Chapter 0005: A Desperate Escape
The room exploded into motion. Ryan lunged forward, knocking over a chair as he swung at the nearest man. Zara barely had time to react before Ryan grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward the door.
"Run!" he barked, his voice sharp with urgency.
Zara's pulse pounded in her ears as she stumbled forward. Zayan's men were fast, but Ryan was faster. He twisted, landing a solid punch on one of them before shoving Zara toward the hallway.
She ran.
The corridor was dimly lit, the carpet muffling her frantic footsteps. Behind her, she heard the scuffle—the sharp grunts, the dull thuds of fists meeting flesh. Then a gunshot rang out.
Zara froze.
Her breath hitched as she turned, terror locking her in place. Ryan stood in the doorway, chest rising and falling heavily. His gun was raised, smoke curling from the barrel.
Zayan's men hesitated, one clutching his bleeding shoulder.
Ryan didn't wait for them to recover. He grabbed Zara's hand and pulled her down the hall.
"Keep moving!"
She didn't argue. They crashed through a side door and into the night air. The city stretched out before them—cold, indifferent, filled with a million places to hide.
But Ryan didn't slow.
Zara risked a glance behind them. A shadow moved near the door.
They weren't safe yet.
Ryan's grip tightened. "We need to disappear."
Zara swallowed hard, nodding.
She didn't know where they were going.
She only knew there was no turning back.
Into the Unknown
The cold night air stung Zara's face as she and Ryan weaved through the narrow alleys of the city. Footsteps echoed behind them—fast, relentless.
Ryan gritted his teeth. "They're still on us."
Zara's lungs burned, but she pushed forward. "Where are we going?"
"A safe house," Ryan said, yanking her around a corner. "But we need to lose them first."
Gunfire cracked behind them, striking the wall just inches from Zara's shoulder. She gasped, her heart lurching.
Ryan cursed under his breath. He spotted a fire escape above and didn't hesitate. He hoisted Zara up. "Climb!"
Zara scrambled up the cold metal ladder, her fingers slipping slightly from sweat and adrenaline. Ryan followed, pulling himself up with ease.
They reached the rooftop just as the men burst into the alley below. Ryan ducked, pulling Zara down with him. The men looked around, confused, their gazes scanning the empty street.
Zara held her breath.
One of the men pointed toward the buildings. "They went up!"
Ryan grabbed Zara's hand. "Time to go."
They moved swiftly across the rooftops, jumping from one to another. The city stretched before them, a maze of lights and shadows.
Zara's legs ached, but she refused to stop. Not when the danger was so close.
Finally, Ryan spotted an open skylight and guided her inside. They landed in a dark storage room, the scent of old wood and dust filling the air.
Ryan locked the hatch behind them, exhaling deeply. "We should be safe for now."
Zara sank against the wall, trying to steady her breathing. "For now?"
Ryan looked at her, his jaw tight. "They won't stop, Zara."
She swallowed hard.
Neither would they.
A Moment of Truth
Zara's breath still came in ragged gasps as she pressed her back against the cold wall of the dark storage room. Ryan stood by the door, ears trained for any sign of pursuit. The only sound was the distant hum of the city outside.
For now, they were safe. But for how long?
Zara ran a hand through her hair, trying to regain control. "Ryan, who are these people? Why are they after us?"
Ryan hesitated, then exhaled slowly. "They're not after us, Zara. They're after me."
Zara's stomach clenched. "And I'm caught in the middle."
His gaze softened as he crouched down beside her. "I never wanted this for you. I tried to keep you out of it."
She let out a humorless laugh. "Well, that didn't work out, did it?"
Ryan sighed, running a hand over his jaw. "There are things about my past I never told you. Things I never wanted you to know."
Zara frowned. "Then start talking. Because I'm risking my life for something I don't understand."
Ryan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. You deserve to know the truth."
He leaned against the wall beside her, staring at the dim ceiling. "Years ago, before I became a businessman, I worked in the intelligence sector. Not officially, but for people who dealt with… sensitive information. That's how I made my fortune. But I walked away."
Zara's eyes widened. "And they didn't like that?"
"No," Ryan admitted. "And Zayan—he's not just a businessman. He's connected to powerful people, people who want something I have."
Zara inhaled sharply. "And what's that?"
Ryan turned to her, his blue eyes dark and serious. "A key. Not a physical one, but an access code. It's tied to encrypted accounts—accounts holding secrets that could ruin people in power."
Zara stared at him in disbelief. "And you kept this from me?"
"I was protecting you."
She shook her head, overwhelmed. "And now I'm in danger because of it."
Ryan's expression hardened. "I won't let anything happen to you, Zara."
She wanted to believe him, but deep down, she knew the danger wasn't going away.
Not until the truth was fully uncovered.
Not until they stopped running.
The Unseen Enemy
Zara's heart pounded as she processed Ryan's revelation. A part of her wanted to scream, to lash out at him for dragging her into this nightmare. But another part of her—the part that had been hardened by loss and betrayal—knew there was no turning back.
She took a deep breath. "So what do we do now?"
Ryan's eyes flickered to the door, his posture tense. "We find a way to get ahead of them. If we keep running, they'll always be one step behind us."
Zara narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Ryan hesitated before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sleek black USB drive. He held it between his fingers, almost reverently.
"This," he said, "is the reason they're after me."
Zara's gaze locked onto the device. "That's the key?"
Ryan nodded. "Inside this drive are encrypted files containing financial transactions, blackmail material, and evidence of corruption at the highest levels. If this falls into the wrong hands, people could die. But if it reaches the right ones… everything changes."
Zara swallowed hard. "And what's stopping us from handing it over to someone who can help?"
Ryan gave a humorless chuckle. "You think I haven't tried? The moment I attempted to leak the information, they knew. They have eyes everywhere."
Zara shivered. The weight of their situation was suffocating. "So what's the plan?"
Ryan looked at her, something unreadable in his expression. "We have to disappear. At least for a while. Lay low until I can get this to someone I trust."
Zara bit her lip. "And who exactly do you trust?"
Ryan hesitated, then finally said, "An old contact. He works in cyber intelligence—off the grid. If anyone can crack this and expose the truth, it's him."
Zara nodded, determination settling in her chest. "Then let's do it."
Ryan studied her for a long moment before reaching out, his fingers brushing against hers. "Zara, once we take this step, there's no turning back."
She held his gaze, her own resolve unwavering. "I was never the kind to turn back."
A flicker of admiration crossed Ryan's face before he gave a firm nod.
"Then let's disappear."
Nowhere to Run
The city lights blurred into streaks as Ryan's car sped through the highway. Zara sat beside him, gripping the USB drive tightly in her fist. Every shadow on the road felt like a threat, every passing car a potential enemy.
"We need to leave the city before they track us," Ryan said, his voice tense.
Zara exhaled slowly. "And then what? Where do we go?"
Ryan's jaw tightened as he took a sharp turn. "There's a safe house—one of my contacts arranged it. It's isolated, off the grid. We can regroup there."
Zara glanced at him. "You've done this before, haven't you?"
Ryan didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "More times than I'd like to admit."
For the first time, Zara truly saw the weight he carried—the past he had tried to outrun. But now, it wasn't just his fight. She was in it too.
A sudden vibration in her pocket made her heart leap. She pulled out her phone. A text. No number. Just four chilling words.
"You can't run forever."
Zara's breath hitched. She showed the screen to Ryan.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "They're watching."
Her blood turned cold.
Ryan pressed his foot on the accelerator, his expression unreadable. "Hold on, Zara. This is about to get dangerous."
Ahead of them, a pair of headlights flared to life in the distance.
And then the chase began.
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(To be Continue...)