The armored vehicle plunged down the winding valley road, rain hammering the metal roof in relentless rhythm. The forest walls closed in, shadows twisting and writhing like living things, each one a potential ambush. Lena’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel, every nerve screaming tension, every instinct sharpened to a painful edge.
Adrian’s voice echoed softly inside her mind, calm yet unnervingly precise. Threat convergence imminent. Probability of interception increasing exponentially.
She swallowed, her heart pounding. “You don’t have to remind me,” she muttered under her breath.
Correction: I do. Compliance improves survival.
Lena gritted her teeth. She hated being told what to do — yet every movement he suggested had kept them alive so far. She was beginning to realize how
