Chapter 106

Chapter 106
Rain kept hammering the roof of the abandoned laundry shop like it was trying to punch its way in. The place smelled like old detergent and wet concrete, and the single flickering bulb overhead acted like it was debating whether to stay alive or give up entirely.

Mia paced in tight angry circles, muttering to herself. Nate kept his ear to the door with the kind of focus that said he was already prepared to fight again if he had to.

Lila just leaned against the counter, trying to breathe through everything piling on her at once. Her father taped to a chair. Carla smiling like she had won. Tessa falling apart. Watkins showing up in the rain like some nightmare in human form. It was a lot, too much, and her chest felt like there was a brick sitting right on top of it.

Mia stopped pacing. “We cannot stay in here forever. They are going to sweep the block.”

Nate nodded without looking at her. “I know.”

Lila rubbed her temples. “I do not understand how Carla even found him. My father should have been miles away by now.”

Mia shrugged. “Carla has a way of sniffing people out. She probably dangled some money or threatened someone who owed her. That woman treats fear like currency.”

Lila felt her jaw tighten. “She will hurt him. She always said he was dead weight.”

Nate turned away from the door. “Lila, listen to me. She is using him to get to you. She does not want him. She wants control.”

“That does not make me feel better,” Lila whispered.

He stepped closer, slow and careful, like he was making sure she would not bolt. “It is not supposed to make you feel better. It is just the truth.”

Mia groaned. “This is going to be a long night.”

She walked deeper into the room to check the back window. The sound of her footsteps faded, leaving Lila and Nate in this uneasy quiet that felt like it pushed them closer together.

Nate leaned one hand on the counter beside her. “You are shaking.”

She looked down at her hands. “I know. I cannot stop.”

He took her hand, gently, like he was afraid she might break. “Come here.”

She stepped into him without thinking, like her body was tired of pretending she had everything under control. Nate wrapped an arm around her waist and held her against him, steady and warm, his breath brushing the top of her head.

“You do not have to hold everything together right now,” he murmured.

“That would be nice,” she mumbled against his chest, “if it was actually true.”

“It is,” he said. “Just not forever. Just for now.”

She closed her eyes and let her forehead rest against his shirt. His heartbeat was steady, so steady that her own breaths started to match it. The rain quieted a little, or maybe she just stopped noticing it.

“I keep thinking this is all going to stop eventually,” she said. “That Carla will give up or disappear or explode into dust or something. And she never does.”

“She is running out of places to hide,” Nate said softly.

“Not fast enough.”

Silence again, but this time it was the warm kind. The kind that made her want to stay in his arms a little longer than she probably should.

Mia suddenly cleared her throat from across the room. “Okay, lovebirds, hate to interrupt, but we have a situation.”

Lila pulled back, cheeks hot, and Nate stepped away just enough to look normal.

Mia pointed to the small window. “They found the car. Watkins is outside talking to someone on the phone. I think they are calling backup.”

Lila felt her stomach drop. “Great.”

Nate’s expression hardened. “Then we leave now.”

Mia crossed her arms. “And go where.”

“Somewhere they will not expect,” Nate said. “And somewhere we can think without getting trapped.”

Lila tried to focus. “What about the old train yard. It is open, no blind corners.”

Mia winced. “It is also creepy, windy and smells like rust. But honestly, it might work.”

Nate took Lila’s hand again, not romantic this time, more protective. “We use the back alleys. Stay low. Stay quiet. And stay together.”

She nodded.

But before they reached the door, Nate paused and looked at her again, a little softer this time. “We will get your father out. I promise.”

She held his eyes, steady and honest. “Do not promise me things you cannot control.”

He gave a tired half smile. “Then let me say it this way. I am not letting you face this alone.”

Something warm stirred in her chest even though everything around them was falling apart.

And just like that, they stepped back into the rain, hand in hand, running toward whatever came next.