The city's night air slapped her face as Ava stormed down the sidewalk, heart hammering.
Every step away from the Martinez house felt like shedding another layer of lies.
Tanya. Marco. Leonard. Lucien.
All of them are liars.
She needed to see Luca.
Not through Leonard.
Not through casual run-ins.
She needed to reach him directly—before they locked her out completely.
But first, she had to move carefully.
No rash confrontations. No desperate texts.
If Lucien had eyes everywhere like Julien warned, any wrong move could tip them off.
Ava ducked into a diner two blocks away and grabbed a corner booth, pulling out her phone.
Think.
Plan.
Strike.
She scrolled through Luca's sparse online presence.
No personal social media.
No LinkedIn.
Only occasional appearances at charity events beside Leonard.
Always the shadow.
Always second place.
She leaned closer to the screen.
One event caught her eye:
The Hernandez Foundation Gala.
Next Friday.
Guest list is by invitation only.
Security tight.
But where there was security, there were also vendors, caterers, and photographers.
She smiled grimly.
If they wouldn't invite her in, she'd find another way.
Later that night, back at the Martinez house, Ava tiptoed to her room.
She packed a small bag: her laptop, a few clothes, cash she'd squirrelled away from Big Beans Café.
Tanya's voice floated up the stairs — hushed, urgent — talking to Marco.
"She knows too much."
"She'll ruin everything if she tells Luca…"
"Lucien will come for us too—"
Ava froze at the landing.
Every word was a dagger.
She slipped back to her room silently and locked the door.
Her heart thundered in her ears.
There was no time left.
Tomorrow, she would leave for good.
No note. No goodbyes.
She would disappear just like they had made her do years ago.
She slid the folded photo of her family into her jacket pocket, her fingers lingering over her brother's tiny, grinning face.
I'm coming for you, Alex.
No matter what it costs.
At midnight, Ava cracked her window open and climbed into the darkness.
She never looked back.
The night swallowed Ava whole as she hurried down the cracked sidewalks. The tiny bag on her shoulder thudded against her side, packed with everything she could carry.
She just needed to make it to the train station. To somewhere—anywhere—far from the lies she had been living.
She didn't hear the car until it was too late.
Tires screeched.
A black SUV cut her off at the corner, headlights flooding her.
Ava spun, ready to run—
—but strong arms grabbed her from behind.
"Let go of me!" she screamed, thrashing wildly.
"Calm down, damn it—it's me."
Leonard's voice, low and urgent, filled her ear.
She shoved at him with all her strength. "Get off, Leonard!"
"No." His grip tightened. "Not until you listen."
A door swung open.
Before she could fight again, Leonard half-lifted, half-dragged her into the SUV, slamming the door shut behind them.
"Drive," he barked to the man in the front seat.
The car peeled off into the night.
Ava pounded her fists against Leonard's chest, against the window, anywhere she could reach.
"You psycho! What the hell is wrong with you?"
Leonard caught her wrists mid-swing. "Would you stop acting like a rabid cat for two damn seconds?"
"You kidnapped me!" she hissed, jerking free. "I'm calling the police."
He laughed darkly. "Good luck. Phones don't work where we're going."
That silenced her for a beat.
She glared at him, heart hammering against her ribs.
Leonard leaned back in the seat, watching her with a maddening calmness.
"You were about to get yourself killed," he said. "Or worse."
"Worse?" she snapped. "You mean like being dragged into a car by a spoiled rich jerk?"
His jaw tightened, but he didn't rise to the bait.
"You're safer with me than out there alone, trust me."
"I don't trust you," she seethed.
"And I sure as hell don't want to be with you."
"Tough," Leonard muttered, crossing his arms. "You don't have a choice anymore."
They drove for what felt like forever, out of the city, past sleepy suburbs, into dense woods.
Ava memorized every turn, every landmark—just in case she needed to escape.
Finally, the SUV slowed in front of an old cabin, tucked deep off a dirt road.
Leonard got out first and yanked open her door.
"Inside," he ordered.
She stayed seated, arms folded.
He sighed and crouched to her level.
"You can come willingly, or I can carry you in. Your choice, sunshine."
Ava clenched her jaw so hard it hurt—and slid out of the car, glaring at him the whole time.
Inside, the cabin was surprisingly clean. Warm fire crackling. A stocked kitchen. A single bedroom.
One bed.
Of course.
She whirled on him the second the door shut.
"What is this, huh? Your little serial killer cabin?"
Leonard rolled his eyes. "You watch too much Netflix."
"Let me go."
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded.
Leonard hesitated. For the first time, he looked... conflicted.
"You don't know everything yet, Ava," he said finally. "And until I'm sure you won't blow your own life to pieces—or mine—you're staying here."
Ava's hands fisted at her sides. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're stubborn as hell," he shot back.
"Which, unfortunately, I'm starting to find... weirdly impressive."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You're actually flirting with me? After kidnapping me?"
Leonard smirked. "Well, you're cute when you're homicidal."
Ava grabbed a pillow from the couch and hurled it at him.
He caught it effortlessly, laughing under his breath.
"You're insane," she muttered, spinning away.
"Maybe," he said lightly.
"But I'd rather be crazy than dead. Which is exactly what's gonna happen to you if you keep poking around where you don't belong."
Her spine stiffened. "So I'm just supposed to sit here? While you babysit me?"
Leonard leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low rumble.
"You're supposed to survive."
Their eyes locked.
For a second, the air between them crackled with something dangerous—something neither of them wanted to name.
Ava swallowed hard and stepped back, heart slamming against her ribs.
She hated him.
She hated that he was right.
And she hated how part of her didn't want to run as badly as she should.
Leonard grabbed a blanket from a cabinet and tossed it to her.
"You can take the bed. I'll crash on the couch."
"I don't need your charity," she snapped.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Floor's cold."
He flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes like he hadn't just turned her world upside down.
Ava stood frozen, the blanket limp in her hands.
This was far from over.
Tomorrow, she would escape.
Tomorrow, she would find Luca.
But tonight...
Tonight, she wasn't as sure who the real enemy was anymore.
The cabin creaked as Leonard settled into the couch with maddening ease, tossing one arm behind his head like he hadn't just hijacked her whole life.
Ava sat on the edge of the bed, blanket forgotten on the floor, mind racing.
She couldn't just sit here and wait for him to "allow" her to know the truth.
No way.
Her eyes flickered to the door.
He hadn't locked it.
Maybe he thought she wouldn't dare.
Amateur.
She waited until his breathing evened out—half-asleep but not completely unconscious.
Then she crept toward the door, careful not to make a sound.
One step.
Two.
Her fingers grazed the handle—
"You're terrible at sneaking," Leonard's voice rumbled from the couch.
Ava jumped like she'd been electrocuted.
He didn't move, didn't even open his eyes. Just lay there, so damn smug.
"You going somewhere, sunshine?" he drawled lazily.
"Get bent," she muttered under her breath.
"I heard that."
She yanked the door open anyway and bolted outside into the night.
The woods were freezing, the ground muddy. Twigs snapped under her boots as she sprinted blindly away from the cabin.
Branches clawed at her arms and face, but she didn't care.
She had to get away.
She had to find the truth herself.
Behind her, she heard it:
Leonard swearing, heavy boots pounding after her.
"AVA! Stop!"
She ran faster, heart slamming against her ribs, lungs burning.
"You're gonna get lost, idiot!" he shouted.
Good.
Let him lose her.
Ava zigzagged through the trees, slipping, scrambling, gasping.
The woods got darker, thicker.
Her foot caught on a root.
She pitched forward, landing hard on her hands and knees.
Pain shot up her wrist.
Before she could scramble up again, Leonard tackled her from behind.
"LET ME GO!" she screamed, thrashing like a wild animal.
He pinned her easily, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it, Ava—stop fighting me!"
"Why should I?" she spat, struggling. "You're just like all of them! Keeping secrets! Controlling me!"
"I'm trying to keep you ALIVE, you stubborn little brat!"
His voice cracked—not with anger, but something closer to desperation.
They froze there, panting in the cold mud.
For a second, he just stared at her.
Mud streaked her cheeks, her hair tangled around her face.
She was shaking, but not from fear. From rage. From heartbreak.
Leonard's hand flexed on her arm, as if torn between letting her go and pulling her closer.
"Let me go," she whispered, voice breaking.
Leonard's jaw ticked.
Slowly, he loosened his grip.
"I'm not your enemy, Ava," he said roughly.
"You just don't know who the real enemy is yet."
And for once, he didn't sound smug.
He sounded... broken.
Ava shoved him away and staggered back to her feet.
She wiped the mud from her face, glaring at him through hot tears.
"I hate you," she whispered.
Leonard just nodded, like he agreed.
"You'll thank me later," he said, voice low.
"But for now... hate me all you want."
They trudged back to the cabin in silence, two battered ghosts under the bruised night sky.
Ava didn't speak.
Leonard didn't push.
But something had shifted between them.
Something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
And neither of them could run from it now.