Chapter 6 6

The address from the message led them to the outskirts of town, where the roads turned quieter and the air smelled of damp earth. The drive was long, filled with the kind of silence that carried a weight neither Ethan nor Ava dared to break.

Ethan's hands remained firm on the steering wheel, his gaze locked on the road ahead. But Ava could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

He wasn't just protecting her.

He was preparing for war.

Ava clenched her fists, staring down at the phone in her lap. The address on the screen felt like a ticking time bomb, a doorway into a past she had spent too long trying to escape.

And Ethan... he was walking straight into it with her.

"We don't have to do this," she murmured, breaking the silence.

Ethan's grip tightened. "Yes, we do."

Ava turned to him, searching his profile in the dim light. "Why, Ethan? Why do you care so much?"

He exhaled sharply, his knuckles turning white. "Because I never stopped."

Ava's heart clenched.

There it was-that raw honesty she hadn't seen in years. And damn him, it still had the power to shake her.

Before she could say anything else, the car slowed, pulling up in front of an old warehouse. The place was surrounded by towering trees, the metal exterior rusted from years of neglect.

Ava's stomach churned. "This doesn't feel right."

Ethan killed the engine, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. "Stay close to me."

She hesitated, then nodded.

As they stepped out, the night air wrapped around them, thick with tension. Every footstep echoed, bouncing off the metal walls. A single light flickered above the entrance, casting eerie shadows across the ground.

Ethan moved first, pushing open the heavy door with ease. The inside was worse-dust-coated floors, broken furniture, the unmistakable scent of mildew.

Ava swallowed. "Looks abandoned."

"That doesn't mean we're alone," Ethan murmured.

Then-footsteps.

Ava froze.

From the far end of the warehouse, a figure emerged from the darkness.

Ava's breath caught in her throat.

The man was older now, but the years hadn't softened him. His sharp features, the way he held himself-it was all too familiar.

Too impossible.

Ava's voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Uncle James?"

Ethan tensed beside her, his gaze locking onto the man with lethal precision.

James Carter.

Ava's father's closest friend. The man who had vanished after her father's death. The man she had thought was long gone.

And yet, here he was, alive.

His dark eyes landed on her, something unreadable flickering in them. "Ava."

Her knees nearly gave out. "How... how are you alive?"

James sighed, stepping closer. "I had to disappear. It was the only way to keep you safe."

Ava's head spun. "Safe? From who?"

His gaze flickered to Ethan before settling back on her. "From the same people who killed your father."

The air left her lungs.

Ethan's expression darkened. "You expect us to believe that?"

James met his gaze without flinching. "Believe whatever you want. But I have proof."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a worn envelope, handing it to Ava.

Her fingers trembled as she took it, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

She didn't want to open it.

She didn't want to see whatever truth lay inside.

But deep down, she knew-

This was the moment that would change everything.

And once she saw what was inside, there would be no turning back.