Chapter 4: Into the Night
Cold air tore into Isla's lungs as her feet hit the narrow fire escape.
Rain slicked the metal beneath her palms. Somewhere behind them, her apartment door burst open—wood cracking, voices spilling inside.
"Don't look back," Rafe said.
He climbed out after her, already pulling the window shut, guiding her down the ladder with steady hands. They moved fast, breath sharp, bodies too close in the dark.
They reached the alley just as a shout rose above.
"Move," Rafe urged.
They ran.
Past trash bins. Past glowing windows. Past a life Isla felt tearing away from her with every step. Her shoe slipped on wet pavement, and she would've gone down if Rafe hadn't caught her, arm locking around her waist.
For a second, she was pressed against him, heart slamming against his chest.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
But she didn't move away.
He looked down at her, rain on his lashes, jaw tense.
"This doesn't end tonight," he said. "Do you understand?"
Her voice came out thin. "I didn't start it."
"No," he replied. "But you're the reason it exists."
Sirens wailed somewhere far off.
Rafe cursed softly and pulled her forward again.
They disappeared into the night.