Chapter 3

The cold clung to me as we walked through the darkened alleyways. Dylan moved like a shadow—silent, calculated, always scanning, always two steps ahead. I followed because I had no choice, because there was nothing left behind me but betrayal and burned bridges.

With every step, the silence grew heavier. I felt his gaze flick toward me now and then, a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes. Pity? Contempt? No—something softer. Something dangerous.

“You’re bleeding,” he said at last, his voice low.

I looked down. My knees were scraped, blood seeping through torn tights. I hadn’t even noticed. “Doesn’t matter,” I muttered.

He stopped abruptly and turned to face me. “It does. You’re limping.”

I stiffened and tried to push past him, but he reached out and touched my arm. Not forceful, just firm. Steady.

“Let go,” I whispered, my voice trembling more than I meant it to.

He let go immediately, but his eyes lingered—searching, unreadable.

“We need to keep moving,” he said, stepping back. “There’s a car waiting. It’s not safe here.”

Not safe. The words hit something primal in me. I glanced over my shoulder, paranoia settling over me like a second skin.

“Is someone following us?”

He didn’t answer. Just gave a slight shrug and a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

We walked faster. The city blurred around me as my mind spiraled. Every step felt like it could be my last. Dylan stayed close—protective, yet distant. Like he was guarding more than just my life.

Eventually, a black car came into view, sleek and silent beneath a flickering streetlamp. As we approached, Dylan slowed and spoke softly. “You’ll be safe with us. Veron will make sure of that.”

“Will he?” My voice cracked. “He didn’t sound thrilled to hear from me.”

“He’s not thrilled,” Dylan admitted. “He’s angry. Hurt. But he never stopped caring.”

That hurt more than anything. Because I hadn’t just left Josie—I’d left Veron. My protector. My brother. My only family.

Inside the car, silence pressed down on us. Dylan drove like a man with purpose—controlled and focused. The city slipped away behind us, replaced by winding roads and the hush of distant hills.

I finally asked, “What does Veron do now?” The cars, the luxury… it all told me he wasn’t the same man I remembered.

Dylan met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “You’ll find out when you get there.”

I didn’t press. I stared out the window, listening to the quiet chirp of birds breaking the night’s stillness.

Images of Josie and Becca filled my mind again. Their laughter. Their lies. The betrayal hit me all over again, blurring my vision. I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying to stay in one piece.

“Do you think I’m weak?” I asked.

He stayed quiet for a moment. “No. But I think you’re broken. And that’s different.”

I flinched. The truth landed harder than any of Josie’s lies.

Dylan exhaled, eyes locked on the road. “I’ve seen people crack under less. But you’re still standing.”

“Barely.”

“Still counts.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than before. His grip on the wheel tightened. His jaw clenched. Something was brewing behind his careful control.

“What is it?” I asked, barely above a whisper.

He glanced at me again. And something in his eyes shifted.

“I wasn’t supposed to care,” he said, almost to himself. “Veron told me you’d be fragile. That I should keep my distance. Just get you out. No connection.”

His voice turned hard. “But now—what the hell is this feeling? I hate seeing people like this. Vulnerable. Who the hell is the bastard that broke you?”

The car slowed. Dylan pulled off the road and let the engine idle. He turned toward me.

“Listen. When we get there, things will move fast. Veron’s world isn’t safe. It’s not clean. Once you walk into it, you don’t come out the same.”

“You mean crime. Violence,” I said quietly.

“I mean power. And what it does to people.”

“You work for him.”

“I owe him,” he said simply. “He saved my life. Now I protect his.”

I nodded, trembling. “Then why warn me?”

“Because you’re not ready for that world. And because—damn it—I don’t want to see what it does to you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but headlights flared behind us—blinding and sudden.

Dylan’s hand shot toward his side—instinct, protection, maybe fear. “Buckle up,” he said, voice sharp. “Now.”

“What’s going on?”

“They found us.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. But they’re not here to welcome you home.”

The tires screamed as the car lurched forward. We sped down the narrow road, my heart pounding out of rhythm, Dylan’s focus razor-sharp.

But I saw it. The crack in his armor. The man behind the quiet. Behind the steel.

And now I didn’t know what scared me more—the people chasing us...

...or the feelings rising inside me for a man I was never supposed to trust.