The cave was silent except for the sound of their hurried footsteps and the faint drip of water echoing off the jagged walls. Claire’s chest tightened with every breath, her thoughts spiraling into a frenzy. The weight of the world felt crushing. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and Lucas’s men were closing in on them. The girl they had rescued—she was safe for now, but the moment they left the cave, everything would change.
They couldn’t keep running. Not like this. Not anymore.
Claire’s fingers trembled as she ran a hand through her hair, frustration clawing at her insides. She wasn’t enough. She couldn’t be.
She glanced at Ethan. The man who had always been her partner, her anchor. The one who had saved her time and time again. And now, as the world pressed in on them, she realized
