The warehouse loomed over the docks like a forgotten grave.
Ethan arrived before the sirens.
Before backup.
Before reason could catch him.
The door creaked open as he stepped inside.
Darkness swallowed him.
"Ethan…"
Her voice.
Faint.
Alive.
He followed it, heart hammering so hard it hurt.
The room opened wide.
Aria sat bound at the center.
Victor stood beside her, gun resting casually in his hand.
"You came alone," Victor observed. "Brave. Or stupid."
Ethan didn't raise his hands.
"I'm here for her."
Victor laughed softly.
"You already took everything else from me."
"You destroyed yourself," Ethan replied coldly. "I just told the truth."
Victor's eyes hardened.
"The truth is subjective."
He pressed the gun against Aria's temple.
"Take one step," Victor warned, "and she dies."
Ethan froze.
Every instinct screamed to move.
But he didn't.
"Let her go," Ethan said. "I'm the one you want."
Victor studied him closely.
"Interesting," he murmured. "Your mother once offered the same deal. She offered lives in exchange for power."
Aria's breath caught.
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"I'm not her."
Victor smiled sadly.
"That's why you lost."
He pulled the trigger.
The sound shattered the room.
But the bullet didn't hit Aria.
Ethan had moved.
Fast.
The chair tipped. The gun fired wide.
They collided.
Gun clattered across the floor.
Victor was stronger than he looked—but Ethan was fueled by terror and rage.
They crashed into crates.
A second shot rang out.
This one hit flesh.
Victor screamed.
Police stormed in, weapons raised.
Victor was pinned to the ground, bleeding, screaming curses.
Aria collapsed forward as officers cut her loose.
Ethan caught her before she hit the floor.
She was shaking violently.
"You're safe," he whispered over and over. "You're safe."
She clutched his shirt, sobbing.
Outside, sirens wailed into the night.
Victor was dragged past them, bloodied and furious.
"This isn't over!" he shouted. "You don't get peace!"
Ethan didn't look at him.
He only held Aria tighter.
Later, wrapped in a blanket, she leaned into him.
"They'll never stop, will they?"
He kissed her forehead gently.
"No," he admitted. "But neither will we."
For the first time since this began…
They weren't fighting alone.
Should Ethan and Aria leave everything behind and start over somewhere new?
Comment RUN or STAY & FIGHT 👇