest road into shifting streaks, shadows and shapes twisting in impossible ways. Lena’s hands were slick with sweat, despite the cold, as her mind raced against the whispering calm that had taken residence inside her skull.
Adrian.
Alert: multiple threats detected. Probability of capture rising.
Her pulse spiked. “Not now,” she muttered, teeth clenched.
Alex’s voice cut through the tension. “We’re losing them,” he said, though the tightness around his eyes betrayed him. He drove with machine-like precision, swerving to avoid fallen branches and slick patches of road, yet Hale’s forces were relentless, moving faster than any human shou
