Chapter 16: Zara Is Targeted
718 Words
Zara Tyler had always believed fear announced itself loudly.
She was wrong.
Fear was quiet.
It was the way the street felt too empty when she stepped out of the café.
The way her phone had no signal bars, even though it always did here.
The way the air pressed against her chest as if warning her to turn back.
She adjusted her coat and told herself she was being paranoid.
Jason had been clear Don’t move alone. Not now.
But she was tired of hiding. Tired of being treated like fragile glass.
And most of all, tired of being the reason men went to war.
Her heels clicked against the pavement as she walked toward her car.
That was when she noticed the black SUV.
It had been parked across the street when she arrived. Now, it was closer.
Zara slowed.
So did the SUV.
Her pulse spiked.
No. Don’t panic. Think.
She reached her car and unlocked it quickly, slipping inside and slamming the door. Her hands shook as she started the engine.
The SUV’s engine roared to life.
It pulled out behind her.
Her stomach dropped.
The streets blurred as she drove faster than she should, heart pounding violently against her ribs. She took a sharp left, then another right routes she knew by instinct.
The SUV stayed with her.
Closer now.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, startling a gasp out of her.
Jason: Where are you?
Relief flooded her so hard it almost hurt.
Zara: I think someone’s following me.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Jason: Don’t hang up. Share your location. Now.
Her fingers fumbled as she sent it.
The SUV honked once. Loud. Aggressive.
Her breath turned shallow.
“Please,” she whispered, unsure who she was begging.
The road ahead narrowed construction. One lane. Nowhere to turn.
The SUV accelerated.
The impact came fast.
Metal screamed as her car was hit from the side, spinning violently before slamming into the curb. The world tilted. Pain exploded across her shoulder as her head snapped forward.
The engine died.
Silence followed thick and terrifying.
Her door handle rattled.
Zara froze.
A shadow fell across her window.
Her heart hammered so hard she thought it might give her away.
The door yanked open.
A man stood there tall, unfamiliar, eyes cold and empty.
“Zara Tyler,” he said calmly. “You should’ve stayed quiet.”
Her throat closed.
“Who sent you?” she demanded, her voice shaking despite herself.
He smiled faintly. Not kindly.
“You already know.”
Ethan.
The name burned through her like acid.
She tried to scream.
A hand clamped over her mouth.
Before darkness could claim her, sirens screamed in the distance.
The man cursed under his breath, shoving her back into the seat. He slammed the door and retreated fast, jumping back into the SUV as police lights flooded the street.
Zara collapsed forward, gasping, shaking uncontrollably.
Minutes later felt like seconds.
Jason’s car skidded to a stop beside hers.
He was out before the engine even cut.
“ZARA!”
She barely recognized the sound that left her throat when she saw him.
Jason pulled her into his arms, hands framing her face, checking her desperately. His eyes usually so controlled were wild now. Furious. Terrified.
“Did he touch you?” he demanded. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, tears spilling freely.
“He said my name,” she whispered. “He knew who I was.”
Jason’s jaw hardened instantly.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
Ethan wasn’t threatening anymore.
He was attacking.
Jason pressed his forehead to hers, breathing her in as if grounding himself.
“I told you I’d protect you,” he said lowly. “And I will.”
But there was something new in his voice now.
Something darker.
Something ruthless.
As the police questioned her and paramedics checked her injuries, Zara watched Jason step aside, already on the phone.
“I don’t care what it costs,” he said coldly. “Find everything. Every shell company. Every weakness. I want him exposed.”
He ended the call and turned back to her.
Their eyes met.
Zara understood then truly understood.
She hadn’t just been targeted.
She had become the battlefield.
And the war had officially begun.
- Writer
