Chapter 10: Into the Night
811 Words
The jolt was violent — a bone-rattling CRASH that threw Rose forward in her seat. Her seatbelt locked hard across her chest, cutting into her ribs as the tires screeched on the asphalt. Daniel’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles whitened, his jaw set like carved stone.
“Hold on!” he barked, jerking the car forward.
Rose twisted in her seat just in time to see the sedan’s shadowy silhouette looming behind them, its headlights burning hot and hostile. It surged forward again, bumping its rear with enough force to make the metal groan.
“What do they want?” she gasped, her fingers clutching the door.
Daniel’s eyes stood forward, scanning the road. “Not to talk.” He downshifted, the engine growling deeply, and the car shot forward. The city lights blurred into streaks of gold and red as they raced through the empty streets.
The sedan stayed close — too close. Whoever was behind the wheel knew what they were doing.
Rose’s pulse thudded in her ears. “Can’t you—?”
“I am,” Daniel cut in, turning sharply onto a side street. The tires squealed, the smell of burning rubber seeping in through the vents.
Behind them, the sedan followed without hesitation.
Rose looked at Daniel’s profile — the way his brows furrowed in concentration, the faint sheen of sweat at his temple — and for the first time since meeting him, she realized how dangerous he really was. Not just dangerous to others… but to her heart.
A sharp pop cracked through the night. The rear window is spider-webbed instantly. Rose ducked with a gasp.
“They’re shooting at us?!”
Daniel didn’t answer. He yanked the car into another turn, then another, weaving through the industrial district where the streets were narrower and dimly lit. The sedan kept coming, its engine roaring like a predator in pursuit.
Rose’s breaths came in quick bursts, her hands pressed into her lap to stop them from shaking. Every bump in the road jolted through her spine. The air was thick with adrenaline, the hum of danger thrumming between them.
Then Daniel’s voice came, low and steady. “Rose, there’s a gun in the glove compartment. Open it.”
Her heart stopped. “A—what?!”
“Now.”
She fumbled for the latch, and it popped open with a click. Inside, nestled beside a spare phone and a folded map, was a sleek black pistol. The weight of it startled her as she picked it up.
“I don’t know how—”
“You don’t need to shoot,” he said, eyes still fixed ahead. Just hold it. They need to see it.”
Her hands trembled as she lifted it, angling it, so the sedan’s headlights would catch the glint of the barrel.
For a moment, the car behind them slowed.
Daniel seized the opportunity, turning down an unlit service road that ran parallel to the docks. The smell of saltwater drifted through the cracked window. The road narrowed, hemmed in by towering stacks of shipping containers.
“Daniel…” Rose’s voice was barely a whisper now.
“I see it,” he replied. His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror — the sedan had followed, but their speed had dropped.
It was a trap. She could feel it in her bones.
Daniel slammed on the brakes. Rose lurched forward, the seatbelt biting into her again. The sedan screeched to a halt just twenty feet behind them.
For a breathless second, no one moved.
Then, the driver’s door opened.
A man stepped out, his face shadowed by the glow of the headlights. He moved with slow, deliberate confidence, one hand hidden in his coat pocket.
Daniel opened his door too.
Rose grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t—”
His eyes met hers, steady and unflinching. “Stay in the car.” No matter what happens.”
Her heart pounded in her throat as she watched him step into the beam of light.
The man in the coat stopped, tilted his head slightly, and smiled.
“Well,” the stranger said, his voice deep and oddly calm. “Looks like the king’s favorite pawn finally left the board.”
Daniel froze for half a second — just long enough for Rose to see something flash in his eyes. Recognition.
“Who are you?” Daniel asked.
The stranger chuckled, but didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into his coat.
Rose’s fingers tightened around the gun in her lap.
And then—
A loud bang shattered the night.
But it wasn’t from the stranger’s hand.
It came from somewhere behind both cars.
Headlights flared in the distance, fast approaching. A third vehicle.
Daniel turned just enough to see it. His jaw tightened.
“This just got worse,” he muttered.
- Writer
