Chapter 5 Echoes in the Dark

Eva woke to the sound of rain tapping against the windowpane.

For a moment, she didn't know where she was. The unfamiliar room, the flicker of firelight casting dancing shadows on the walls - it took a moment for the events of the past twenty-four hours to come flooding back.

The chase.

The voice in the fog.

The name: Elena.

A name that felt like a thread pulling at something buried deep inside her.

She sat up in bed, the soft cashmere throw sliding from her shoulders. The room was warm, the fireplace embers still glowing faintly, but a chill curled in her chest.

Somewhere beyond the closed door, she heard muffled voices. Men's voices. Low. Tense.

Eva rose, padding barefoot to the door and pressing her ear against it.

"I want the perimeter doubled," Alexander's voice snapped. "No one comes in or out without my say."

"Understood," came Logan's gruff reply. "But if they knew where you were last night, boss... they'll find this place too."

There was a tense pause before Alexander answered.

"I know. That's why we don't stay long. I need a name, Logan. I need to know who's moving against me - and why they want her."

"Or why they keep calling her Elena," Logan muttered.

Eva's pulse jumped.

She cracked the door open a fraction, enough to glimpse Alexander standing by the stone hearth in the adjacent room. Even in his tension, he was breathtaking - the sharp lines of his face cut by the soft flicker of the fire. His tailored shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing corded forearms, a silver watch catching the light.

Logan stood opposite him, arms folded, his expression grim.

"Do you think it's Cassandra?" Logan asked.

At the mention of the name, something stirred in Eva. A flicker of... something. A cold, brittle sensation at the edge of her mind.

Alexander shook his head. "Cassandra's too reckless for this. This is calculated. Planned. She might hate Eva, but she wouldn't orchestrate something this clean. This... surgical."

"Then who?"

Alexander downed the rest of his drink, his jaw tightening. "I don't know. But I intend to find out."

The sharp ring of a phone cut through the room.

Both men tensed.

Alexander crossed to the coffee table and snatched up the device. A private line. Untraceable.

He hesitated a second, then answered.

"Who is this?"

There was only silence on the other end.

"Speak," Alexander demanded, his voice a low growl.

Then - a voice. A woman's.

"Did you really think you could hide her from us, Alexander?"

Eva's blood ran cold. The voice wasn't one she recognized, but it was smooth, venomous. Deceptively calm.

"She belongs to us," the woman continued. "And you'll lose everything trying to keep her."

Alexander's expression didn't so much as flicker. "Who are you?"

A soft, humorless laugh.

"Oh, Alexander... you always did like playing the hero. But this isn't your fight. Walk away. While you still can."

The line went dead.

Alexander stared at the phone for a long beat before carefully setting it down.

Logan spoke first.

"Boss?"

Alexander didn't answer. His storm-gray gaze lifted to meet Logan's.

"Get the cars ready. We leave at dawn."

"What about Eva?"

"She comes with me."

At that, Eva pushed the door open fully. "I'm right here."

Both men turned.

Alexander's eyes softened the moment they landed on her. "You should be resting."

"I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Who was that on the phone?"

For a moment, it looked like he might lie to her. But then he exhaled a slow, measured breath and spoke.

"Someone who wants to hurt you."

Eva's stomach clenched. "Why? Who am I, Alexander?"

"I'm still working on that."

His honesty unnerved her more than a lie would have.

Logan cleared his throat. "I'll give you two a minute," he muttered, moving toward the back door.

When it was just the two of them, Eva crossed the room to stand in front of Alexander.

"I heard what you said. About someone named Cassandra," she murmured. "Who is she?"

Alexander's jaw clenched. "My ex-fiancée."

The words hit her harder than she expected.

"Is... is she the one behind this?"

"I don't know," Alexander admitted. "But if she is, she's playing a very dangerous game."

He reached out then, his fingers brushing her cheek. "Listen to me, Eva - I'll keep you safe. Whatever it takes."

A thousand questions burned on the tip of her tongue, but in that moment, all she could focus on was the way his touch sent warmth blooming through her.

"How do you know I'm worth saving?" she whispered.

Alexander's eyes darkened. "Because you're mine."

The words struck something deep inside her. A spark of something old, something aching. It made her want to believe him - even if she didn't know why.

A sharp knock at the door made them both turn.

It was Logan, his face grim.

"Sorry to break this up, but we've got a problem."

Alexander's expression hardened. "What is it?"

"One of the guards posted on the south ridge is missing."

Eva's stomach lurched.

Alexander grabbed his gun off the side table. "How long?"

"Fifteen minutes since last check-in. His radio's dead."

"Then we move now," Alexander ordered. "I want eyes on every tree between here and the main road."

Logan nodded and disappeared again.

Alexander turned to Eva, cupping her face in both hands.

"I need you to be brave for me."

"I'll try."

"No," he corrected gently. "You don't try. You do."

And then, before she could stop herself, she whispered, "Elena."

The name slipped out like a ghost on her breath. She hadn't meant to say it - it had risen up from some place she couldn't see.

Alexander stiffened.

"What did you just say?"

Eva swallowed. "I... I don't know. It just came out."

A beat of charged silence passed between them.

His voice was ragged when he spoke. "That was your name. Before."

And the world tilted.

Eva's knees buckled, but Alexander caught her before she could fall.

"It's starting to come back," she whispered, eyes wide. "Isn't it?"

Alexander didn't answer.

Because in his heart, he knew the storm was only just beginning.