Chasing The Forbidden

Chapter 3

“Shadows of Betrayal”

Nolan's voice was tight as he said, "You're the last person I ever wanted to hurt, Sophie," like a confession falling out. Still, you have to trust me if you seek solutions. You must rely on us.

I did not respond straight away. How could? From the dizzying events of the previous few minutes, the weight of Nolan's touch, his almost frantic, almost desperate grip haunting me, was still reeling my body from the shock.

I had told myself I was done with him, done with the middle of the feelings he brought into my life. Now, though, standing here with his words ringing in my ears, I discovered I was caught between a present that seemed more frightening than ever and a past I let go of.

"I don't know how you expect me to trust you," I replied, my voice low, little above a whisper, yet bearing the weight of all I couldn't say. The allegiance betrayed. The lie. The ache. After everything you've done... everything you left me to do alone... How am I expected to believe you now, Nolan?

He flinched, and for a split second the mask of control he normally wore failed. His eyes softened with remorse, but only briefly before he closed them, his jaw tightening.

"I had my reasons," he stated in a low, almost snarl. You do not know everything, Sophie. You do not want to know everything. The reality is, though, you are already implicated in this. You run a risk whether you enjoy it. We are at risk.

I had a chill down my back. Dangers? Of what sort of risk, Nolan?

He shook his head, maybe not wanting to respond, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. For queries, it is too late. All I can say, Sophie, is, we are running out of time. You know nothing, whatever you think. They have been observing our behavior. Observe you. For a protracted period.

I found it difficult to breathe. As the weight of his comments started to seep in, my pulse surged in my neck. Observing from here. By whom was I being watched? Furthermore, why?

" Who, Nolan? I insisted, my voice shaking with a mix of terror and resentment. Who is doing this? And why is this all occurring now?

Not sure. Not right yet. He fixed me, his eyes sharp and nearly begging. I understand your need for responses. Right now, though, all you need to know is that our lives as well as yours are precariously balanced.

I wanted to yell at him, demand more, but before I could, the abrupt sound of tires outside cut off me.

Nolan, with quick and forceful motions, grabbed my arm without warning and dragged me toward the rear door. Trying to make sense of what was occurring, my heart hammered in my chest. We were under hunters. But by whom? Then why me?

Nolan said, "Get in the car," his voice short as he pulled open the door and shoved me inside, then jumped in after me.

Before the engine sprang to life, I hardly had time to notice the motion; the automobile sped down the street at a speed that made my stomach turn-over.

"Where are we going?" I gulped, my breath jaggedly gassing.

"Somewhere safe," Nolan murmured, his gaze fixed on the rear mirror as his hold on the wheel tightened. But right now, we are not safe.

My breath was short, and my heart was pounding through my veins. Tell me what Nolan is working on. Tell me every detail.

He looked at me, his lips drawn in a thin line, then turned back to face the road. "I can't, Sophie." Not now.

Desperate, clutching at me, I turned to meet him. What you owe me, Nolan, I deserved the truth after all, after the way you turned away from me without saying, leaving me to pick up the fragments by myself. Why this is occurring is something I have to know.

Deeply sighing, he ran a hand over his hair, his fingers quivering just slightly. Knowing is great. As correct is true. Still, there is no time for that. Simply trust me. Tell me kindly.

The car veered unexpectedly, and I grasped the edge of the seat as my heart sprang into my throat. Our speed was excessive. The weight of our unidentified attackers closing in was evident in the increasing tension in the air.

Then Nolan abruptly stopped, exactly as fast as it had begun. My ears rang as the car slid to stop in front of a run-down warehouse, the sound of the tires screaming against the road.

I blinked, confused eyes wide. "Where are we?" This is this place?

Nolan looked at me, his expression a combination of wrath and something else, something raw, something that made my heart skip a beat. You're safer here. Hope is what I wish. Still, we have little time.

The car door opened out of nowhere, and before I could react, a towering, broad-shouldered man wearing a black suit screaming danger emerged in the gateway. He moved forward, his icy, deliberate stare locked on Nolan.

"Nolan," the guy said in a suave, almost mocking tone. I reasoned you would be long gone by now. For you, it is too late. You know.

My heart still missed a beat. Too late for you? What the devil was going on?

Nolan remained unflinching. His jaw set in resolve, his gaze never left the man. You don't get to determine that, Marcus.

Heart pounding, I peered between them. "Who is it?" What's happening, Nolan?

Nolan's demeanor was rigid, but there was something in his gaze that I quite deciphered. You have no need to know, Sophie. Not yet.

But the sound of footsteps rang from behind me before I could even start to debate. On the back of my neck, the hair stood on end. Increasing numbers of people. Higher risk.

Don't suppose you could sprint, Nolan? You know you've crossed a boundary, Marcus replied, his voice lifeless and quiet.

Nolan stiffened, and I could see his back muscles tightening. "Never wanted to." But you made my hand move. Get clear of my path now.

Their obvious conflict was like the quiet before a tempest. And just as I felt things couldn't get worse, the warehouse door crashed open and another person, someone I never imagined I would see again, stepped inside.

My mouth stopped in my throat. It came from him.

Julians.

The guy who had turned on me. The guy who had split my planet apart.

And now he was standing there, staring at me with the cold, deliberate stare I knew all too well.

With a smile and a silky, almost mocking voice, Julian replied, "Don't look so surprised, Sophie. I'm here to do what we started.

As the weight of the past slammed into the present, the world around me appeared to whirl, and I came to see there was no escape from this. You cannot flee the storm.

Every second the air in the warehouse got more weighty. My heart pounded in my ears, muffling the strain developing between Nolan and Marcus. But the man standing in front of me suddenly made my heart race, not only from the prospect of violence. Julian:

Once claiming to adore me, the man now stood grinning as though he hadn't destroyed all I had believed in.

"Are you still here?" Though I tried to be cool, my voice shook, and I managed to murmur. "You've got some nerve, Julian."

He laughed gently and moved in front of me, his eyes never straying. I would say the same to Sophie here. I did not come here, though, for a small conversation. You know the reason I am here.

My hands shook at my sides, his words weighing down my bones. For what did he mean? Why was he there? More significantly, therefore, why had Nolan drawn me into this perilous mess?

Julian: "What is this?" My voice thickened with irritation. I asked, "What's occurring?" Why currently?

Julian's gaze strayed to Nolan before he spoke, his lips curving into a nasty smile. You still do not understand, do you? Never about you, Sophie, this was not. The focus was always about him. Speaking about Nolan.

Nolan tensed at his name, his eyes narrowed and the unsaid hostility between them clear-cut. "Julian, you're mistaken." This no longer relates to me. It has to do with defending her.

Julian chuckled, a chilly, contemptuous sound resonating off the factory walls. " Shield her? You believe you could keep her safe right now? For that, far too late is the situation.

A shudder slid down my back. I gazed at Nolan, the uncertainty, terror, and wrath bubbling inside me. "What's happening, Nolan?" Why would he be here? What is he seeking?

Nolan's jaw tightened, and I saw in his eyes the flutter of something deadly. He wants to complete what he started. And I refuse to allow him.

Too many to be a coincidence, the sound of. The footfalls reverberated from behind me as he spoke. I pivoted swiftly, my heart falling into my gut as three more people appeared from the darkness. Although their faces were hidden, their icy efficiency of presence made it very evident they were not buddies.

"No.," I murmured, my breath stopping in my throat. They're not here for me, are they?

Nolan's grip tightened on my arm, his gaze darkening as he drove me behind him. "Stay behind me". Not move regardless of what occurs.

A tight quiet descended, the air heavy with the possibility of violence. The men gathered around us were pressing in, clearly intent. Julian then moved forward, gesturing to halt them. "This ends tonight," he said, his voice both calm and dangerous.

The surrounding earth appeared to tremble suddenly as the warehouse walls resonated with the distant sound of gunfire.

A split second later the room was inundated with brilliant lights.

I froze, my heart thumping in my chest, then understood what was occurring. The lights didn't belong to us.

Do you believe you are safe? Julian's voice was low and mocking as he looked toward the door. You are not.

A stinging ache rushed across my side before I could respond; the suddenness of it blurred my eyesight. As my knees crumbled under me, the globe whirled.

"Sophie!" Nolan yelled, his voice choked with terror as he hurried to grab me. Though everything was sliding away too quickly, his hands were on me. Not sure, not sure, not sure... Follow me!

But it was already too late. My side started to hurt more, a scorching, burning that rendered consciousness difficult. In Nolan's arms, my body went slack; all I could hear were the wild yells all around me, the voices mingling in a disorganizing mist.

"Get her out of this place!" Nolan's voice pierced through the uncertainty, but it was far now, as I was falling ever farther away.

"Stay with me, Sophie!," said Nolan's voice was urgent; his face, with terrified eyes, was the final sight before everything went dark.