My legs still feel like jelly from the bench, from the denied orgasm, from whatever this sudden frantic exodus is.
At the rear lobby—service level, concrete and fluorescent buzz—Ivan stops. He holds up a hand.
“Still,” Ivan whispers, his voice low and tense.
We press against the wall beside the vending machines. He peers around the corner.
A guard walks slow patrol. Flashlight beam sweeps the floor. This is a routine patrol, he must be one of Ivan’s men. So why is Ivan acting like this?
Ivan’s breathing is steady, but I can feel the tension radiating off him.
If he doesn’t want to be seen by his own people…
Something is seriously wrong.
I try to stay quiet.Reallytry.
Then it happens.
A tiny, involuntary sneeze—dust from the stairwell, maybe, or nerves.
It’s tiny. Barely audible.
But the guard freezes.
Head turns.
Flashlight swings our way.
Ivan moves like lightning.
One step. Arm around the guard’s throat. Twist. Pressure point. The man drops—unconscious, but not dead I don’t think. Ivan lowers him gently to the concrete so he doesn’t crack his skull.
He looks at me. Eyes blazing.
“Run,” Ivan barks.
We bolt toward the staff exit—metal door, push bar, no alarm. Out into the alley behind the building, the cold air hits like a slap. Trash bins. Delivery trucks. The smell of diesel and garbage.
Ivan grabs my hand and pulls me into a sprint.
We run.
Adrenaline floods me—sharp, electric. My legs pump. My lungs burn. My backpack bounces against my spine. Claw jostles inside.
What the hell is happening?
I get no explanation from Ivan. He just keeps pulling me forward—through the alley, across a side street, down another narrow cut-through. No words. No explanation.
Only urgency.
And fear.
And the scariest thing of all is that it’s Ivan who is frightened right now.
The sidewalk is packed—morning rush hour in full swing. Suits hurrying to offices, delivery guys weaving through on electric bikes, tourists with phones held high snapping pictures of the skyline. Normal people living normal lives.
I feel like a ghost among the unsuspecting crowd.
