The warehouse stank of oil, sweat, and betrayal.
Ethan's hand tightened on the pistol, the metal cold but familiar against his palm. This was supposed to be a quiet hand-off. In and out. But the second the briefcase hit the table, three safeties clicked off in the shadows.
"Wrong move," one of them growled.
The first shot split the air before the words had even faded. Ethan moved without thinking — two quick squeezes of the trigger, two bodies down. Chaos exploded.
Muzzles flashed in the dark like lightning. Shouts turned to screams. A bullet seared across his ribs, another slammed into his side. Pain burned hot and sharp, but his training was muscle-deep — aim, fire, move.
He kicked the door open and ran, blood slicking his shirt, lungs straining for air. The city lights blurred into streaks as he stumbled to his car. He got in, slamming the door, gripping the wheel like it could hold him together.
His phone buzzed against his thigh. Not an incoming message — a thought. A face.
Emily.
He unlocked the screen with shaking fingers, every movement leaving smears of red. He typed slowly, the letters swimming.
Angel, don't miss me too much.
The corner of his mouth lifted, even as a wave of dizziness nearly knocked him out. He hit send, then scrolled to her contact. The ring barely lasted a second before she answered.
"Ethan?"
"Flower…" His voice was rough, dragging. "Don't get lost."
The map icon glowed, and he tapped "Share Live Location." The last thing he heard was her inhale — quick, sharp — before the world tilted.
His knees gave way. The phone slid from his hand, still connected, landing with a hollow thud on the pavement.
"Ethan?!" Emily's voice cracked through the speaker, sharper now, urgent. "Ethan!"
No answer.
She sat frozen in her dorm, eyes locked on the pulsing blue dot on her phone screen. It felt like it was calling her. The room around her seemed to shrink, the walls closing in.
She could stay and pray for him. Pretend she hadn't heard the raw edge in his voice.
Or… she could step out into the night, chasing a man who was more danger than safety, more shadow than light.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
And the blue dot kept pulsing.
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