The whir of the drone seemed louder inside the archive room, amplified by the stillness between us. Its black lens gleamed like an unblinking eye, locked on mine.
Marcus cursed under his breath and grabbed the satchel. "We need to move now."
I backed away from the window. "Where? If they have eyes in the air, they know exactly where we are."
He was already shoving open the back door, the cold alley air sweeping in. "Better to make them follow us than sit here waiting. I had one foot out the door when a shadow cut across the light
Sebastian., He stepped into the alley as if he'd been there all along, his suit flawless despite the damp chill, his expression unreadable. Behind him, the drone dropped lower, hovering just above his shoulder like a loyal pet.
"Alexis," he said, voice calm, almost conversational. "Hand me the satchel."
Marcus moved in front of me. "Not happening. Sebastian's gaze didn't waver. "You're making this harder than it needs to be. Both of you."Pretty sure you're the one sending drones after people," I shot back, my heart hammering. The corner of his mouth lifted, but it wasn't amusement, it was something sharper. "That isn't mine. Marcus laughed once, a short, bitter sound. "Of course it isn't. Sebastian's eyes flicked to him, and in that split-second, I caught it a flash of something human in his expression. Not anger. Not smugness. Worry.
He took one step forward, his focus snapping back to me. "Alexis, if you leave with him, you will not make it past the next corner. Give me the satchel and I can make this go away. The air between us tightened. My grip on the leather strap burned.
"I don't trust you," I said. "I don't need you to trust me," he replied quietly. "I need you to survive."
Something in the way he said it low, controlled, almost too steady slipped under my skin. I hated that I noticed the warmth in his eyes, the way his voice wrapped around my name like it belonged there.
A crack echoed from somewhere above gunfire, muffled but unmistakable. The drone jerked upward, its lens whirring toward the rooftops. Marcus swore. "Time's up.He shoved the satchel into my hands and lunged for the opposite end of the alley, but Sebastian caught my wrist before I could follow.
His hand was warm, solid, unyielding. "Stay with me," he said. It wasn't a request.
I looked down at his fingers around mine, then up into his face. For a breath too long, neither of us moved. The noise of the street faded to a dull hum, replaced by the heavy thud of my own heartbeat. Marcus shouted something, but I didn't catch it.
Sebastian tugged me toward the street, his pace controlled despite the chaos overhead. Every step made the heat between us more impossible to ignore an undercurrent I'd felt before but never this close, never with his palm pressed against mine like he might never let go.
A black SUV skidded to a stop at the curb. Two men in dark jackets stepped out, scanning the street like hunters.Sebastian angled me behind him. "In the car," he ordered over his shoulder."I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's "Now, Alexis."
The sharp edge in his tone jolted me, but it was the fleeting look in his eyes raw, protective that sent me moving. I slid into the back seat, the satchel still clutched tight, and he followed, slamming the door. The driver peeled away before it even clicked shut.
We rode in silence for several blocks, the city blurring past in streaks of wet asphalt and neon. My pulse refused to settle, partly from the chase, partly from the fact that Sebastian was sitting less than a foot away, his shoulder brushing mine with every turn. "You're hurt," he said suddenly.
I glanced down just a shallow scrape along my forearm from the window sill, but his gaze lingered on it as if it were something worse. "I'm fine," I said.
His jaw tightened. "Fine is not the same as safe. Safe with you?" I asked, unable to keep the bite from my voice. His eyes met mine, steady and unflinching. "Safer than anywhere else right now."
The words hung between us, heavy with more than just meaning. I couldn't tell if it was a promise or a warning. Maybe both.
We stopped in an underground garage beneath what looked like an empty office building. The concrete walls were bare, the air cool and still.
Sebastian led me into a private elevator, swiping a card that made the panel glow green. As the doors closed, I realized I could hear his breathing. Slow. Controlled.
"Why me?" I asked. "Why am I the one carrying this?"
His gaze slid to me, lingering just a fraction longer than necessary. "Because you haven't learned how to play their game yet."And you have?"
"I've mastered it," he said, his voice low enough that it felt like it belonged to the air between us. The elevator chimed, the doors opening into a suite that looked nothing like an office. It was all warm wood and low light, the scent of leather and something faintly smoky hanging in the air.
Sebastian closed the door behind us, then turned to face me. "You have a choice, Alexis. Stay here and I can keep you hidden. Or walk out that door and take your chances. And if I stay?"
His gaze held mine. "Then I'll protect you. But I won't lie to you once you're inside my world, there's no going back. My pulse jumped for reasons that had nothing to do with fear. For the first time since this began, I wasn't sure if the danger was outside the door or standing right in front of me.