Chapter 87

Chapter 87
The forest was still, too still, as if nature itself had paused to watch what came next. Lila sat by the broken window of the maintenance shed, her hands wrapped around a cup of cold coffee. The others were asleep, or at least pretending to be, but her mind refused to rest. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Carla’s smirk, Daniel’s men, and the glint of Nate’s blood on her hands.

She stared out at the fog curling through the trees, the sky barely awake, the air damp and heavy. Somewhere in that quiet, she heard Nate stir. His footsteps were slow, careful, but unmistakable. She didn’t turn until he spoke.

“You’re thinking too loud,” he said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

She gave a faint smile without looking at him. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“I’ll rest when we’re not being hunted.”

He walked over and sat beside her, the wood creaking under his weight. His face was still pale, but his eyes had that same stubborn spark that refused to die. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, it was heavy, filled with things neither of them could quite say.

Finally, Lila broke it. “You really mean to face him, don’t you?”

Nate nodded slowly. “Daniel won’t stop. He’s been waiting years for a reason to come after me, and now I’ve handed him one.”

“You’re talking like it’s your fault.”

He looked at her, his jaw tight. “It is. My father built the empire Daniel’s destroying. I walked away from it after Elise died, but that didn’t make it disappear. It just left him room to poison everything she cared about.”

Lila turned her eyes toward the trees. “And now I’m part of that?”

He hesitated. “You were never supposed to be.”

“Yeah, well,” she said, her tone quiet but firm. “Neither was I supposed to be sold to a criminal or hunted through the woods. Life doesn’t exactly ask for permission.”

That drew a faint chuckle from him, the kind that sounded more like pain than humor. “You always surprise me.”

“I get that a lot.”

He leaned back, studying her face, the curve of her jaw, the determination that never seemed to leave her eyes. “When this is over,” he said quietly, “you could walk away. You could take your inheritance, fix your house, start over. You don’t owe me anything.”

She turned toward him then, her expression unreadable. “You think I’m here because I owe you?”

His breath hitched slightly, and he looked away. “You shouldn’t be here because of me.”

Her voice softened. “Maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m here because of me.”

Nate didn’t answer, but she could see it, the way his shoulders eased just slightly, the way his fingers brushed hers on the windowsill without meaning to.

Before either of them could say another word, the sound of an engine cut through the quiet.

Lila stiffened. “Did you hear that?”

Nate was already on his feet, scanning through the window. “Truck. Two miles out, maybe less.”

Ethan appeared in the doorway, gun in hand. “It’s them?”

Nate nodded. “Has to be.”

Mia swore under her breath. “How did they find us so fast?”

“They didn’t,” Nate said, his tone dark. “They never lost us.”

He started toward the back door, grabbing his jacket and checking his weapon. Lila followed, her stomach twisting with dread. “What are you doing?”

“Ending this,” he said, his voice cold and steady. “If we keep running, they’ll keep chasing. But if we hit them first…”

Ethan interrupted. “That’s suicide.”

“Maybe,” Nate said, his eyes narrowing, “but at least it’s on my terms.”

Lila stepped in front of him, blocking the door. “No. You’re not going out there alone.”

He stared at her, his jaw working, frustration and something softer flickering in his eyes. “You think I want you in the middle of this?”

“I don’t care what you want,” she snapped. “You’re bleeding, you’re exhausted, and you’re not a one-man army. If you go, I go.”

For a moment, he just looked at her, that quiet war behind his eyes. Then, with a low sigh, he nodded once. “Fine. But you do exactly what I say.”

“Not likely,” she muttered, but she grabbed her coat anyway.

Outside, the forest was cloaked in gray light. The sound of the truck grew louder, the low growl of an engine cutting through the trees. They moved carefully through the underbrush, every footstep deliberate. Mia and Ethan stayed behind to guard the shed.

When they reached the ridge overlooking the road, Nate motioned for her to stay low. Two black SUVs rolled to a stop below. Men in dark jackets stepped out, armed and scanning the trees.

“Daniel’s men,” Nate whispered.

Lila swallowed hard. “There’s too many.”

“Then we make them think there’s more of us,” he said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black device. “Flash charge,” he explained. “Not lethal, just loud enough to make them panic.”

He tossed it down the slope, and the explosion ripped through the air with a thunderous crack. The men shouted, ducking for cover, their guns firing wildly into the trees.

Nate pulled Lila back, whispering, “Now.”

They ran, darting between trunks, using the chaos to slip farther down the hill. But before they could reach the bottom, a voice rang out behind them, smooth, sharp, and horribly familiar.

“Running again, nephew?”

Lila froze.

Daniel stepped out from the trees, a pistol in hand, his expression calm and smug. “You didn’t really think you’d get far, did you?”

Nate’s hand tightened around hers. “Lila, stay behind me.”

Daniel’s smile widened. “Ah, the girl. The one who looks like Elise. I have to admit, you’ve got good taste. Almost poetic.”

Lila felt the words like poison in her veins. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Oh, I know enough,” Daniel said. “I know you’re in my way. And I know your death would send a very clear message to my dear nephew.”

Nate raised his gun, his voice low and dangerous. “Touch her, and I’ll end you.”

Daniel smirked, unbothered. “You’ve been saying that for years.”

The forest went silent. A drop of rain fell, then another.

Nate’s finger hovered on the trigger, his breath steady. Lila’s heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Then, without warning, another voice echoed through the trees, one that froze them all.

“Drop the gun, Daniel.”

Mia stepped out from the other side, her own weapon raised, Ethan beside her.

Daniel’s eyes flicked between them, calculating. For the first time, he looked uncertain.

Nate smirked. “Looks like you’re outnumbered after all.”

The rain began to fall harder, washing the dirt from the leaves, the moment thick with tension.

Daniel lowered his weapon slowly, but the look in his eyes promised this wasn’t over.

“Enjoy your victory,” he said softly. “Because it’s the last one you’ll get.”

He turned and disappeared into the trees, his men retreating with him.

Lila exhaled, her whole body shaking. Nate’s hand found hers, grounding her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, barely. “For now.”

But she could still feel it, the promise in Daniel’s voice.