The car shot forward, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows. Bella sat rigid in the back seat, her pulse thrumming in her ears.
Damien was beside her, his presence overwhelming, his energy coiled tight like a predator ready to strike. Across from them, Leo's hands gripped the wheel, his eyes flicking between the road and the rearview mirror.
"They're following," Leo muttered.
Bella twisted in her seat. A pair of black SUVs tailed them, their headlights slicing through the darkness.
Her stomach clenched.
"Lose them," Damien ordered.
Leo didn't hesitate. He took a sharp turn, tires screeching against the pavement. The force sent Bella crashing into Damien's side, her hands instinctively grabbing onto his arm.
His muscles tensed beneath her fingers—hard, unyielding.
"You okay?" he murmured, his lips dangerously close to her ear.
She swallowed. "Yeah."
But she wasn't.
None of this was okay.
Gunshots shattered the night.
Bella gasped as a bullet struck the back window, cracking the glass but not breaking it.
"Bulletproof," Damien assured her, his tone calm despite the chaos.
Leo swerved again, taking them down a narrow alleyway. The SUVs followed, relentless.
"Damien—"
"I've got you."
The words were a promise, spoken with absolute certainty.
Bella wanted to believe him.
But when another round of bullets slammed into the car, she knew one thing for sure—
This wasn't just about survival anymore.
This was war