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“You’ve made a mistake,” I warned him, trying to keep my voice steady. My fingers tightened around the cold metal of the gun in my hand.
His nasty grin widened. “That’s for us to decide.”
“Any last words, Callahan?” the biggest one said, pulling out a gun of his own. I didn’t know these guys, but something told me they weren’t going to be reasonable.
“I’m not the one who’s going to need them,” I shot back, mustering as much confidence as I could.
Chuckles spread among their little group as they took a step forward. “You’re outnumbered.”
I took a deep breath and leveled the gun at them. “That doesn’t mean you’ve won.”
Before any of them could respond, I squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed in the still night air, followed by a scream of pain from one of the men I had managed to hit. Without wasting another moment, I began to retreat towards the fire escape.
“Get him!” one of the remaining men shouted, but I was already on my way down. Each step I took on that metal staircase was deafening in my ears, echoing loud enough for them to follow.
Reaching the bottom, I raced towards where I’d left Adriana. Sweat broke out across my forehead and my heart pounded with a ferocity that threatened to burst from my chest. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to keep running, to find Adriana and make sure she was safe.
I reached the parking lot just as the silver Audi roared into life. Adriana’s pale face flashed in the car’s interior light before she set her gaze on me. So she was alive. Relief washed over me so intensely that for a moment, I was rooted to the spot, my breath coming in harsh pants.
I had just a moment to catch my breath before I heard the clanging of boots on metal. The men were heading down the fire escape. Panicking, I sprinted towards where she’d parked my car. It was dark, but I knew this place like the back of my hand and my feet automatically found the familiar path.
As I made it to the car, I cast one last glance over my shoulder at the descending men. They shouted angrily as they saw me sprint toward a different car. Adriana slowed for a second, and before I could tell her to drive away, she reached over to open the passenger door.
“Get in!” she yelled, the car still moving.
I didn’t need telling twice. I ran after the car, managing to throw myself into the passenger seat just as the first of the men reached the bottom of the fire escape. I yanked the door shut as Adriana slammed on the gas, wheels screeching against the asphalt as we sped out of the parking lot.
“Are you okay?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Yeah,” I replied, my gaze instinctively checking her over for any injury, “Are you?”
She nodded, her knuckles white as they gripped the steering wheel. “Just keep your head down.”
“I thought I told you to drive away,” I grumbled, my breaths coming out in short pants as the adrenaline began to wear off.
“I couldn’t just leave you,” she replied, her voice shaking slightly. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were getting even whiter.
“Speed up,” I said. “I have a feeling they’re going to pursue us.”
And sure enough, the rear-view mirror showed the men scrambling into their own vehicle. The chase was on.
“Right.”
She nodded, her foot pressing harder on the accelerator. I could see the speedometer needle creeping up as the engine roared underneath us.
As we flew down the darkened streets, I couldn’t help but replay the whole scenario. So much had happened so quickly. Adriana’s words echoed in my mind.
Pregnant. She was pregnant. With my child.
“Where are we going?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts. Her voice was small and shaky, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.
“The safehouse,” I answered, turning to look at her. The moonlight filtered through the windows, lighting up her face in a pale glow and I could see the tears glistening in her eyes.
“I thought that was the safe house,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Different safe house,” I told her. “A secret one. Only my brother and I know about it.”
“I didn’t sign up for this, Tristan,” she replied, her voice trembling. The grip on the steering wheel tightened as she maneuvered the car through a series of turns with a precision that impressed me. “I just wanted to tell you about the baby.”
