A Night With Mr. Woods

CHAPTER 17

The fall jolted the air from my lungs. Adrian’s grip on my ankle was merciless, dragging me across the wet tunnel floor. My nails scraped against the stone, catching on cracks, but nothing slowed him. The file dug into my chest, its edges biting through the fabric of my shirt. Panic clawed at me as the light above, and Damian’s outstretched hand, disappeared into the distance.

“Let me go!” I screamed, twisting violently. My heel connected with his side. He grunted but did not release me. His laugh was low, bitter, a sound that chilled my blood.

“You fight like him,” Adrian said, his voice rough. “But unlike my dear brother, you will learn the futility of resistance.”

I kicked harder, wild and desperate. Finally, my foot slipped free, and I scrambled to my knees. The tunnel stretched ahead in both directions, dark and endless. My heart hammered as I chose one at random and ran, my legs splashing through the shallow stream.

Adrian’s footsteps followed, steady and relentless. He was not rushing. He was hunting.

My breaths came sharp and ragged. The file weighed me down, but I could not let it go. It was the only proof of my father’s truth, the only thing that might explain why I was trapped in this nightmare.

The tunnel twisted sharply, then widened into a cavernous space. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, forming a pool that shimmered in the dim light of a single overhead lamp. I stumbled to a stop, chest heaving, and spun in a circle. There were no other exits. I was cornered.

Adrian emerged from the shadows, his smile thin and cruel. “You should not have run.”

I backed away until cold stone pressed against my spine. My fingers tightened on the file, though my hands shook. “What do you want from me?”

His eyes darkened, his expression hardening. “What I am owed. Your father was not the man you thought he was, Allison. He built his empire on secrets, alliances, betrayals. And when he died, all of it should have been mine.”

I shook my head, tears burning at the corners of my eyes. “You are lying. My father was not like you.”

Adrian stepped closer, his voice low. “Believe what you want. But deep down, you already know. That file in your arms will show you who he truly was.”

I pressed the folder tighter against my chest, my voice trembling. “Then why not take it? Why chase me?”

His smirk returned, cold and unsettling. “Because the file means nothing without you. You are the key, Allison. Your blood. Your name. Everything your father tried to shield is now in you.”

Before I could respond, a voice boomed through the chamber, raw with fury. “Adrian!”

Damian.

The sound cracked through me like lightning. My head snapped toward the tunnel entrance where he appeared, soaked, bruised, but alive. His eyes locked on me, fierce and unyielding. Relief surged through me, so powerful it made my knees weak.

Adrian’s expression twisted. “You never know when to give up, brother.”

Damian strode into the cavern, every step radiating controlled rage. “Let her go.”

Adrian laughed, the sound echoing off the stone walls. “You think you can protect her? You could not even protect our family. You could not protect yourself.”

Their eyes clashed, the weight of years of bitterness filling the air. Damian’s voice cut like steel. “This ends tonight.”

Before Adrian could answer, he lunged at me, fingers snatching for the file. I cried out, stumbling back, but Damian was faster. He slammed into Adrian, the impact sending them both crashing to the ground. The file slipped from my arms, skidding across the wet floor.

I scrambled toward it, but a splash of water and the screech of metal stopped me cold. A gate dropped from the ceiling, sealing the tunnel behind Damian. We were trapped together in the cavern, no escape.

Adrian pushed Damian off, both men rising to their feet, their chests heaving, their eyes locked. The tension between them was a storm, and I was standing in the middle of it.

Adrian’s smile was dark. “If you want her, you will have to destroy me.”

Damian clenched his fists, his gaze steady. “I already plan to.”

The cavern shook as they charged at each other, the sound of their clash echoing like thunder. I clutched the file against me, my body trembling, my mind screaming one truth.

No matter who won, nothing would ever be the same.

And then, from the far wall, another sound stirred. A grinding, metallic groan. A hidden door slid open, revealing a silhouette in the darkness. Not Kira. Someone else.

“Allison,” the figure said, voice low and chilling. “We have been waiting for you.”