Chapter 5: Shadows on the Wall
773 Words
When Elena woke up, everything felt like it was spinning.
Her head throbbed, her mouth was dry, and every muscle aches for some sleep. But through the haze, one thought pushed through:
Survive.
She squinted at the flickering light above her and sat up quickly. Pains linger through her head. Wincing, she steadied herself against the leather seat. The engine hummed quietly, and rain drummed on the tinted windows. They had stopped.
Then the door next to her swung open.
Jax Monroe stood there, his jacket soaked, looking hard to read.
“We’re here,” he said.
“Where... where is here?” she croaked, her voice rough.
“My safehouse. You’re out of danger—for now.”
Elena hesitated but took his hand and stepped out. The building before them looked abandoned—an old warehouse on the city’s edge. The paint was peeling, and ivy wrapped around the broken glass. It looked like a place people just drove by.
Jax led her through a rusted door, and in there, everything was different—clean, tight, and full of secrets. Concrete floors, thick walls, cameras everywhere. One monitor even had a grainy picture of her face.
“Welcome to nowhere,” Jax said dryly.
She turned to him. “You said we had a plan. We were going to take down Darian. What does that mean?”
Jax nodded. “You’ll find out. But first, sit. Eat. Breathe. You need to flush out the sedatives.”
Her stomach knotted. “You think I was drugged?”
“I know you were. I warned you. You didn’t listen.”
That hit her hard. “So, we really did know each other?”
“We were partners. You were a data analyst working on Darian’s network. You found something important—something they buried. Something no one was supposed to see.”
“What did I find?”
He paused. “You traced funds to a secret lab. Apex. They were doing human experiments there.”
A chill ran down her spine.
“Why would I forget something like that?”
Jax's face darkened. “Because confronting Darian wasn’t just about his empire. You were a threat to everything.”
She swallowed, turning away. She noticed her reflection in a panel of glass—pale skin, dark circles, haunted eyes.
“Elena…” Jax’s voice softened. “What do you remember?”
She shut her eyes tight.
A white room. A b****y clipboard. Screams behind glass. A name whispered in fear—Project Eden. Then her own hand struggled to hide a flash drive in her pocket.
Her eyes shot open.
“The flash drive! I lost it under the console in the penthouse.”
Jax cursed quietly. “We need to get it back.”
“I don’t even know what was on it.”
“You said it was the proof we needed.”
She ran her fingers through her messy hair, trying to think clearly. “Why would Darian marry me? Why go so far?”
Jax looked at her, really looking. “Because you were the only one who could stop him. He needed to own you to control you.”
Her stomach twisted.
“I don’t believe it,” she said, but her voice wavered. “He seemed... so genuine. Protective. Kind.”
“Kindness can be dangerous.”
She paced the room. “And if I remember everything?”
“Then you’ll be the most hunted woman alive.”
A heavy silence fell between them.
Then the alarm blared.
Red lights flashed. Monitors showed movement.
Elena turned to Jax. “What’s happening?!”
He rushed to the control panel. “Someone's breached the outer gate.”
“How? You said this place was hidden!”
“It was.”
Elena glanced at the monitor—and froze.
A black SUV pulled up outside the gate.
Not a van. Not an armored vehicle. Just a sleek car.
And stepping out was Darian Blackwell.
Alone. No bodyguards, no weapons—just a calm, measured walk toward the gate, hands in his coat pockets.
“Elena,” Jax warned, “get to the back exit. Now.”
But she couldn't move.
Because on the monitor, Darian stopped at the camera, looked right at it.
Looked right at her.
Then he lifted something.
Her necklace.
The one he said she never took off.
The one she didn’t even remember.
The one with her mother’s initials on the back.
“Elena,” Jax snapped, “we need to move!”
But all she could whisper was—
“He found me.”
- Writer
