Laurel P.O.V
The van never slowed.
Every turn threw me against the leather seat, my hands gripping the edge so tightly my fingers hurt.The city blurred outside the tinted windows.
Streetlights became streaks of gold.
Buildings disappeared behind us almost as quickly as they appeared.
I wasn't sure whether I was escaping...or being delivered somewhere even worse.
The men next to me in the van barely spoke.
They moved with terrifying discipline, quietly checking ordinary-looking travel bags and exchanging brief glances that I couldn't read.
Nobody looked nervous.
Nobody looked afraid.
Only I did.
I couldn't stop thinking about Abigail.
Richardo had gone back for her.
He had walked back into Alpha's territory without hesitation.
The thought alone made my stomach twist.
The driver suddenly touched the small earpiece hidden beneath his hair.
"Yes, Underboss"
My head snapped toward him.
Underboss?
Richardo.
I'm glad he's alive.
The driver listened for several seconds before answering.
"Understood"
There was another pause.
"Yes, Underboss"
When the call ended, his foot pressed harder on the accelerator.
The engine roared.
"The airport" He said calmly. "We're changing the route"
One of the men beside me nodded.
"Underboss wants Laurel out of the country immediately"
Out of the country?
My heartbeat stumbled.
Nobody had asked whether I wanted to leave.
Nobody had explained where I was going.
They were simply moving me like another piece on a chessboard.After what felt like forever, the van rolled into the airport's underground parking area.
The driver finally killed the engine.
Silence settled inside the vehicle.
One of the men handed me a small travel bag.
His expression remained unreadable. "Carry this"
I looked at it.
It didn't feel heavy.But somehow,it felt heavier than anything I had ever held.
"Whatever happens" He continued, "act natural. Don't run. Don't panic. Just keep walking"
Easy for him to say.
My hands trembled.
"I..." My voice cracked. "Am I going alone?"
The man shook his head. "You're never alone"
He glanced toward the busy terminal.
"You won't see us"
"But we'll see you"
Another man handed me a passport and boarding pass.
A small wireless earpiece rested in his palm.
"Wear this"
I obeyed without asking questions.
A quiet voice immediately crackled into my ear.
"Loud and clear?"
I swallowed. "...Yes"
"Good"
The connection ended.
I stepped out of the van.
The airport was bright.
Families laughed,children dragged little suitcases across the polished floor,business travelers hurried toward departure gates.
Nobody knew that my heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest.
Nobody knew I was one panic attack away from collapsing.
I joined the line for departing passengers.
Every step felt unreal.
I kept expecting someone to call my name.
To stop me.
To point at me.
To say they'd discovered everything.
Nothing happened.
The queue moved forward.
I glanced around.
The men from the van had vanished.
Or so I thought.
Then, across the terminal,i noticed one of them buying coffee.Another sat reading a newspaper.
A third appeared to be talking on his phone.
They never looked at me,not once.Yet somehow,i knew they were watching.
My pulse raced.
How many of them were here?
Five?
Ten?
More?
For the first time,i understood why people feared Richardo.
His organization didn't need loud threats.
Its greatest weapon was preparation.
I adjusted the strap on the bag as I walked through the crowded terminal, trying to ignore the way my heart pounded against my ribs.
The airport buzzed with ordinary life,children laughing, flight announcements echoing overhead, and travelers rushing to their gates.
Everything looked painfully ordinary.But then,i loosened the zipper just enough to peek inside
My breath caught.
Cold metal gleamed beneath folded clothes.For a split second, my mind refused to understand what I was seeing.
Weapons covered in thick clothing.
My fingers jerked away as though the bag had burned me.
"No..." I whispered under my breath.
My knees nearly gave out as my legs suddenly felt like they belonged to someone else.
I wanted to drop the bag.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to wake up and discover this was another nightmare.
But the crowd kept moving around me, carrying me forward with it.
Every step toward the security checkpoint felt like a step toward the edge of a cliff.
I could barely hear the announcements anymore.
All I could hear was my own heartbeat.
I realized then that there was no turning back.
Whatever Richardo's plan was,i was already part of it.
My fingers tightened around the handle of the travel bag until my knuckles turned white.
The bright airport lights suddenly seemed too harsh.
Every uniform I saw made my heart stop.
Every security officer looked as though they could see straight through me.
Every glance from a stranger felt accusing.
My heartbeat pounded so loudly that I was certain people could hear it.
They know.
The thought repeated itself over and over in my head.
They know something is wrong.
My breathing became shallow,sweat gathered in my palms despite the cold air-conditioning.
I wanted to turn around.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to disappear.
But I forced myself to keep walking.
One step.
Then another.
The security checkpoint drew closer.
My pulse hammered against my ribs.
I silently prayed that whatever nightmare i had become part of would end here.
Eventually, I reached the security checkpoint.
I held my breath.
The airport staff worked methodically, guiding passengers forward.
Everything suddenly felt slow.
The seconds stretched endlessly.
A member of staff gestured politely.
"Next passenger"
I stepped forward.
My palms were damp.
Every heartbeat echoed inside my ears.
I couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
I simply followed every instruction they gave me.
Time seemed to blur.
Then i was walking again.
The departure lounge unfolded before me.
I blinked.
Somehow,i had made it through.
I didn't feel relieved.
Only numb.
The waiting area buzzed with ordinary conversations.
People complained about delayed flights.
Someone laughed.
A child cried.
The normality of it all felt almost cruel because my own world had stopped feeling normal a long time ago.When boarding was announced, I joined the line.
Again, I spotted familiar faces.
Richardo's men were scattered throughout the cabin, pretending to be strangers. One read a magazine. Another stared out the window. A tall, hefty man in a business suit typed calmly on his laptop.
None of them looked at me.
They seemed too invisible unless you knew where to look,i felt protected and frightened.
If they could disappear this easily,how many other places had they already infiltrated?
How many lives had they quietly entered without anyone noticing?
I found my seat beside the window.
The cabin lights glowed softly.
Passengers settled in around me.
Some scrolled through their phones.
Others closed their eyes.
No one knew what had happened only hours earlier.
No one knew Alpha.
Or Abigail.
Or Richardo.
I rested my forehead against the cool window,sinking into an airplane seat, my hands still shaking uncontrollably.
This wasn't the life I'd imagined.
I had spent years thinking I understood crime.
I was wrong.
My friends and I tricked wealthy men out of money.
Richardo's world was different.
His people moved like ghosts.
They spoke in whispers.
Planned weeks ahead.
Trusted no one.
Feared nothing.
Sitting among them made me realize something terrifying i wasn't escaping anymore.
I was becoming part of their war.
Back then,my biggest worry had been whether my friends and I would get caught taking money from wealthy strangers.
Now,people were risking their lives for me, and people were suffering because of me.
Abigail.
Richardo.
Even the strangers sitting around me had unknowingly become part of my nightmare.
As the aircraft doors closed, I whispered to myself, "If I ever get another chance to go back in time...I'll never make the same choices i made with my girls back then"
The aircraft began to taxi toward the runway.
I closed my eyes and whispered a prayer that this nightmare would end the moment we landed.Then the seat-back screen flickered, and a breaking news bulletin interrupted the welcome message.
Richardo's photograph filled the screen,beside it was Abigail's.
The reporter's voice echoed through the cabin:
"Authorities have issued an international alert following the violent incident at Westminster penthouse. Three suspects are believed to be fleeing the country..."
My blood turned to ice.
I had barely relaxed into my seat when the voice in my earpiece returned,almost too calm. "Miss Laurel...don't react"
My stomach tightened.
I gripped the armrest without realizing it.
"One of Alpha's men is on this flight" The words almost made me fall unconscious.
My gaze twitched nervously.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
My eyes instinctively swept across the cabin.
A businessman adjusted his tie.
A little girl rested her head on her mother's shoulder.
A flight attendant smiled as she welcomed another passenger aboard.
An elderly couple quietly held hands.
Everyone looked...ordinary.
Which one is Alpha's men?
Every stranger suddenly became a suspect.
Every glance felt deliberate.
Every movement made my heart skip.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to disappear and wake up in the life I used to complain about,the life that i thought was not paradise.
I hated this life.
I hated the lies.
I hated the fear.
I hated that every sunrise seemed to promise another nightmare.
I closed my eyes again for the briefest moment and whispered a silent prayer.
Please...let this end.
Let me see freedom again.
When I opened my eyes, I forced my trembling hands to rest on my lap.
I straightened my shoulders.
I swallowed the fear clawing at my throat.
If Alpha's man was really watching,then I couldn't afford to look afraid,so I stared out of the window, pretending to admire the runway while silently wondering if the person destined to kill me was already sitting only a few seats away.