- 1 week ago
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00:00My life had already fallen apart long before the gunfire.
00:03That night was just the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence I never wanted to write.
00:08The car had died halfway between downtown and nowhere,
00:11engine coughing out one last puff of defeat like it was mocking me.
00:15My phone was dead, too, because apparently fate likes to layer disasters for aesthetic reasons.
00:21The rain came next, soft at first, then violent,
00:24the kind that makes you feel like the sky's punishing you for daring to exist.
00:29I remember clutching my little sister's jacket tighter around my shoulders,
00:33even though she wasn't with me.
00:35She was homesick, fever burning through her small body,
00:39and I had gone out to pick up antibiotics from the late-night pharmacy before it closed.
00:44Except my paycheck hadn't cleared.
00:46My gas tank was empty.
00:48My life, empty in a hundred ways that didn't even involve fuel.
00:53And then I heard it, tires screeching, a chorus of shouts,
00:57that unmistakable metallic sound of guns being cocked.
01:00My first thought wasn't to run.
01:03It was to hide.
01:04I wasn't brave.
01:05I wasn't prepared.
01:07I was just a woman whose shoes were slipping in mud,
01:10whose heart was thundering so loud she couldn't hear her own breath.
01:13The dumpster was the first thing I saw that looked like safety.
01:16Rusted, stinking, forgotten.
01:19I pressed myself behind it,
01:21trying to disappear into the shadows.
01:22My breath came in short, desperate bursts.
01:26I remember the way my hands shook,
01:29how my fingers left muddy streaks on my face as I covered my mouth.
01:33Gunfire split the night.
01:35Not movie gunfire.
01:36Not the clean pop you hear on TV.
01:39Real gunfire.
01:40Raw.
01:41Cracking.
01:42Echoing down the alley like it was hunting for souls.
01:45Someone screamed.
01:47Then silence.
01:49For a second, I thought maybe they were gone.
01:51I thought maybe I'd made it.
01:53Then boots.
01:54Heavy ones.
01:55Crunching through gravel.
01:57Steady.
01:57Unhurried.
01:58Whoever it was, he wasn't afraid.
02:01He walked like someone who owned fear.
02:03Like it bowed for him.
02:05My heart started counting down.
02:07I could hear him on the other side of the dumpster,
02:10talking into a phone.
02:12His voice was low, smooth, dangerous.
02:15They didn't make it out.
02:17Clean the street before the cops get curious.
02:20I froze.
02:21I didn't even breathe.
02:23The sound of his boots stopped right next to me.
02:26For a moment, all I could hear was rain hitting metal.
02:30Then, his voice again.
02:32Come out.
02:34I told myself he wasn't talking to me.
02:36He couldn't be.
02:37Then he said it again, slower this time,
02:39like he already knew I was there.
02:41You've got three seconds before I pull you out myself.
02:44I should have stayed quiet.
02:46I should have waited for him to leave.
02:48But fear does strange things.
02:50It makes your body betray you.
02:53A small whimper escaped my throat.
02:55That was all it took.
02:57The dumpster shifted slightly as his hand slammed against it.
03:01A shadow fell over me, tall and solid.
03:04When I finally looked up,
03:05I saw his face illuminated by a flash of lightning.
03:09He was young, late twenties maybe,
03:11but his eyes carried the kind of calm
03:13that only comes from surviving too much.
03:16Black coat, soaked with rain, jaw clenched.
03:19And that voice,
03:20the kind that doesn't need to shout to make people listen.
03:24He looked down at me like I was something fragile
03:26that didn't belong in his world.
03:29You picked a bad night to be here.
03:30I, I didn't see anything, I whispered.
03:35My voice cracked like it was made of glass.
03:39He crouched down,
03:40close enough for me to see a scar
03:42that cut through his eyebrow.
03:44That's the problem, he said.
03:46You saw too much just by breathing in this alley.
03:50I felt tears burn the back of my eyes.
03:53Please, I was just trying to get home.
03:56My car.
03:57He held up a hand, silencing me.
04:00Where's your phone?
04:03Dead.
04:04He sighed,
04:05almost like he was annoyed at the universe
04:07for putting me in front of him.
04:09Figures.
04:10He looked over his shoulder.
04:12Men in black coats were dragging bodies into a van.
04:16The smell of gunpowder mixed with rain
04:17made me want to be anywhere but here.
04:20When he looked back at me,
04:21his tone shifted.
04:23Lower.
04:24Protective, almost.
04:25If you walk out of here right now,
04:28you won't make it two blocks.
04:30They'll assume you're a witness.
04:32I can't let that happen.
04:33I didn't understand.
04:35Who are you?
04:37He hesitated.
04:38Then,
04:39someone who just made a very bad decision
04:42by talking to you.
04:44Before I could respond,
04:46he grabbed my hand.
04:47His grip was strong,
04:49not cruel,
04:50but definite.
04:51The kind of touch that told you
04:53arguing was useless.
04:54He pulled me to my feet,
04:57keeping me close enough
04:58that I could feel the heat of him
04:59even through the cold rain.
05:01You're coming with me,
05:03he said.
05:04I can't.
05:05My sister...
05:07He stopped walking
05:08and turned to face me.
05:10If you stay,
05:11you die.
05:13If you come,
05:13I can keep you alive
05:14long enough to explain later.
05:16Choose.
05:18Something in his eyes
05:19made me believe him.
05:20Not because he sounded kind,
05:22but because he didn't sound
05:23like someone who lied.
05:25I followed.
05:27Maybe it was stupidity.
05:29Maybe instinct.
05:30Maybe some part of me
05:31already knew this night
05:32was going to change everything.
05:35He led me to a black car
05:36parked in the alley,
05:37engine still running.
05:39A man in the front seat
05:40looked startled
05:41when he saw me.
05:43Boss!
05:44She's with me,
05:45he interrupted sharply.
05:47Drive.
05:48I sank into the back seat,
05:49shivering so hard
05:50my teeth clattered.
05:52He draped his coat around me
05:53without saying a word.
05:54The fabric was heavy,
05:56smelling faintly of smoke
05:57and leather
05:57and something expensive
05:59I couldn't name.
06:00Why are you helping me?
06:02I asked,
06:03my voice barely audible
06:04over the sound of rain
06:05against the windows.
06:07He didn't look at me.
06:08Because I don't like
06:09seeing civilians get killed
06:11for being in the wrong place.
06:13Civilians?
06:14I echoed.
06:16So you're...
06:17Don't,
06:18he said flatly.
06:20Don't ask what I am.
06:22We drove in silence
06:23for a while.
06:24My thoughts were tangled.
06:25Fear,
06:26confusion,
06:27the growing awareness
06:28that my entire world
06:29had just tilted.
06:31The streets blurred past,
06:33city lights distorted
06:34through the rain.
06:36Finally,
06:36he spoke again.
06:38What's your name?
06:39Lena.
06:40He nodded once,
06:42eyes fixed ahead.
06:44You're going to forget
06:45everything you saw tonight,
06:46Lena.
06:47Every sound,
06:47every face,
06:48every bullet.
06:49You understand?
06:50I don't think I can.
06:53He glanced at me then,
06:54a flicker of something
06:55like frustration
06:56crossing his face.
06:58Try harder.
06:59The car stopped
07:00outside an unfamiliar building.
07:03Modern,
07:04sleek,
07:04the kind of place
07:05that didn't belong
07:06in my version of the city.
07:08He got out first,
07:09scanning the street
07:10before opening my door.
07:12Stay close.
07:14I followed him inside.
07:16The warmth hit me first,
07:17then the silence.
07:19The lobby was spotless,
07:20minimalist,
07:21no signs,
07:22no names,
07:23just marble and quiet.
07:25He guided me to the elevator,
07:27pressed a key card
07:27against the panel,
07:29and the door slid shut.
07:30I could hear my own heartbeat
07:32echoing in the small space.
07:34When the elevator stopped,
07:35we stepped into a hallway
07:36lined with dim golden light.
07:38He opened one of the doors,
07:40motioning for me to go in.
07:42It was a penthouse,
07:43floor-to-ceiling windows,
07:45city lights flickering
07:46far below.
07:47Everything about it
07:48screamed wealth
07:48and isolation.
07:50I turned to him,
07:51still dripping rainwater
07:53on his expensive floors.
07:55What happens now?
07:57He studied me
07:58for a long moment,
07:59expression unreadable.
08:01Now,
08:02he said,
08:03you stay put
08:04until I decide
08:04what to do with you.
08:06That sounds...
08:08reassuring.
08:09He almost smiled,
08:11just barely.
08:13You'll live.
08:14That's more than I can promise
08:15most people tonight.
08:17He started to turn away,
08:18then stopped.
08:19Don't open the door
08:20for anyone but me,
08:22and don't try to leave.
08:23Why not?
08:25He looked over his shoulder,
08:27eyes dark and certain.
08:28Because if they find you
08:30before I do,
08:31you won't make it out alive.
08:33The elevator doors
08:34closed behind him
08:35with a muted chime.
08:37I stood there in his coat,
08:40shaking,
08:41staring at the city below.
08:43My reflection in the glass
08:44looked like a stranger's.
08:46Wild-eyed,
08:47drenched,
08:48alive when I shouldn't have been.
08:50Somewhere deep down,
08:51I knew I'd crossed a line
08:52that night.
08:53I didn't know his name.
08:55I didn't know
08:55what kind of man he was.
08:57But I knew one thing for sure.
08:59He'd just rewritten
09:00the course of my life,
09:02and I wasn't sure
09:02if I was supposed to thank him
09:04or run from him.
09:05You ever reach a point
09:06where you're too tired
09:06to even cry?
09:08That was me the next morning.
09:10My body hurt
09:11from sleeping on the couch,
09:13my hair was still damp
09:14from the night before,
09:15and every part of me
09:16wanted to believe
09:16that the whole thing
09:17had been some fever dream.
09:19Except the city
09:20outside the glass
09:21was too real,
09:22too loud,
09:23too alive.
09:24The penthouse felt like
09:25it belonged to another planet.
09:27Glass, chrome, silence.
09:29There were no family photos,
09:31no clutter,
09:32no warmth,
09:33just a view worth more
09:34than my yearly income
09:35and a faint smell of gun oil
09:37that lingered in the air.
09:39He wasn't there
09:39when I woke up.
09:41A note sat on the coffee table
09:42written in quick,
09:44sharp handwriting.
09:45Stay inside.
09:46Eat something.
09:47Don't open the door.
09:50N.
09:51That was the first time
09:52I knew his initial.
09:54N.
09:54No name,
09:55no explanation,
09:57just a letter.
09:58I hated how curious
09:59it made me.
10:00I found the kitchen
10:01filled with food
10:02that didn't belong
10:02to someone who actually ate.
10:04Imported coffee,
10:05bottled water,
10:06fruits arranged like art.
10:08My stomach hurt from hunger,
10:10so I poured cereal
10:11like a child
10:12left home alone.
10:13The milk was too cold,
10:14the silence too heavy.
10:16As I ate,
10:17my mind replayed
10:18the night in endless loops.
10:20The gunfire,
10:21the rain,
10:22the way his hand
10:23had wrapped around mine,
10:24unshakable,
10:25calm,
10:26terrifying.
10:27I should have been
10:28calling the cops,
10:29but what would I even say?
10:31Hi,
10:32I accidentally witnessed
10:33a massacre
10:33and the man responsible
10:35is currently keeping me safe
10:36in a penthouse
10:37with a view
10:37of the city skyline?
10:39Yeah,
10:39that would go well.
10:41My life before all this
10:42had been dull,
10:43predictable misery.
10:45I worked double shifts
10:47at a diner
10:47off Third Avenue.
10:49My sister Abby was 12
10:50and sick more often
10:51than she was healthy.
10:53Our mom was gone,
10:54too much whiskey,
10:55too little will to stay.
10:57My father,
10:57a mechanic,
10:58had done his best
10:59until his heart gave out
11:00in the middle of winter.
11:02I'd been 21 then,
11:03and every decision since
11:04had been survival math,
11:06rent or food,
11:08medication or heat.
11:09So when I say exhaustion,
11:11I don't mean the kind
11:12sleep fixes.
11:14I mean the kind
11:14that becomes part
11:15of your bloodstream.
11:16That's where I was
11:17when he found me.
11:19N.
11:20The man with the cold eyes
11:21and the voice
11:22that made people obey.
11:24The man who'd pulled me
11:25out of that alley
11:25like he was rescuing
11:26something he didn't want
11:27to admit he cared about.
11:29The elevator chimed.
11:31My spoon froze midair.
11:33He stepped out.
11:35Same black coat.
11:36Same composure.
11:38Drops of rain glistened
11:39on his hair
11:39like he'd just come
11:40from another storm.
11:42He looked at me.
11:43At the half-eaten bowl
11:44of cereal.
11:44Then at the clock.
11:46You're still here,
11:48he said.
11:49You told me not to leave.
11:51His eyes flicked to mine.
11:53Something faint.
11:54Approval.
11:55Amusement.
11:56Passed there.
11:58Good.
11:59He hung his coat,
12:00then walked toward the window,
12:01hands in his pockets.
12:03They're cleaning up last night.
12:05You're safe for now.
12:07Safe.
12:08The word sounded foreign
12:09coming from him.
12:11For now?
12:12He turned slightly,
12:14one eyebrow raised.
12:15You think anyone walks away
12:17from what you saw
12:18without strings attached?
12:20I swallowed hard.
12:22You mean you're deciding
12:23whether to kill me?
12:25If I wanted you dead,
12:26you'd already be gone.
12:28That's comforting,
12:30I muttered.
12:31He almost smiled again.
12:33You're mouthy
12:34for someone in hiding.
12:36I'm scared,
12:37I snapped.
12:38That's what scared people do.
12:40They talk.
12:41They ramble.
12:42They beg.
12:43They make stupid jokes
12:44because they don't know
12:45what else to do.
12:47He didn't answer.
12:48He just looked at me
12:50long enough
12:51that I felt
12:51every heartbeat
12:52like a drum in my throat.
12:55Finally,
12:56he said quietly,
12:57you're not stupid.
13:00The way he said it,
13:02flat,
13:02certain,
13:03made something inside me twist.
13:06We stood in silence
13:07for a while.
13:09The city stretched below us
13:10like a living thing,
13:11glittering and distant.
13:13I wondered what it looked like
13:15from his eyes.
13:16Streets he owned,
13:17people who feared him,
13:18power carved from violence.
13:21Then,
13:21unexpectedly,
13:22he said,
13:23you have someone waiting for you?
13:25My sister,
13:27I said softly.
13:28Abby,
13:29she's,
13:29she's sick.
13:30I have to get back to her.
13:32She needs me.
13:33He nodded slowly,
13:34his jaw tightening.
13:36I'll have someone check on her.
13:38My eyes widened.
13:40You can do that?
13:41I can do anything,
13:43he said simply.
13:45What's her address?
13:47I hesitated,
13:48then gave it to him.
13:49He typed it into his phone,
13:51then looked up.
13:52She'll be fine.
13:54Thank you,
13:55I whispered.
13:55He waved it off,
13:57as if gratitude made him uncomfortable.
14:00Don't thank me yet.
14:01I'm not doing it for you.
14:03Then why?
14:05He didn't answer.
14:07The hours that followed
14:08felt like being trapped
14:09in some strange limbo.
14:11He worked from a desk in the corner,
14:13murmuring into his phone,
14:14his tone calm but heavy with authority.
14:17I tried not to listen,
14:19but his voice carried.
14:21Words like shipment,
14:22contact,
14:23clean up.
14:23It wasn't the language
14:25of a businessman.
14:26It was something darker,
14:28sharper.
14:29At one point,
14:30he caught me staring.
14:32You should rest,
14:33he said.
14:34I can't.
14:35Try anyway.
14:37Do you always order people
14:38around like that?
14:39Only when I expect them to listen.
14:42Something in the way he said it,
14:44without arrogance,
14:45just certainty,
14:46made my pulse skip.
14:48Later,
14:48when the sun dipped
14:49below the skyline,
14:50he finally spoke again.
14:51You were lucky last night.
14:55Lucky?
14:56I laughed bitterly.
14:58Hiding behind a dumpster
14:59while people die
15:00isn't what I'd call lucky.
15:02He leaned against the window,
15:03arms crossed.
15:05You're alive.
15:06That's rare in my world.
15:08I hesitated.
15:10Your world?
15:11What is it, exactly?
15:13He didn't look away from the city.
15:15The kind you don't survive in
15:17unless you become part of it.
15:19So you're a criminal.
15:21I'm a businessman,
15:23he corrected quietly.
15:24The law just hasn't caught up
15:25to the business yet.
15:27I wanted to hate him.
15:29Every rational part of me
15:31screamed that I should,
15:32but there was something
15:33about his honesty,
15:34cold,
15:35unapologetic,
15:36that disarmed me.
15:37He wasn't pretending
15:38to be something else.
15:40He wasn't hiding behind charm.
15:42I don't belong here,
15:44I said finally.
15:45His gaze snapped back to me.
15:48You think I do?
15:50That silence between us stretched,
15:52filled with things
15:53neither of us could name.
15:55He walked closer,
15:56stopping a few feet away.
15:58You remind me of someone
15:59I used to know,
16:01he said quietly.
16:02Who?
16:04She didn't make it.
16:05The way he said it,
16:07soft,
16:07almost reverent,
16:09made my chest ache.
16:11I'm sorry,
16:12I whispered.
16:13He nodded once,
16:15then turned away
16:16like he'd said too much.
16:18Hours later,
16:19I couldn't sleep.
16:21I sat curled on the couch,
16:23staring at the lights outside.
16:25My thoughts kept circling back to him,
16:27to the contradictions
16:28that didn't make sense.
16:30A man who could order killings
16:32without blinking,
16:33yet remembered to drape his coat
16:34over a shivering stranger.
16:36The elevator chimed again
16:38near midnight.
16:39He returned,
16:40this time without his coat,
16:41his shirt sleeves rolled up,
16:43he looked tired,
16:44human, even.
16:46He poured himself a drink,
16:48then glanced at me.
16:49You're still awake.
16:52Couldn't sleep,
16:53I said.
16:54Too quiet.
16:55He sat down across from me,
16:57resting the glass on his knee.
16:59You'll get used to it.
17:01I don't want to get used to it.
17:03He studied me for a long moment.
17:05You really think you can just go back?
17:08Pretend none of this happened?
17:10I have to,
17:11I said.
17:12Abby needs me.
17:14I have to work,
17:15pay rent,
17:16buy her meds.
17:16I don't have room for this,
17:18whatever this is.
17:19He tilted his head.
17:21You think the world
17:22will let you just walk away?
17:24You saw things you shouldn't have.
17:26So what are you saying?
17:28He leaned forward slightly,
17:30his voice low,
17:31measured.
17:32I'm saying you're not safe
17:34out there anymore.
17:35Not unless you're under my protection.
17:37The word protection hung between us
17:40like a vow and a curse.
17:42I felt my throat tighten.
17:44I don't even know your name.
17:46He hesitated,
17:48then said,
17:49Nico.
17:51It felt strange hearing it,
17:53like a secret I wasn't supposed to know.
17:56Nico,
17:56I repeated quietly,
17:58testing it.
17:59He looked at me,
18:00and something in his expression
18:01softened just for a heartbeat.
18:04Get some sleep,
18:05Lena.
18:06He stood and walked toward the elevator,
18:08but before he stepped inside,
18:09he turned back.
18:11And Lena?
18:12Yeah?
18:13Don't be afraid of me,
18:15he said.
18:16Fear makes people reckless,
18:18and I'd rather not have to clean up
18:19another mess tonight.
18:21The doors closed.
18:23I sat there,
18:24heart pounding,
18:25the echo of his words
18:26lingering long after he was gone.
18:29Don't be afraid of me.
18:30Too late for that.
18:32But mixed with the fear
18:33was something worse,
18:35something far more dangerous.
18:37The flicker of trust.
18:38The kind you don't give
18:39to a man like Nico.
18:41The kind that ruins you
18:42before you even realize
18:42it's happening.
18:44The next morning,
18:45sunlight poured through the windows
18:46like it had no idea
18:47what kind of world
18:48it was lighting up.
18:50The city below looked clean,
18:52sharp,
18:52almost innocent from up here.
18:55You'd never guess
18:55how much blood moved
18:56beneath those streets.
18:58I found Nico
18:59standing by the window,
19:01already dressed
19:01in another dark suit,
19:03phone pressed to his ear.
19:05He looked like
19:05a painting of control,
19:07motionless,
19:08contained.
19:10His tone was quiet
19:11but final,
19:12the kind of voice
19:13that made people
19:13on the other end
19:14forget how to argue.
19:16When he noticed me,
19:18he ended the call
19:18mid-sentence,
19:19just like that.
19:21You should eat.
19:22Do you ever start a day
19:24with something normal
19:25like good morning?
19:26He actually smiled,
19:28brief and faint.
19:30Not in my line of work.
19:32There it was again,
19:34his world pressing against mine,
19:36just enough to bruise.
19:38He motioned toward the kitchen.
19:40A tray sat on the counter,
19:42eggs, toast, coffee.
19:44I had them bring breakfast.
19:46I blinked.
19:48You mean you ordered breakfast?
19:49He leaned against the counter,
19:51folding his arms.
19:52I don't cook.
19:54Shocker.
19:55I took a sip of the coffee
19:57and my body
19:57almost sighed
19:58from the taste.
19:59You didn't have to do this.
20:02He tilted his head.
20:03You think I'd let you starve
20:05in my apartment?
20:07Penthouse,
20:07I corrected,
20:08that half-smile again.
20:10Details.
20:11The silence stretched
20:12until I broke it.
20:13Did you check on Abby?
20:16He nodded once.
20:17She's fine.
20:18The doctor said the fever broke.
20:20My man left groceries and cash.
20:22My fork froze.
20:24You...
20:25sent someone?
20:27He didn't look away.
20:29I keep my word.
20:30It hit me harder
20:31than I wanted to admit.
20:33I hadn't asked him
20:34to spend money.
20:35I hadn't even expected
20:36him to remember.
20:37But he did.
20:39Why are you doing this?
20:41I whispered.
20:41He hesitated just a fraction
20:43before answering.
20:45Because I can.
20:47That should have sounded arrogant,
20:48but it didn't.
20:49It sounded lonely.
20:51After breakfast,
20:52I drifted toward the window.
20:53The glass stretched
20:54from floor to ceiling,
20:55the city pulsing beneath.
20:57Do you ever go down there?
20:59I asked.
21:00You know,
21:00where real people are?
21:02I go where I need to,
21:03he said.
21:04Not where I'm wanted.
21:06I turned to look at him.
21:08You talk like someone
21:09who doesn't belong anywhere.
21:10He didn't deny it.
21:12Just stared out
21:13at the skyline,
21:14eyes reflecting
21:15all that distance.
21:17Hours passed like that.
21:19Quiet,
21:19strange,
21:20full of air
21:21that felt too thick
21:22to breathe.
21:23By late afternoon,
21:24I was pacing.
21:26I can't stay here forever,
21:27I said.
21:28People will start to wonder.
21:30He didn't look up
21:31from his laptop.
21:33People don't wonder
21:34about waitresses.
21:35That stung,
21:37even if it was true.
21:38You think my life
21:39is that small?
21:41His fingers stilled
21:42on the keyboard.
21:43I think you underestimate
21:44what staying alive costs.
21:46I wanted to argue,
21:48but his tone stopped me.
21:50There was no cruelty in it,
21:52only exhaustion.
21:53Then he closed the laptop
21:54and stood.
21:56Come on.
21:57What?
21:58You've been staring
21:59at the same walls
22:00for two days.
22:01You'll lose your mind.
22:03We're leaving.
22:04My heart jumped.
22:06Leaving?
22:07As in,
22:08outside?
22:09He nodded.
22:10You need air.
22:12I need to check on something.
22:13You stay close to me.
22:15No talking to strangers.
22:17The elevator ride down
22:19felt like falling
22:19into another version
22:20of reality.
22:22When the doors opened,
22:23his car was already waiting,
22:25sleek,
22:26black,
22:27forgettable
22:27in its expensiveness.
22:29He opened the door for me
22:30and I slid inside,
22:32my pulse racing.
22:34The city hit me
22:35like a memory,
22:36crowded,
22:37loud,
22:38alive.
22:39Every honk,
22:40every shout
22:41reminded me of the life
22:42I'd been yanked from.
22:44Where are we going?
22:45I asked.
22:47Warehouse district,
22:48he said,
22:49eyes on the road.
22:51Brief stop,
22:52then somewhere better.
22:53I stared at his profile,
22:55sharp jaw,
22:56calm eyes,
22:57that constant alertness
22:58humming beneath his stillness.
23:00Do you ever stop being...
23:01being...
23:02this?
23:04This?
23:05he echoed.
23:06Unshakeable,
23:07controlled,
23:07like nothing touches you.
23:09He smirked faintly.
23:11Control is an illusion.
23:13You just learn to hide the cracks.
23:15The words settled
23:16somewhere deep in me.
23:17The car rolled to a stop
23:19near a fenced compound.
23:20He got out first,
23:21scanning the area.
23:23Two men approached,
23:24nodding to him,
23:25their eyes flicking to me
23:26but never lingering.
23:27Whatever they saw,
23:29they knew better than to ask.
23:31He disappeared into the warehouse
23:32for maybe ten minutes.
23:34When he came back,
23:35something in his face had changed.
23:37Tense,
23:38sharp-edged.
23:39Everything okay?
23:41I asked.
23:42He opened the door,
23:43his tone clipped.
23:45Buckle up.
23:46We pulled back into traffic,
23:48silence thick between us.
23:50Then,
23:51out of nowhere,
23:52he said,
23:53if anything ever happens,
23:55if you hear my name in the news,
23:56you forget me.
23:58You move on.
23:59Promise me.
24:01I stared at him.
24:02Where is this coming from?
24:05Promise me,
24:06he repeated,
24:07eyes fixed ahead.
24:08I swallowed hard.
24:09I promise.
24:11The rest of the drive
24:12was wordless.
24:13When we finally stopped,
24:14it wasn't at some restaurant
24:15or park.
24:16It was an empty parking lot
24:18overlooking the river.
24:19The skyline shimmered on the water,
24:21lights like trembling stars.
24:22He stepped out first,
24:25and I followed.
24:26The air was cold,
24:28clean,
24:29full of space.
24:30For a while,
24:31we just stood there.
24:32Then he said quietly,
24:34you remind me
24:35what peace looks like.
24:37I blinked.
24:38That's not exactly comforting.
24:41It's not supposed to be,
24:42he said.
24:44Peace doesn't last.
24:45I turned to face him.
24:47You don't really believe that.
24:49He met my eyes.
24:51I've buried enough people
24:52to know I do.
24:54Something in my chest cracked.
24:56He wasn't a monster.
24:58He was a man
24:58who'd stopped believing
24:59in redemption.
25:01When I spoke,
25:02my voice trembled.
25:04You could still leave it.
25:06Whatever this life is,
25:07you could walk away.
25:09He laughed softly,
25:11without humor.
25:12You think it's that simple?
25:14Yes.
25:15It's not.
25:17Then why save me?
25:19His gaze softened,
25:21just for a second.
25:22Maybe I wanted to remember
25:24what saving someone felt like.
25:26The wind caught my hair,
25:28and he reached up,
25:30hesitant,
25:31almost surprised
25:31by his own movement.
25:34His fingers brushed
25:34a strand from my face,
25:36lingered for one heartbeat
25:37too long.
25:39That tiny touch,
25:40bare skin,
25:41cold air,
25:42warmth beneath,
25:43hit like an electric pulse.
25:45I couldn't breathe.
25:47Neither could he.
25:49He stepped back first.
25:51We should go.
25:52But his voice
25:53wasn't steady anymore.
25:55We drove home in silence.
25:57Not awkward silence.
25:59Something heavier.
26:00Charged.
26:01Every time our eyes met
26:03in the reflection of the window,
26:04it felt like falling
26:05toward something dangerous.
26:08When we got back to the penthouse,
26:10I went straight to the balcony.
26:12The city looked endless again,
26:13the world below
26:14pretending it hadn't stopped spinning.
26:17I heard him behind me
26:18before he spoke.
26:19You're shivering.
26:21I'm fine.
26:23He draped his jacket
26:24over my shoulders again.
26:25You don't have to be.
26:27I turned,
26:28facing him.
26:29What are you doing, Nico?
26:31He looked at me
26:32like he didn't know
26:33how to answer.
26:34Something I shouldn't.
26:36The space between us shrank
26:38until the air itself
26:39felt alive.
26:40His hand brushed mine,
26:42then froze,
26:43like he was waiting
26:43for permission
26:44he knew he shouldn't want.
26:46I didn't move away.
26:48For a long,
26:48fragile second,
26:49neither of us breathed.
26:51Then his voice,
26:52low and rough.
26:54You make me forget
26:55who I am
26:55when I'm near you.
26:57I wanted to tell him
26:58to stop,
26:59to say this was wrong,
27:00but my words got lost
27:02somewhere between
27:02logic and heartbeat.
27:04His fingers traced my wrist,
27:06slow, reverent.
27:08Tell me to walk away,
27:10he said.
27:11I couldn't.
27:13The moment broke
27:14when his phone buzzed
27:15on the counter.
27:16He pulled back,
27:17jaw tight,
27:18mask sliding back
27:19into place.
27:20Stay inside,
27:22he said.
27:22He grabbed his coat
27:23and disappeared
27:24into the elevator
27:25before I could speak.
27:26The doors closed,
27:28leaving me alone again,
27:29heart pounding,
27:30his scent still clinging
27:31to the jacket
27:32around my shoulders.
27:33And that was the problem.
27:35I didn't know
27:36if I wanted him
27:36to come back
27:37because I felt safe
27:38with him
27:38or because I was
27:40already falling.
27:41I'd started sleeping
27:42in his penthouse
27:43like it was a halfway house
27:44between fear and safety.
27:47Some nights,
27:48I'd wake to silence
27:48so thick it hurt.
27:50Not even the city
27:51dared to make a sound
27:52this high up.
27:53He'd be sitting
27:54in that same armchair
27:55by the window,
27:56shirt half unbuttoned,
27:58smoke curling
27:58from a half-burned cigarette.
28:00Watching.
28:01Always watching.
28:03He wasn't cruel.
28:05He wasn't gentle either.
28:06He was something
28:07in between,
28:08like a storm
28:09pretending to be calm
28:10until you stepped
28:10too close.
28:12One night,
28:13I couldn't take
28:13the silence anymore.
28:15Do you ever sleep?
28:16I asked.
28:17My voice was hoarse
28:18from another nightmare
28:19I wouldn't admit to.
28:21He didn't look away
28:22from the window.
28:24Not when there's
28:24something I don't trust.
28:26I tried to laugh it off.
28:28Meaning me?
28:29Meaning the world,
28:31he said flatly.
28:32Then he turned,
28:33eyes darker
28:34than the skyline
28:35behind him.
28:36You don't look away
28:37from danger.
28:38That's good,
28:39but it's also
28:39how people get hurt.
28:41He stubbed out
28:42the cigarette,
28:43rose,
28:43and walked toward me.
28:44Slow,
28:45deliberate steps
28:46that made the air thick.
28:47I felt my pulse
28:48trip over itself.
28:50He reached out,
28:51brushed a strand
28:52of hair from my face,
28:53and said in that
28:54low, quiet tone
28:55that made me forget
28:56everything logical,
28:58You shouldn't have
28:59been there that night.
29:00You shouldn't have
29:01seen any of it.
29:02My breath caught.
29:04If I hadn't been there,
29:05I'd be dead.
29:06He nodded once.
29:08I know.
29:10His hand lingered
29:10just a second too long
29:12before he pulled back.
29:14That night,
29:14I lay in bed
29:15staring at the ceiling.
29:16His words circling
29:17like vultures.
29:19You shouldn't have
29:19seen any of it.
29:21It sounded less like guilt
29:22and more like warning.
29:24I wanted to ask him
29:25what he meant,
29:26but every time
29:26I looked at him,
29:28my courage burned away.
29:29Days bled together.
29:31He'd disappear for hours,
29:33sometimes days.
29:35No explanations,
29:36just clipped messages.
29:38Stay inside,
29:39don't open the door
29:40for anyone,
29:41trust no one but me.
29:42Each time he returned,
29:43his knuckles were bruised.
29:44His shirt smelled like
29:46smoke and rain.
29:47He'd catch me looking
29:48and I'd look away fast,
29:50pretending I wasn't terrified
29:51by how much I cared.
29:53Once,
29:54I caught a conversation
29:54I wasn't meant to hear.
29:56He was in the other room,
29:57voice low
29:58and edged with steel.
30:00No,
30:01she doesn't know.
30:02She thinks she just
30:02got lucky that night.
30:04Keep it that way.
30:05I froze.
30:07My chest tightened.
30:08My mind raced
30:09through every possibility.
30:11She doesn't know,
30:12didn't know what?
30:14That I'd seen something?
30:15That I was part of something?
30:17When he came out,
30:18I was sitting at the kitchen counter,
30:19coffee untouched.
30:21I didn't ask.
30:23He didn't explain.
30:24But the distance between us
30:26widened like a crack
30:27you can't fix
30:28once you've seen it.
30:30Later that week,
30:31I drove back to my apartment
30:32to grab a few things.
30:34It felt foreign,
30:35like a life I'd rented
30:36and forgotten to clean
30:37before leaving.
30:38There was an envelope
30:39under my door.
30:40No return name.
30:42Just my name
30:43in shaky handwriting.
30:45Inside,
30:46a photo.
30:47Blurry,
30:48grainy,
30:50me,
30:51walking with him,
30:52his hand on my back,
30:54and written across the photo
30:55in red marker,
30:57Do you know
30:58who you're sleeping beside?
31:00My stomach turned to ice.
31:02When I got back
31:02to the penthouse,
31:03I shoved the photo at him.
31:05What is this?
31:07He looked at it once,
31:08jaw flexing.
31:09Then he ripped it in half.
31:12Trash.
31:13Don't lie to me, Dominic.
31:15His name came out
31:16sharper than I meant.
31:18He turned,
31:19and for the first time
31:20since I'd met him,
31:21his control slipped.
31:23You think you want the truth,
31:25but you don't.
31:26Yes,
31:27I do.
31:28He stepped closer,
31:30eyes flashing.
31:31You want to know who I am?
31:33Fine.
31:34I deal in things
31:35you can't unsee.
31:36I've done things
31:37you can't unhear.
31:38And every day
31:39that you stay here,
31:40you walk closer to a line
31:41you can't ever
31:42cross back over.
31:44I swallowed hard.
31:45Then tell me
31:46why you kept me.
31:48Silence.
31:49Then so quietly,
31:50I almost didn't catch it.
31:52Because the night
31:53I found you,
31:54I couldn't walk away.
31:55And that hasn't changed.
31:57My heart twisted.
31:59I hated that
32:00his words made me ache.
32:01I hated that
32:02even when I wanted to leave,
32:04my body refused to move.
32:06The next morning,
32:07I found a note by my pillow.
32:09Gone for a few days.
32:11Stay inside.
32:12If anyone knocks,
32:13don't answer.
32:14Don't trust anyone.
32:15No signature.
32:16But I knew his handwriting.
32:18For two days,
32:18I stayed locked in,
32:20pacing the floor
32:20like a caged animal.
32:22On the third night,
32:23I heard footsteps outside.
32:25Soft.
32:26Then a knock.
32:27Three times.
32:28I froze.
32:29He'd said no one.
32:30Then a voice.
32:31Hey, it's me.
32:33Your sister.
32:34Open up.
32:35My sister lived
32:36two hours away.
32:37My blood ran cold.
32:39I didn't move.
32:40The knocking grew louder.
32:42Come on.
32:43It's cold out here.
32:43Let me in.
32:45I backed away from the door.
32:47Then I heard a whisper.
32:48Different voice.
32:49Male this time.
32:51She's inside.
32:51Get ready.
32:53My heart stuttered.
32:54I bolted for the bedroom,
32:56grabbed the phone,
32:57dialed his number
32:57with shaking hands,
32:59straight to voicemail.
33:00Then the sound of the door
33:02cracking,
33:03wood splintering.
33:04I barely had time to hide
33:05before it swung open.
33:07Two men stepped in.
33:08Not cops.
33:10Not randoms.
33:11And that's when a gunshot
33:12split the air.
33:13They dropped.
33:14I ducked.
33:15The door slammed again.
33:16When I looked up,
33:17he was there.
33:18Dominic.
33:19Blood on his shirt.
33:21Eyes burning with something
33:22between fury and fear.
33:24He reached out a hand to me.
33:26Now you know
33:26why I can't leave you alone.
33:28My hand shook
33:29as I took it.
33:30The smell of gunpowder
33:31still hung in the air
33:32when he whispered,
33:33Someone sold me out.
33:35And they know your name now.
33:36The penthouse didn't feel
33:48like a sanctuary anymore.
33:50It felt like a bunker.
33:51Every window shuttered,
33:53every creak of the elevator
33:54sounding like a countdown.
33:56I stayed on edge,
33:57eyes flicking to the door
33:58every few seconds,
34:00hands shaking
34:00when I tried to drink coffee.
34:03Dominic paced like an animal.
34:05He'd always been controlled,
34:06even when angry.
34:07Now he was pure volatility.
34:10Someone gave them your name,
34:12he said for the hundredth time.
34:13Voice clipped.
34:15They weren't coming for me.
34:16They were coming for you
34:17to get to me.
34:19I pressed my palms
34:19to my temples.
34:21This isn't my life.
34:22I didn't ask for this.
34:24His eyes softened
34:25for a fraction of a second.
34:27You think I wanted you here?
34:29He exhaled sharply.
34:31You think I planned any of this?
34:33The night I found you,
34:34I should have...
34:35He stopped himself,
34:37fists curling.
34:38Forget it.
34:40No, I shot back.
34:42Finish the sentence.
34:43His jaw flexed.
34:45I should have left you there.
34:47That hit like a slap.
34:49Then why didn't you?
34:51His gaze cut into me.
34:53Because I don't leave people to die,
34:55especially not you.
34:57The air between us crackled.
34:59Anger, fear,
35:01something else
35:01neither of us wanted to name.
35:03I broke it first,
35:04whispering,
35:05I can't keep living like this.
35:08He rubbed his face,
35:09looked older than he ever had.
35:12I know.
35:13He sat across from me,
35:15elbows on knees,
35:16head bowed.
35:17I'm trying to end it,
35:19for both of us.
35:21But the both of us
35:22only made the fear sharper.
35:24That night,
35:25he left again.
35:26No explanation,
35:28just a low, urgent,
35:29lock the door,
35:30don't move.
35:32I waited,
35:33heart climbing my throat.
35:35Hours passed.
35:36The city went quiet.
35:38Then my phone buzzed.
35:39Unknown number.
35:41A text.
35:42He won't make it back tonight.
35:44If you want to live,
35:45leave now.
35:46I stared at it
35:48until the words blurred.
35:49My chest squeezed.
35:51Another buzz.
35:52This time,
35:52a photo.
35:54Dominic.
35:55Kneeling.
35:56Hands zip-tied behind his back.
35:58A gun to his head.
35:59I felt the room tilt.
36:01My first instinct wasn't to run.
36:03It was to save him.
36:05I grabbed my bag,
36:07stuffed it with the barest essentials,
36:08and went to the kitchen.
36:10I remembered the gun he'd shoved
36:11in the back of a drawer.
36:12My hands trembled as I picked it up.
36:14The address came a minute later.
36:16Pier 19.
36:17Midnight.
36:19By the time I got there,
36:20the air smelled like salt and diesel.
36:23Shadows stretched long over the water.
36:26I hid behind a stack of crates,
36:28the gun cold and heavy in my hand.
36:31Inside the warehouse,
36:32voices echoed.
36:33Harsh.
36:34Mocking.
36:35I crept closer.
36:37Dominic was on his knees,
36:39blood at his lip,
36:40eyes still burning.
36:42A man in a leather jacket
36:43circled him like a predator.
36:45You got sloppy, Dom.
36:47You let a little stray girl
36:49ruin your head.
36:50Touch her and I'll...
36:52Dominic started,
36:53but a punch cut him off.
36:55The man laughed.
36:57She's already on her way here,
36:58you know.
36:59You always pick the ones
37:00who run toward fire.
37:02My pulse hammered so hard
37:03I thought they'd hear it.
37:05I raised the gun.
37:07My hands were slick with sweat.
37:09I whispered to myself,
37:10steady, steady.
37:13Then someone grabbed me from behind.
37:15A hand over my mouth,
37:16another twisting my wrist.
37:18The gun clattered to the floor.
37:21She showed!
37:22The man hissed,
37:23dragging me into the open.
37:25Dominic's head snapped up.
37:27No!
37:28His voice cracked like a whip.
37:30They shoved me forward,
37:31made me kneel beside him.
37:33My knees hit the concrete hard.
37:35I gasped.
37:37Pretty, isn't she?
37:39The man said,
37:40gripping my hair.
37:42But you know what's prettier?
37:43Watching you lose everything.
37:46Dominic surged forward,
37:47but was yanked back
37:48by two men holding him.
37:50Let her go,
37:51he growled.
37:52Or what?
37:53The man laughed.
37:55You're tied up.
37:56You're done.
37:57I turned my head,
37:59caught Dominic's eyes.
38:00They weren't afraid.
38:02They were blazing.
38:03He gave the smallest shake of his head.
38:05Don't fight.
38:07But something in me snapped.
38:09All the nights locked in,
38:10all the warnings,
38:11all the fear.
38:13I drove my elbow back
38:14into my captor's stomach.
38:16He gasped,
38:17loosened his grip.
38:18I dove for the gun.
38:20Chaos erupted.
38:21Shouts.
38:22A shot cracked past my ear.
38:24Dominic lunged at the men
38:25holding him,
38:26head-butted one,
38:27broke free enough
38:28to slam his shoulder
38:29into the other.
38:30I grabbed the gun
38:31and fired.
38:32The sound was deafening.
38:34A man went down.
38:35Dominic kicked another away,
38:37ripped the zip ties
38:38on a jagged edge of metal,
38:39and in one smooth motion,
38:41snatched a weapon
38:41off the floor.
38:42He was at my side
38:43in a heartbeat.
38:45Stay behind me.
38:47His voice was a rasp
38:48of fury and terror.
38:50Bullets sparked
38:50against steel.
38:52We ducked behind crates.
38:53My hands shook so badly
38:55the gun nearly slipped.
38:56I can't do this,
38:58I whispered.
38:59He grabbed my face,
39:00eyes locking with mine.
39:02You already are.
39:04That was when I realized
39:05I wasn't just some girl
39:07he saved.
39:08I was standing in the fire
39:09with him,
39:10and I wasn't backing down.
39:12He fired back,
39:14precise and cold.
39:15I covered him
39:16as best I could.
39:17One by one,
39:18the men dropped or fled.
39:19Then silence,
39:21just our breathing,
39:23harsh and ragged.
39:25Dominic lowered his gun
39:26slowly,
39:27turned to me.
39:28You could have run.
39:30I couldn't.
39:31My voice cracked.
39:33He reached out,
39:34brushed a trembling hand
39:35along my cheek.
39:36You don't know
39:37what you've just done.
39:39Yes, I do,
39:40I said.
39:40I chose you.
39:42For a moment,
39:43the world stopped.
39:45His eyes softened,
39:46raw and unguarded.
39:47He opened his mouth
39:49like he might say something.
39:51Then the door at the far end
39:52slammed open.
39:53More footsteps.
39:55More shadows.
39:56Dominic's grip on my arm
39:57tightened.
39:59We're not out yet.
40:00The smell of the dock
40:01still clung to my skin
40:02when we ran.
40:04My lungs were fire,
40:05my legs numb.
40:06Dominic's hand crushing mine
40:08as if the pressure alone
40:09could drag me out of hell.
40:11Behind us,
40:11the warehouse door
40:12slammed open.
40:14Voices rose like a pack of wolves
40:15catching scent.
40:17We darted down an alley,
40:18weaving between stacks
40:19of shipping containers.
40:21Dominic's voice was low
40:22and fierce,
40:23just enough for me to hear.
40:25Stay low.
40:26Don't let go.
40:28I didn't answer
40:29because I couldn't.
40:30My breath came in ragged sobs.
40:32I could still feel
40:33the kick of the gun
40:34in my hands,
40:35the way the man had dropped
40:36when I fired.
40:37It wasn't some movie moment.
40:39It was weight.
40:40It was recoil.
40:41It was blood.
40:43Dominic glanced at me once,
40:44saw the tremor in my fingers.
40:46Keep your head.
40:48We're not done.
40:49We broke into a small,
40:51grimy warehouse
40:51at the end of the dock.
40:53Inside was a maze
40:54of rusted machinery
40:55and the scent of oil.
40:57He shoved a heavy metal door
40:58closed behind us
40:59and locked it.
41:00For a heartbeat,
41:01there was only silence.
41:03Then the first bullet
41:03hit the door.
41:05I jumped.
41:06Dominic grabbed me,
41:07pressed me back
41:08against a stack of pallets.
41:10Eyes on me,
41:11he said,
41:12and the way he said it
41:13cut through everything.
41:14Look at me,
41:15not them.
41:16I can't...
41:18My voice cracked.
41:19I can't do this anymore.
41:21You're doing it.
41:22His face was inches from mine,
41:24breath hot and fast.
41:26Right now you're doing it.
41:27Breathe.
41:28I obeyed without thinking,
41:30dragging air into my lungs.
41:32The next few seconds blurred.
41:34More shots.
41:36Shouts.
41:37Dominic moving like water,
41:38eyes scanning for exits.
41:40He handed me a clip
41:41from his pocket.
41:43Reload,
41:44he said.
41:45Hand steady.
41:46I fumbled,
41:47dropped it,
41:48cursed under my breath.
41:49He covered my hands with his,
41:51guiding me.
41:53Like this,
41:54he murmured.
41:55Slow.
41:56Push it in.
41:57You've got it.
41:58And I did.
41:59Somehow I did.
42:01We crouched,
42:02side by side.
42:03They're not going to stop,
42:05I whispered.
42:06They will,
42:07he said,
42:08because I'm going to make them.
42:10Something in his tone
42:10made my stomach not.
42:12He wasn't bluffing.
42:13He was about to go full war.
42:15I grabbed his arm.
42:17Dominic,
42:18don't-
42:18He looked at me,
42:19and his face was a mask of rage
42:21and tenderness,
42:22like a man already half dead.
42:24They came for you.
42:26They don't get to walk away from that.
42:28I'm not leaving you,
42:29I said,
42:30voice shaking.
42:31You might have to.
42:32No.
42:34We stared at each other,
42:35the noise outside getting louder.
42:37Then his expression cracked just a little.
42:40He cupped my cheek with a bloody hand.
42:42You're the first thing that's felt real in a long time.
42:46His thumb brushed under my eye.
42:48If I don't make it out,
42:50don't,
42:51I cut him off.
42:52Don't say that.
42:54His lips twitched like a broken smile.
42:56You're stubborn.
42:58A crash at the other end of the warehouse.
43:01They were in.
43:02Dominic moved instantly,
43:04shoving me behind a stack of metal drums.
43:06Stay down.
43:08No matter what you hear,
43:09don't move until I tell you.
43:11Dominic?
43:12Promise me.
43:13I swallowed hard.
43:15I promise.
43:16He was gone before I could breathe again,
43:18sliding into the shadows like a predator.
43:21Gunfire erupted,
43:23echoing off the steel walls.
43:24Shouts.
43:25Curses.
43:26The thud of bodies.
43:28I covered my mouth,
43:29shaking.
43:30Every shot felt like a punch
43:31in my chest.
43:33I wanted to run to him,
43:34wanted to scream his name,
43:35but the promise locked my body in place.
43:38Then,
43:39a scream.
43:40One of theirs.
43:41Then another.
43:42Then silence.
43:44I peeked over the drums.
43:46The warehouse floor was chaos.
43:48Bodies down,
43:49smoke drifting.
43:50And Dominic.
43:52Dominic standing in the middle of it all,
43:54gun dangling from his hand,
43:56blood on his shirt,
43:57chest heaving.
43:59He looked up,
44:00met my eyes.
44:02Relief and something like despair flickered there.
44:05He staggered toward me.
44:06It's over,
44:08he rasped.
44:09We're leaving.
44:10I scrambled out,
44:11caught him as he swayed.
44:13You're hurt.
44:15Later.
44:16His arm went around me,
44:18iron strong despite the tremor.
44:20We've got to move.
44:22We made it three steps before another door slammed open at the far end.
44:26A man stepped through,
44:28slow,
44:29deliberate,
44:30different from the others,
44:31older,
44:32cold eyes,
44:34no gun in his hand,
44:35just a knife gleaming under the flickering light.
44:38Dominic stiffened.
44:40Run,
44:40he said.
44:41I didn't.
44:42The man's voice was calm,
44:44almost polite.
44:45You took everything from me,
44:47Dominic.
44:48Tonight,
44:48I take it back.
44:49His eyes slid to me.
44:51And I'll start with her.
44:54Dominic shifted,
44:55putting himself between us.
44:57You're not touching her.
44:59The man smiled thinly.
45:01You can't protect her forever.
45:04Dominic lunged.
45:05The man was fast.
45:07Steel flashed.
45:08The sound of impact echoed like a drum.
45:11I screamed.
45:12Dominic staggered,
45:13the knife in his side.
45:14He didn't fall.
45:15He swung back,
45:16gun rising,
45:17but his hand shook.
45:19Time slowed.
45:19My vision tunneled.
45:21I grabbed a metal rod from the floor,
45:23charged without thinking,
45:25slammed it into the man's wrist.
45:27The knife clattered away.
45:29Dominic fired.
45:30The man dropped.
45:32Dominic swayed,
45:34blood running down his shirt.
45:36You shouldn't have done that,
45:38he whispered.
45:38I wasn't going to watch you die.
45:41I wasn't going to watch you die.
45:41He tried to smile,
45:43failed.
45:44His knees buckled.
45:46I caught him,
45:47both of us sinking to the floor.
45:49His blood was hot and sticky on my hands.
45:52Stay with me,
45:53I begged.
45:54Please,
45:55stay with me.
45:57His eyes fluttered.
45:59You...
45:59You're not running anymore.
46:01No,
46:02I'm not.
46:03Sirens wailed somewhere distant.
46:06Lights flickered against the high windows.
46:08I pressed my forehead to his.
46:10We're getting out.
46:12Do you hear me?
46:13We're getting out.
46:14His lips moved,
46:16barely a sound.
46:18Love you.
46:19And then his eyes closed.
46:22Six months.
46:23That's how long it took
46:25for the smell of gunpowder
46:26to fade from my skin.
46:28Six months since the sirens,
46:29since the ambulance lights
46:30painted my face in red and blue,
46:33since I screamed his name
46:34until my voice broke.
46:35He lived.
46:37Barely.
46:38Three surgeries,
46:40two weeks in a coma,
46:41a month of silence
46:42where I slept in a hospital chair
46:43and prayed to a god
46:44I wasn't sure existed.
46:46When he finally opened his eyes,
46:47he didn't say my name.
46:50He said,
46:51you stayed.
46:52And I did.
46:54Through the fear,
46:55the nightmares,
46:56the questions from cops
46:57who pretended not to know
46:58who he was.
46:59Through the long nights
47:00of physical therapy
47:01where he'd grit his teeth
47:03and refuse help.
47:04Through the guilt
47:05that chewed holes in him
47:06for every life he'd taken
47:07to save mine.
47:09I stayed.
47:11Now,
47:12half a year later,
47:13I sit on the porch
47:14of the house he built
47:15on the edge of nowhere.
47:16Woods all around.
47:18Wind whispering through pines.
47:21The kind of quiet
47:22you only notice
47:22after a life
47:23that's been nothing but noise.
47:25Dominic's inside,
47:27fixing the old coffee machine
47:28that wheezes every morning.
47:30He swears it's therapeutic.
47:32I think he just likes
47:33pretending to be ordinary.
47:35I trace the faint scar
47:37on my wrist
47:38where his blood once dried,
47:39feeling the ghost
47:40of that night.
47:41It never really leaves you.
47:44The gunfire.
47:45The silence after.
47:46The way his pulse
47:47fluttered under my fingers
47:49when I thought it was
47:49the last time
47:50I'd feel him breathe.
47:52I hear the screen door creak.
47:55You thinking again?
47:57He asks,
47:58voice rough but alive.
48:00Always.
48:02He walks over,
48:03still limping a little,
48:04still carrying
48:05that quiet strength-like armor.
48:07He sets two mugs down,
48:09sits beside me,
48:10eyes on the tree line.
48:11You never told me
48:13what went through your head
48:14that night,
48:15he says softly.
48:16You mean when I thought
48:17you were gone?
48:19He nods.
48:20I stare at the woods,
48:22the slow drift of fog
48:23curling between the trees.
48:25I thought I'd break,
48:27I admit.
48:28But I didn't.
48:30I just...
48:31decided I wasn't going
48:32to let you die.
48:34Not after everything.
48:36He exhales,
48:37long and low.
48:39You shouldn't have
48:40had to save me.
48:41I think we saved each other.
48:44He glances at me,
48:45eyes darker than the dusk
48:46settling around us.
48:48You know what's crazy?
48:50What?
48:51I used to think
48:52love made a man weak.
48:54But you...
48:55He shakes his head,
48:56almost smiling.
48:58You made me stop
48:59running from being human.
49:01I reach for his hand.
49:03The scars on his knuckles
49:04are smooth now,
49:05pale reminders of a man
49:07who once lived by violence.
49:09His fingers wrap around mine,
49:11strong but gentle.
49:13I don't care about the past,
49:15I whisper.
49:17I care that we're still here.
49:19He looks at me
49:20like I'm the last thing
49:21tethering him to the world.
49:24You could have left
49:25a hundred times.
49:26I did once,
49:27I say,
49:28in my head,
49:29every day before I met you.
49:31Something unspoken
49:32settles between us,
49:34heavier than silence,
49:35softer than words.
49:37He leans in,
49:38rests his forehead
49:39against mine.
49:40The faint scent of motor oil
49:42and coffee clings to him.
49:44I used to think
49:45people like us
49:45didn't get happy endings.
49:47We didn't,
49:48I say.
49:49We built one.
49:51For a moment,
49:52the world feels still.
49:53The cicadas hum.
49:55The sky bruises
49:55to deep purple.
49:57His thumb grazes my jaw.
49:59Slow.
50:00Reverent.
50:01I love you,
50:03he says,
50:03barely audible.
50:05It hits like the first breath
50:06after drowning.
50:08Say it again.
50:09I love you.
50:11I close my eyes,
50:13press my face
50:13against his chest,
50:15listen to the steady beat
50:16that almost didn't come back.
50:18You're stuck with me,
50:20I murmur.
50:21His laugh is quiet,
50:23raw.
50:24That was the plan.
50:25Inside,
50:28the coffee machine
50:28sputters and clicks off,
50:30a soft reminder
50:31that life,
50:32ordinary,
50:33fragile,
50:34and real,
50:35goes on.
50:36I look out
50:37at the fading horizon,
50:39and the memory
50:40of that night
50:40flickers like a dream
50:41I finally survived.
50:43I used to live in fear,
50:45always bracing
50:46for the next blow,
50:47the next loss.
50:49Now,
50:50when I wake up
50:51beside him,
50:52the only thing
50:52that scares me
50:53is how much peace
50:54can hurt
50:54when you're not used to it.
50:56He once told me
50:56love was dangerous.
50:58He wasn't wrong.
51:00It breaks you,
51:01burns you,
51:01leaves scars you can't name.
51:03But sometimes
51:04it stitches the broken parts
51:05tighter than before.
51:07And now,
51:08when I lie beside him
51:09in the dark
51:09and feel his breath
51:10warm against my neck,
51:12I realize what survival
51:13really means.
51:14It's not just
51:14living through something.
51:16It's choosing
51:17to stay alive after.
51:19I tilt my head back,
51:20watch the first stars
51:21come out.
51:22You ever think
51:23about that night?
51:24I ask.
51:25Every day.
51:27Regret it?
51:28He shakes his head.
51:29Not for a second.
51:31I smile,
51:32small and sure.
51:33Good,
51:34because I do it
51:35all over again.
51:36He doesn't answer
51:37right away.
51:38Instead,
51:39he reaches over,
51:40traces his thumb
51:40along my jaw.
51:42His voice is low,
51:43almost reverent.
51:45You already did,
51:46every time you stayed.
51:47The porch light flickers on.
51:51Somewhere in the woods,
51:52a lone owl calls.
51:53And I think,
51:55if love is war,
51:56maybe this is what
51:57victory feels like.
51:59Not peace,
52:00not perfection.
52:01Just the quiet hum
52:02of two people
52:03who refuse to let go.
52:05I take his hand again,
52:07squeeze it once.
52:09You remember what you said
52:11before you passed out
52:12that night?
52:13His mouth curves.
52:15Something stupid,
52:16probably.
52:17You said you loved me.
52:19He nods.
52:21Still do.
52:22I rest my head
52:22on his shoulder,
52:24eyes closing
52:24as the night wraps around us.
52:27I thought I'd lost you forever,
52:29I whisper.
52:31His hand slides over mine,
52:33steady and warm.
52:35But sometimes love
52:35doesn't let go.
52:37It fights back.
52:46I love you.
52:50I love you.
52:53Thanks.
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