Chapter 8 No way out

Smoke hung thick over the gardens, curling in tendrils around broken statues and shattered flowerbeds. Flames from the mansion gates lit the night in flashes of orange and gold. Sophia's lungs burned from inhaling smoke; her dress, torn and stained, clung to her like a second skin.

"Adrian-" she gasped, stumbling over debris.

He grabbed her arm, steadying her with an iron grip. His eyes scanned the darkness, sharp and calculating. The attackers were not far behind. They had anticipated the mansion's exits and were closing in like predators.

"Stay close!" he hissed, pulling her along the shadowed path between hedges. "We need to reach the northern wall. There's a service exit there."

Sophia swallowed, trembling. Service exit? Her mind was too fogged with fear to care. All she knew was that Adrian was her anchor, and she had to follow, no matter what.

Gunfire erupted again, sparks flying as bullets tore through the garden's stone ornaments. Adrian fired two quick shots, the echoes sharp and precise, dropping one attacker before he could raise his weapon.

Sophia pressed herself against him instinctively, her cheek brushing his arm. Her heart raced, pounding as though it might tear through her chest. She couldn't understand the mix of fear and... something else-an inexplicable pull toward this man, even as bullets screamed past them.

"Move!" Adrian barked.

They sprinted through the garden, ducking under wrought-iron arches and leaping over toppled statues. Sophia stumbled again, twisting her ankle, but Adrian caught her mid-fall, yanking her against him.

"Do not slow down!" he growled.

Ahead, the northern wall loomed-a low barrier meant for service access. But before they could reach it, a fireball erupted near the hedge beside them. Sophia screamed, flinging herself into Adrian's chest. The heat singed her hair. Smoke filled her eyes.

Adrian didn't flinch. He gritted his teeth, spinning toward the attacker who had launched the makeshift explosive. A single, precise shot silenced him before he could strike again.

Sophia pressed closer, her body shaking uncontrollably. "I-" she whispered. "I can't-"

"You can," Adrian snapped, voice low and fierce. "And you will. Keep up. Or we die here."

Another wave of attackers emerged from the shadows, guns raised, rushing toward them. Adrian's hand tightened around hers. "Follow me. Now."

They leapt over the last hedge, landing hard on the gravel path beyond. But the exit was blocked. Flames and debris from the explosion had sealed the wall. Sophia's stomach dropped.

"No... no way out," she whispered, panic rising.

Adrian's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness. His jaw tightened. "We make our own way."

Sophia's stomach twisted. "But-how?"

He didn't answer. He only pulled her close, covering her with his body, his pistol sweeping the area with lethal precision.

Then she saw it: movement from the treeline-more attackers, more shadows, and a figure emerging that she recognized instantly.

Her blood ran cold.

"Adrian..." she breathed, dread rising in her throat.

The figure stepped into the faint glow of firelight, and Sophia's heart sank.

It was someone from Adrian's past-someone deadly, someone with a score to settle.

Adrian's expression darkened, sharper, colder than she had ever seen.

"This just got personal," he muttered under his breath.

Sophia's stomach lurched. They weren't just trapped. They weren't just fighting for survival.

They were walking straight into a storm that could end them both.