And my job? I disappeared and haven’t called them for weeks.
I don’t have a job anymore. That’s not how the world works.
So, I have nothing to go back to.
No apartment, no job… no family.
The warehouse is massive and slightly daunting without Adrian at my side. People smile at me, and I smile back, but I feel out of place.
“Do you know where Adrian is?” I ask a tall, skinny man holding a clipboard.
“He’s around back, you go through those doors there and into the storage area,” he says, pointing vaguely.
“Thanks,” I mutter, moving on.
As I step through the doors, I hear a loud bang. It vibrates through my entire body, setting every hair standing straight up. My breath is shoved from my lungs, and my eyes shoot wide.
I’ve never heard a gunshot before, but as soon as I do, I know what it is.
Another one. Just as loud. Just as terrifying.
Someone screams.
A man rushes from behind me, pushing me forward as he runs toward the chaos. I got pushed right into the storage area, right into the danger zone.
Stumbling, I grab onto a nearby crate and stare in disbelief. Somewhere inside my mind, I know I’m in shock, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.
Everything is moving too fast and too slow at the same time. It’s so loud as bullets stream through the air, splattering crates, piercing bodies.
Blood splatters like a red mist from a man standing next to me. He drops to the ground, screaming in agony as he clutches his side. Blood immediately coats his hand, spilling like paint through his spread fingers.
Bright red.
Too red.
“Athena!”
I hear his voice. I recognize it. But it doesn’t register anything.
My eyes drift, wide and horrified, across the scene.
“Athena, get down!” His voice again. But the words don’t mean anything. My body doesn’t belong to me. Fear has taken over, and I
A bullet whips past my hair, moving it like a soft breeze. Except it’s not soft. It’s loud, rushing, and terrifying. But still, I can’t move.
I see him running toward me. I see his lips moving.
But still…. I can’t move.
Chapter 7 - Adrian
As soon as I reach her, I grab her into my arms and pull her behind the crates she’s standing next to.
Her body is as limp as a rag doll. She doesn’t even flinch when I wrap my arms around her.
“Athena!” I shout her name as the gunshots die down in the warehouse. My men are almost in control.
“Hey,” I grab her jaw in my hand. She’s draped over my lap, staring blankly at me.
