Shadows We Keep

Chapter 3 : Shadows in the rain

The alley behind Mire smelled of wet asphalt and discarded cigarettes. Leila pressed her back against the cold brick, the sketchbook tucked under her jacket like a shield. The rain fell harder, turning the neon signs into smeared watercolors. She heard footsteps—heavy, deliberate— and slipped into a narrow gap between dumpsters just as a silhouette emerged from the club’s back door.

Rae’s guard, the one they called “Brick,” dragged a trembling figure out into the rain. It was Mia, her hair drenched, mascara streaking her cheeks. Her eyes widened when she saw Leila.

“Leila!” she gasped, voice cracking.

Brick shoved her forward. “Santos wants her alive. Make it quick.”

Leila’s heart hammered. She stepped forward, hand instinctively reaching for Mia’s arm, but a sudden flash of light blinded them. A gunshot rang out, echoing off the metal containers. Brick staggered, a dark bloom spreading across his chest. Behind him, a figure in a black hoodie lowered a pistol, eyes hidden behind a mask.

“Run,” the stranger whispered, voice distorted by a scrambler. “Riverbend. Midnight. Don’t trust anyone.”

Rae burst out of the club, fury flashing in his amber eyes. “Leila! Mia!”

Leila grabbed Mia’s hand, pulling her into the storm. They sprinted through puddles, the alley turning into a maze of shadows. Behind them, Rae’s roar was swallowed by the rain, but his footsteps were gaining.

They reached the end of the alley, the streetlights flickering like dying fireflies. A black SUV waited, engine idling. The masked figure opened the door. “Get in.”

Leila hesitated, heart pounding, then shoved Mia inside. The door slammed, and the SUV roared away, tires screeching on the wet road. Inside, the masked stranger removed the hood: sharp cheekbones, familiar eyes—Detective Kira Patel.

“Thought you could use a rescue,” Kira said, voice cold. “But the real battle’s just beginning.”

Leila stared, breath ragged, sketchbook clenched to her chest. The city blurred outside the window, rain washing away footprints. She glanced at Mia, who was trembling but alive, and whispered, “What have I gotten us into?”