The elevator slid down in silence.
Not the awkward kind.
Not even the tense kind.
This was the silence before a storm breaks.
Aria stood between Caspian and Rafael, feeling the heat of Caspian's hand wrapped around hers. He hadn't let go since the doors closed. His grip wasn't crushing, but it was firm—protective in a way that radiated through her entire body.
"You're shaking," he murmured without looking at her.
Aria didn't lie. "I know."
"You don't have to be afraid."
Rafael snorted. "She does. Fear keeps people alive."
Caspian shot him a lethal glare. "Shut up."
Aria exhaled shakily. "Maybe both of you stop talking?"
They fell quiet.
The elevator slowed, humming as it approached the private underground level reserved only for the Leone family.
When the doors opened, Aria expected chaos. Guards. Alarms. Something loud and dramatic.
Instead—
silence.
A sleek black SUV waited. Engine running. Headlights dimmed.
Caspian guided her in with one hand on her back. Rafael took the passenger seat, cracking his knuckles like he was warming up for a fight. Two security cars flanked them front and back.
Aria glanced at Caspian as the car pulled out of the underground facility.
"What if someone sees us?" she whispered.
"They will," Rafael said.
"But they won't touch you," Caspian added. "Not while I'm here."
Aria forced in a breath. "So what's the plan?"
Caspian replied without hesitation. "I get you inside. You grab the notebook. We leave."
Rafael added, "And if anyone follows?"
Caspian's jaw tightened. "Then we end it."
Aria stared at him, heart pounding. "End it how?"
Rafael twisted in his seat, grinning. "Preferably not with your blood on the floor."
"Rafael," Caspian snapped.
"Just being realistic."
Aria wanted to disappear into the seat.
The city blurred past the windows—lights, movement, normal life continuing like she wasn't sitting in a bulletproof SUV being hunted by organized crime.
Her throat tightened.
"How did my life become this?" she whispered.
Caspian's hand found hers again. "Because you were born into a truth no one warned you about."
"Not helpful," she muttered.
Rafael's voice softened unexpectedly. "It isn't your fault, Aria. None of this is. But you're in it now."
She looked between them.
Two brothers—opposites in every way—yet both bound by the same lethal world.
"Why are they so sure I have the file?" she asked.
Caspian exhaled slowly. "Because your mother disappeared from the cameras for seven minutes the night Isabella died. No witnesses. No logs. Nothing."
Rafael took over. "Seven minutes is enough time to hide a body, a weapon… or a secret."
Caspian finished, voice low:
"And the Black File went missing the same week."
Aria swallowed. Hard. "So they think she stole it."
"Yes," Caspian said. "But I don't think she did."
Her eyes lifted. "Why?"
Caspian looked at her like it was obvious.
"Because she wasn't that kind of person."
Something warm and painful twisted inside Aria's chest.
Rafael made a sound. "We're two blocks out. Get ready."
The SUV slowed as they entered her neighborhood—a quiet street lined with old oak trees and streetlamps that flickered just a little too often.
Aria's stomach dropped.
A black car was parked near her building.
Not the one from earlier.
Another.
Caspian saw it too. "Keep driving. Don't stop directly in front."
The SUV rolled past. Aria turned her head just enough to glimpse the car.
Tinted windows. Engine running.
No driver visible.
Rafael muttered, "They're multiplying."
Aria's pulse raced. "So what do we do?"
"We adapt," Caspian said.
He tapped the driver's shoulder. "Loop around the back."
The SUV circled the block and stopped behind her building, where the alleyway was narrow and poorly lit.
Caspian unbuckled. "Stay behind me."
Rafael cracked his neck. "I'll watch the rear."
They stepped out.
Cold air hit Aria's face like ice water. She pulled her jacket tighter, eyes darting to every shadow, every doorway, every passing whisper of movement.
Caspian placed a steadying hand on her back again.
"You're safe," he murmured.
"For now," Rafael added.
They moved quickly toward the side entrance of her apartment building. Caspian scanned the keypad.
"You still remember your code?" he asked.
Aria nodded and typed it in. The door clicked—
but didn't open.
Caspian froze.
Rafael cursed softly.
Aria's heart slammed. "What's wrong?"
"Someone reset your access," Caspian said.
"What? Why—"
A click echoed behind them.
Rafael spun. "We're not alone."
Aria turned—
Two figures stood at the far end of the alley.
Dressed in black.
Motionless.
Watching.
Caspian pulled her behind him instantly.
"Rafael," he said, voice dropping into something lethal, "go."
Rafael stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, his expression turning sharp and deadly.
The men started walking. Slow. Deliberate.
Aria felt her breath collapse.
"Caspian—"
His hand closed around hers.
"Run."
The door behind them suddenly beeped—
unlocked.
Someone had opened it from the inside.
Caspian shoved her through the doorway, Rafael slamming the door shut behind them just as footsteps echoed against the alley walls.
Aria collapsed against the hallway wall, shaking.
Caspian cupped her face in both hands, eyes burning into hers.
"You're okay. I've got you."
Her breath hitched.
Outside, someone pounded on the door.
Not knocking.
Testing it.
Rafael swore. "They're not giving up."
Aria looked at Caspian, fear choking her.
"What do they want from me that badly?"
Caspian's answer was quiet.
Devastating.
"Everything."