Chapter 62: When The Fire Comes

The explosion ripped through the night, shaking the walls, sending a blast of heat rolling through the room. Lila barely had time to register the force before Elias was on her, shielding her with his body, pressing her against the floor as debris rained down around them. Her ears rang. Her pulse pounded. Her breath caught. Then silence.

Elias didn’t move at first. His weight was heavy, grounding, his breath harsh against her skin. Alive. He was alive. Lila exhaled shakily, her fingers gripping his arms. “Elias” He lifted his head, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning with something lethal. “Stay down.” Lila’s heart hammered. “The others”

Elias was already moving. He pulled her up, his grip tight on her wrist, his body shielding hers as he pulled her toward the door. Smoke filled the air, thick and suffocating, the scent of burning wood and gasoline clinging to the night.

Harper’s voice crackled through the comms, barely audible. “We’re hit repeat, we’re hit” Lila’s stomach twisted. Her sister. She wrenched free from Elias’s grasp, sprinting toward the other room, ignoring the way the floor trembled beneath her, the way the walls groaned. The safe house wasn’t going to hold. They had minutes. Maybe seconds.

Elias cursed, chasing after her. “Lila” But she was already inside, dropping to her knees beside her sister, shaking her, forcing her to wake up. “Come on, come on.” Her sister stirred, groaning, her lashes fluttering. Elias was beside her in an instant, lifting the girl effortlessly. “We need to move.”

Lila nodded, gripping his arm, steadying him as they moved through the wreckage. Every breath burned. Every step was a battle. But they couldn’t stop. The front door was already caving in, smoke billowing through the cracks. Elias kicked it open, coughing against the thick air. The fire was spreading fast.

Harper appeared in the distance, waving them forward. “Over here move!” Elias adjusted his grip, carrying Lila’s sister effortlessly as they pushed through the wreckage, the flames chasing them, licking at their heels. Lila’s lungs screamed for air, but she didn’t slow. They were almost there.

Then gunfire. Lila barely had time to react before bullets cut through the night, kicking up dust, biting into the walls, splintering the remains of the safe house. Elias snarled, pushing Lila and her sister behind the nearest overturned car. “Sniper.” Harper cursed, dropping beside them, checking her clip. “Figures. He’s not just burning us out he’s making sure we don’t walk away.”

Lila clenched her jaw, scanning the rooftops, her heart hammering. Julian. He was watching. He was always watching. Elias exhaled sharply, shifting Lila’s sister against him, his free hand gripping his gun. “We can’t stay here.” Lila’s mind raced. There had to be a way out. There always was. Then she saw it. A narrow alley, half-covered in smoke, leading toward the treeline. She grabbed Elias’s arm. “There.” He nodded once, adjusting his stance. “Harper, cover us.” Harper reloaded. “On it.” The second the next round of shots rang out, Elias moved, sprinting toward the alley, Lila at his side, her breath coming fast, every muscle burning. Almost there. Almost 

The second explosion came out of nowhere. The ground cracked beneath them, the shockwave throwing them forward, the world tilting sideways. Lila hit the pavement hard, her head spinning, her vision blurring. For a moment, all she could hear was ringing. His voice cut through the chaos, rough, desperate. “Lila!” She blinked, her vision clearing just enough to see him staggering to his feet, his grip still tight on her sister. Blood ran down the side of his face, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was focused on her. Only her. Lila groaned, pushing up, ignoring the way her body protested. “I’m fine.” Elias grabbed her hand, pulling her up, his breath uneven. “Move.”

They stumbled toward the trees, the fire lighting up the sky behind them, the heat pressing against their backs. But they didn’t stop. Not until the gunfire faded. Not until the safe house was nothing but embers in the distance. Not until they collapsed against the nearest tree, their bodies shaking, their lungs burning.

Lila’s sister moaned weakly, shifting against Elias’s chest. Harper knelt beside them, checking her pulse. “She’s alive. Barely.” Lila exhaled, her hands trembling. “Julian’s not done.” Elias nodded slowly, his grip tightening on his gun. “I know.”

Lila turned to him, her pulse still erratic. “He won’t stop, Elias. He won’t stop until” Elias grabbed her, his fingers curling around her jaw, forcing her to look at him. “Then we don’t give him the chance.” Lila’s breath hitched. “We take the fight to him.” Elias’s lips brushed against hers, his breath hot, unsteady. “We end him.”

Lila closed her eyes, exhaling against his mouth. “Together.” Elias kissed her then, deep, consuming, a promise wrapped in fire. She melted into him, her fingers digging into his skin, holding on like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth. Because maybe he was. Because when this was over, there would be no more running. No more waiting. No more games. Just them. Just forever. Then Harper’s voice, urgent.

“Guys. You need to see this.” Lila and Elias broke apart, turning to her. Harper’s face was pale. She lifted her phone, playing a video. And Lila’s heart stopped. Julian. Standing in front of a camera, smirking. Behind him, her father. Bound. Bloody. Barely conscious. Julian tilted his head. “I warned you, didn’t I?” Lila’s breath stilled. Then Julian’s smile widened. And he pulled the trigger.