The shot is deafening in the enclosed space.
The sound slams into me. Physical. Devastating. My ears ringing instantly. High-pitched whine drowning out everything else.
Jelena falls. Blood blooming across her chest. Dark. Spreading fast. Eyes wide with shock. With the particular surprise of someone who thought they were in control and learned too late they weren't.
With betrayal of her own.
She's dead before she hits the floor. The light going out of her eyes.
I feel the shot reverberate through my body. Through my bones. My vision narrowing.
Ramiz is insane. Completely. Dangerously. And I'm trapped in this basement office with a madman.
I need to move. Need to run. Need to survive.
The analytical part of my brain clicks back online. Pushing past trauma and shock into pure survival mode. The part of me that's kept me alive through worse.
I start backing up. Slow steps toward the wall behind me. Trying not to draw attention. Trying to think through the panic flooding my system. Through the adrenaline making my hands shake.
Ramiz follows. Stalking forward with predatory patience. The gun still pointed at me. Still ready to end my life with a single pull.
"You know," he says conversationally. Like we're discussing dinner plans instead of my impending death. "I'm going to enjoy this. Arthur Ainsley's daughter. The Severyns' wife. Eryan Nis. All mine to do with as I please."
My back hits the wall. Solid. Cold. Real.
I spread my hands behind me. Searching. Feeling along the surface for what I know is there. What I've touched hundreds of times.
There. The light switch. Right where it should be.
"Nothing personal," Ramiz continues, still advancing. Getting closer. "Just business. You understand how it is."
I slam my palm against the switch.
The office plunges into absolute darkness.
Ramiz fires. The muzzle flash bright. Blinding. The bullet hits somewhere to my left. Plaster exploding. Dust in the air.
But I'm already moving. Already abandoning the wall. Already kicking off my heels and running on bare feet that make no sound on concrete.
My eyes adjust fast. I know this space in the dark. Know every inch of it. Every turn. Every obstacle.
I hit the stairs at full speed. Take them two at a time. My lungs burning. My heart hammering so hard I think it might crack through my ribs.
Behind me, I hear Ramiz cursing. Footsteps heavy and clumsy on the stairs. Another shot that goes wide. The bullet hitting somewhere above me. Missing just barely.
I burst into the restaurant. Tables and chairs create an obstacle course in the darkness. But I've walked this floor hundreds of times. Know the layout without sight. My body remembers even when my mind is screaming.
I run. Weaving between tables. Toward the only place that might save me. The only space designed for exactly this moment.
The ladies' bathroom. Built with a reinforced door. A lock that can't be easily broken. A phone. A sanctuary for women who need it.
If I can get there. If I can reach it before he catches me.
My lungs burn. My feet slip slightly on the smooth floor. I catch myself on a table edge. Keep going. Don't slow down.
I can hear him behind me. Closer than I want. Faster than I hoped. His breathing heavy. Footsteps thundering.
The bathroom door appears in the faint light from the street filtering through front windows.
