Chapter 6: Closing In
The half-eaten toast turned to ash in Clara’s mouth. She dropped her fork, the metallic clink echoing loudly in the tense room. The familiar, suffocating panic began to claw at her throat.
"They know I'm here?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"No," Marcus answered. His voice was gruff but reassuring. "They traced the car to a drop point three miles from here. They know you are in the city, but this building is heavily encrypted. They don't have our address."
"But they are looking," Elias added, walking over to the window and looking down at the concrete canyons below. The afternoon sky was beginning to turn a bruised purple as evening approached. "Sullivan is desperate. If his buyers find out he lost merchandise before an auction, his reputation is ruined. He will tear the city apart to find you."
Clara stood up, her legs suddenly feeling weak. "I should leave. If they find this place, they'll kill you. They'll kill Mrs. Gable."
Elias turned away from the glass, closing the distance between them in three long strides. He stopped just inches away, his dark eyes locking onto hers. There was no fear in his expression, only absolute resolve.
"Clara, look at me," he commanded softly.
She forced herself to meet his gaze.
"You are not a burden, and you are not running anymore," Elias said, his voice anchoring her spiraling thoughts. "Let them search. Let them tear up the streets. They are walking blindly into my territory now. If Sullivan wants to find you, he is going to have to go through me."
May you like
Before Clara could respond, a sharp, piercing alarm echoed from a panel on the wall. A red light began to flash.
Marcus tapped his earpiece, his face draining of color. "Elias. Someone just breached the lobby."
