The city pulsed with life, but in the shadows of its towering buildings, danger lurked. The narrow alley was damp, the air thick with the scent of rain and gasoline. Footsteps pounded against the pavement—desperate, hurried, relentless.
Silas sprinted through the darkness, his breath ragged. The echoes of his pursuers
ricocheted off the alley walls. He didn't dare glance back. He knew they were close. Too close.
He had been in the wrong place at the worst possible time. One moment, he was
adjusting the lens of his camera, capturing what he thought was an ordinary transaction. The next, he realized he had stumbled upon something far more sinister—a meeting cloaked in secrecy, a deal laced with danger. And he had proof. Proof that could cost him his life.
A gunshot split the air. A bullet whizzed past his shoulder, shattering a streetlamp ahead. Glass rained down like falling stars, but Silas kept moving, weaving through the maze of alleys. He had to think fast.
There—a car parked by the curb, engine running. He darted toward it, heart hammering in his chest. The driver's door swung open just as he reached it.
A woman. Sharp eyes, dark hair, an aura of confidence. Her expression shifted
from confusion to alarm as Silas lunged inside.
"Drive," he ordered, slamming the door shut behind him.
Ayla froze for a second, instinctively gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Excuse
me?"
"Drive. Now." His tone left no room for negotiation.
The urgency in his voice, the tension crackling in the air—something about him told her he wasn't bluffing. And then she heard it. The distant but unmistakable
sound of approaching footsteps. Shouts.
Ayla made her decision in an instant. Tires screeched against wet asphalt as she
accelerated, the city blurring past in streaks of neon and shadow.
Silas exhaled, pressing his back against the seat. He had escaped—at least for now.
But he wasn't safe. And now, neither was she.
Ayla kept her eyes on the road, but she stole a glance at the stranger beside her.
"Who the hell are you?"
Silas wiped the sweat from his brow, his pulse still racing. "Someone with a very big
problem."
Ayla arched a brow. "And now you're making it mine?"
He smirked, despite himself. "Looks like it."
Ayla shook her head, gripping the wheel tighter. She wasn't sure what she had just
gotten herself into. But something told her—this was only the beginning.