Description
Excerpt
The GPS led them to a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of town. He had the Uber guy park a block away, his eyes scanning the area for threats. Before she could ask him to wait, he was already gone. “Gotta rent a car,” he muttered to himself before raising his voice. “Stay close.”
They approached on foot. The warehouse loomed before them, its corrugated metal walls reflecting the dim streetlights. Jade’s heart pounded as they circled the building, looking for a way in.
He stopped abruptly, crouching down. “Look.”
She followed his gaze. In the dirt near a side door, she saw scuff marks and what looked like drag marks. Her stomach clenched.
“Signs of a struggle,” he said quietly.
They moved closer, and something caught Jade’s attention. She reached down, picking up a small plastic rectangle. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized it.
“It’s Aria’s employee badge,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Did she drop it on purpose to let us know she’d been here?”
“Maybe. Probably. She seems smart.” Malachi’s expression hardened. “This could be where it happened. Where they took her.”
She nodded, her mind racing. “But why would Aria have this location saved on her phone?”
“She must have been investigating,” Malachi reasoned. “Found something suspicious and came to check it out.”
“And they caught her,” Jade finished, tightening her hand around the badge.
He placed a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “We’ll find her. This is a lead.”
They carefully made their way inside the warehouse, using Malachi’s lockpicking skills to bypass the door. The interior was cavernous and dark, filled with stacks of crates and pallets.
“What do you think they’re storing here?” asked Jade.
His eyes narrowed as he examined the nearest crate. “Nothing good. Look at these markings—they’re using code, but I recognize some of it from my military days. Weapons. Lots of them.”
Her blood ran cold. “So, Aria really did stumble onto something big.”
They continued their search, moving deeper into the warehouse. Suddenly, Malachi held up a hand, signaling Jade to stop. He pointed to a small office area tucked away in a corner.
As they approached, Jade noticed papers scattered on the floor and a chair overturned. More signs of a struggle. Her heart ached at the thought of Aria fighting against her captors.
“Jade,” Malachi called softly. He was holding up a small notebook, its pages filled with Aria’s neat handwriting.
She took it with trembling hands, flipping through the pages. “Oh, my god. Aria was keeping track of everything. Shipments, dates, even names…”
“She was building a case,” he said, his tone full of admiration and concern. “No wonder they took her. She knew too much.”
A noise from outside startled them both. He immediately moved into a defensive stance, his hand going to his concealed weapon.
“We need to go,” he said urgently. “Now.”
They slipped out of the warehouse the way they came in, Jade clutching Aria’s notebook to her chest and the laptop bag with her other arm. As they hurried away, her mind raced with the implications of what they’d found.
“What do we do now?” she asked as Malachi started the engine.
His eyes were hard. “We follow the trail. Aria left us breadcrumbs. We just need to connect the dots.”
Jade nodded, determination replacing her fear. They had a lead now, a direction, and she wouldn’t rest until they found Aria and brought down the people responsible for taking her.
Her heart pounded as she and Malachi approached the end of the street. The warehouse loomed behind them, its secrets now partially revealed. She gripped Aria’s notebook tightly, her palms slick with sweat.
Just as they reached the intersection, shouts erupted from the direction of the warehouse. Jade whipped her head around to see several armed security guards sprinting toward them, weapons drawn.
“Crap. Run,” shouted Malachi, and they started running down the street.
She zigzagged, having seen it in a video game, and it seemed to keep them from hitting her. As they got closer to a main street, she increased the speed of her feet. Ahead of her, she saw Malachi trying car doors until he found an unopened one on an older model.
“Get in,” he yelled, yanking open the driver’s side door.
She scrambled into the passenger seat, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the seatbelt. He ripped open the steering column and spliced two wires together, cursing when there were sparks. After a moment, the car started, and he gunned the engine.
The first shots rang out as they peeled away from the curb. The rear windshield exploded, showering them with glass. Jade instinctively ducked, her breath coming in short gasps.
His face was a mask of concentration as he swerved through traffic, cutting off other drivers and running red lights. Jade gripped the dashboard, her knuckles white.
“Are they following us?” asked Malachi, his voice tight.
She twisted in her seat, peering through the shattered rear window. “I don’t see them, but—”
More gunshots cracked through the air. A dark SUV bore down on them, rapidly closing the gap.
“They’re right behind us.”
He cursed, jerking the wheel hard to the right. They careened down a narrow side street, tires squealing. Jade’s shoulder slammed into the door as they took another sharp turn. “Hold on.” He accelerated, weaving through parked cars and dumpsters.
Jade’s stomach lurched as they fishtailed around a corner, nearly clipping a startled pedestrian. The SUV was still in pursuit, but Malachi’s evasive driving was putting some distance between them. They burst out onto a main road, horns blaring as he cut across lanes.
“I think we’re losing them,” said Jade, her voice shaky.
He didn’t respond. He took them through a dizzying series of turns, doubling back and zigzagging until Jade completely lost her sense of direction. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, Malachi pulled into a narrow alley between two abandoned buildings. He cut the engine, plunging them into silence broken only by their ragged breathing.
“I think we lost them,” he said, his voice oddly flat.
She turned to look at him and froze. Malachi’s face had gone grayish, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. His eyes were wide and unfocused, darting around as if seeing threats in every shadow.
“Malachi?” asked Jade softly. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t respond. His breathing became more rapid, his chest heaving. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly Jade could hear the leather creak.
“Malachi,” she said again, more urgently. She recognized the signs of an impending panic attack because her college roommate had suffered from anxiety. “Malachi, look at me.”
Slowly, he turned his head. His eyes met Jade’s, but they were distant, as if seeing something far away.
“You’re safe,” she said, keeping her voice calm and steady. “We’re safe. We got away.”
He shook his head, a small, jerky motion. “No… no, it’s not… I can’t…” His breathing grew even more labored.
Jade unbuckled her seatbelt and shifted closer, moving slowly to avoid startling him.
“Focus on my voice,” she said. “You’re here with me. We’re in New York City. The danger has passed.”
He blinked rapidly, some awareness returning to his eyes. “Jade?”
“That’s right,” she said, smiling encouragingly. “I’m right here. Can you tell me five things you can see right now?”
He swallowed hard, his gaze darting around the car. “The… the steering wheel. Your hands. The rearview mirror. The dashboard. Your face.”
“Good,” she said. “Now four things you can touch…”
As she guided Malachi through the grounding exercise, she watched the tension slowly leave his body. Malachi’s breathing evened out, his grip on the steering wheel loosening.
“I’m sorry,” said Malachi when he could speak normally again. “I…”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” said Jade firmly. “That was an extreme situation. Anyone would be shaken up.”
He shook his head. “I’m supposed to be the one protecting you. Some bodyguard I am.”
“Hey,” she said, reaching out to touch Malachi’s arm. “You got us out of there by stealing a car and driving like you’re in a video game. We’re safe because of you.”
He looked at her, vulnerability clear in his dark eyes. “You’re not…disappointed?”
“Of course not. I’m impressed and grateful.”
Something shifted in Malachi’s expression. The air between them Something shifted in Malachi’s expression. The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with a new energy. Jade became acutely aware of how close they were, and of the warmth of Malachi’s skin under her hand.
His gaze dropped to Jade’s lips, then back up to her eyes. Her heart raced, but not from fear this time.
“Jade,” he whispered, his voice rough.
She leaned in, closing the distance between them. Their lips met in a kiss that was tentative at first, then deepened as the adrenaline and attraction they’d been dancing around finally found an outlet. Jade sighed into the kiss, her fingers grazing Malachi’s short curls.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. She rested her forehead against Malachi’s, a smile tugging at her lips. “That was…”
“Yeah,” he said, a hint of wonder in his voice.
They stayed like that for a moment, savoring the connection. Then reality intruded, and Jade reluctantly pulled back.
“We should probably get moving,” she said. “Find somewhere safer to regroup and ditch this stolen car.”
He nodded, straightening in his seat, but before he started the car, he reached out and took Jade’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
She squeezed back, warmth blooming in her chest. “Sure.”
As Malachi put the car in gear and pulled out of the alley, Jade knew their mission had just gotten more complicated, but looking at the man beside her, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.
