The air outside the warehouse reeked of gunpowder, blood, and damp asphalt. Brandon moved with precision, every step purposeful, every glance calculated. Ariana followed him closely, her blade still gripped in her trembling hand. The aftermath of what they had just survived—and shared—still simmered on her skin, but the moment was over. The real world had returned, and it was hungry.
They exited through a side door and disappeared into the night, blending into shadows like ghosts. Brandon's car was stashed two blocks down, hidden behind an old tire shop. They made it in silence, both of them on high alert.
Brandon slid into the driver's seat, blood smeared across his shirt, jaw tight. Ariana sat beside him, her chest still heaving slightly, not from exertion—but from everything else.
"Are we safe?" she asked.
He didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the mirrors, fingers gripping the steering wheel. Then finally, he spoke. "For now."
But Ariana could tell safe was just a word. It didn't exist in Brandon's world—not really.
As the car sped through the empty streets, Brandon's voice cut through the stillness. "We need to disappear for a few days. Go off-grid. Luka's men won't stop after tonight."
"Where?" Ariana asked, folding her arms tightly.
"A place no one knows about. Not even my crew."
She looked at him. "Is that even possible in your world?"
He glanced at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "With you, I'll make it possible."
---
The safehouse was two hours outside the city—hidden deep in the woods, perched on a lonely cliff that overlooked the ocean. The road to get there was rugged and overgrown, as if the world had tried to forget it.
Ariana stepped out of the car, staring up at the isolated cabin. "You've brought women here before, haven't you?" she asked flatly.
Brandon walked past her, unlocking the heavy iron door. "Only once," he said without looking back. "And she betrayed me."
Ariana followed him inside, the air inside the cabin smelling like pine and old firewood. It was rustic but modern—surveillance monitors lined the wall, a hidden safe was embedded in the floor, and the windows were bulletproof. Yet it still felt like a place carved from solitude.
"I didn't expect you to save me tonight," she said finally, once they were inside and the door was locked behind them.
Brandon turned to her, eyes dark as coal. "I didn't do it to save you. I did it because no one touches what's mine."
Her breath hitched. "Yours?"
"You know you are," he said. "Even if you don't want to be."
There was something dangerous in his words, something possessive and primitive. But Ariana wasn't sure she wanted to fight it anymore. Not after everything they'd seen. Not after everything they'd done.
But before she could respond, the power flickered.
Then went out.
---
They froze. The only light now came from the moon seeping in through the windows.
Brandon was already moving, pulling a pistol from the holster at his back, scanning the monitors. But they were all dead—no signal, no heat signatures, no feed. The system had been jammed.
Ariana's heart leapt into her throat.
"They found us," she whispered.
"No," Brandon growled. "Someone else found us."
That's when the knock came.
Just one.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Brandon pointed the gun at the door but didn't move to open it. He motioned for Ariana to get behind the couch. She obeyed, crouching down as quietly as she could.
Another knock.
Then a voice.
Deep. Familiar.
"You always had a flair for hiding in plain sight, Brandon."
Brandon went still.
Ariana peeked up, trying to see his face—but his expression was unreadable.
The voice continued, "Funny how you keep dragging the same woman around into the dirt with you. First, you broke her. Then you tried to protect her. Now… you're in love with her, aren't you?"
Brandon's knuckles turned white on the grip of the gun.
"I said go away, Luka," he said coldly.
Ariana froze.
That was Luka?
"I'm not here to kill you, not yet," Luka called through the door. "I just want you to know something. James Nick is back."
The name hit Ariana like a slap. She jerked upright before she could stop herself.
Luka's laugh rang through the night. "Ah. So she didn't tell you. Or maybe she did, and you just don't believe what that man's capable of."
Brandon turned to Ariana, eyes blazing. "Is that true?"
"I didn't know he was back," she said, rising slowly, voice trembling. "Not really. I just… had a feeling."
Brandon was seething now, jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might crack. "Why the hell is everyone after you?"
Luka's voice echoed again. "Because she's the kind of girl men kill for. And James? Well. He's already started."
The sound of retreating footsteps faded into the woods.
Brandon turned away from the door, his entire body rigid.
"Brandon…" Ariana whispered.
He didn't speak. Just walked to the cabinet, pulled out a second gun, and handed it to her.
"If James is back," he said quietly, "you need to be ready."
Ariana took the gun, her hand shaking.
"Because I won't lose you to him," Brandon said, meeting her gaze. "I'll burn this whole fucking world down first."
---