The back door of the car opened slowly.
Elena's pulse thundered in her ears.
A pair of polished shoes touched the ground first.
Then a familiar voice spoke from the shadows.
"You should have stayed away, Elena."
Her world stopped.
That voice.
It was impossible.
Slowly… painfully slowly… the man stepped into the dim streetlight.
Elena's breath shattered.
"Daniel?"
He looked thinner. Paler. But it was him.
Alive.
Marcus froze beside her. "You weren't supposed to come back."
Daniel's eyes never left Elena. "I never left."
The man in black exhaled impatiently. "Enough drama. We need the key."
Daniel stepped in front of Elena now. Protective. Determined.
"You're not getting it."
The air felt electric.
Elena's hands trembled around the necklace. "Daniel… what is happening?"
He turned slightly toward her. His voice softened.
"I found evidence. Proof of everything they've done — illegal deals, stolen identities, worse. I hid it in that necklace because I knew they would search everywhere else."
"And you disappeared…" she whispered.
"To make them believe I ran," he finished. "If they thought I betrayed them, they would chase me. Not you."
The man in black pulled out a phone.
"You're out of time."
Headlights flashed again — another car approaching.
More of them.
Marcus stepped closer. "Daniel, there's too many."
Daniel made a decision in a split second.
He grabbed Elena's hand.
"Run."
Everything exploded into motion.
Doors slammed.
Footsteps pounded.
Someone shouted.
Elena ran blindly beside Daniel, her heart racing faster than her thoughts.
They turned into a narrow alley, breathless.
Daniel pressed her gently against the wall, eyes scanning the darkness.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"For what?"
"For pulling you back into this."
She looked at him — really looked at him.
"You never left me," she said quietly.
For the first time in a year, his expression softened.
But the moment didn't last.
A shadow moved at the end of the alley.
They weren't alone.
And this time—
There would be no more running.