Chapter 52

The underground tunnel was damp, dark, and smelled like a mix of mold, rust, and terrible decisions. It wasn't exactly the ideal escape route, but it was the only one they had.

Isabella's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she sprinted forward, half-dragging Enzo, who was leaning heavily on her. His injury was getting worse, and she could feel the heat radiating from his body. That wasn't a good sign.

Jayden, always the first to complain, grumbled, "Tell me again why we're running through a tunnel that looks like it hasn't been cleaned since the Stone Age?"

"Would you rather we turn around and ask the armed guards for directions?" Liana shot back, stepping over a particularly large puddle.

Jayden huffed. "I might, just to see their faces when I ask nicely."

"Focus," Isabella snapped, adjusting her grip on Enzo. He was getting heavier.

The prisoner, the mysterious man who had led them here, was moving ahead effortlessly. He didn't seem bothered by the filth or the danger. He was too calm. Too sure. And Isabella didn't like it.

Jayden caught up to her and whispered, "Are we seriously trusting this guy?"

"Nope," Isabella said, pushing forward. "But we don't have a choice."

Then-gunfire.

The sound was deafening in the enclosed tunnel. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, sparks flying.

"Move!" the prisoner barked, already sprinting.

Liana took off, Jayden right behind her, but Isabella struggled to keep up. Enzo was barely staying upright.

Then he stumbled.

"Go," Enzo gritted out, trying to push Isabella away. "I'm slowing you down."

She almost stopped in her tracks. "Are you insane? I'm not leaving you!"

Enzo forced a smirk. "Wouldn't be the first bad decision you've made."

"Shut up and run," Isabella snapped.

More bullets.

They had no time.

Isabella refuses. But then-gunshots.

They barely made it out alive.

The hideout was a disaster zone. Half the windows were shattered, the walls riddled with bullet holes, and the air smelled like something had caught fire recently.

Jayden collapsed onto a half-broken chair. "I hate everything about today."

Liana paced the room, her arms crossed. "We need a plan."

Isabella didn't respond. She was too focused on Enzo, who was lying on a battered couch, looking like he had fought a war and lost. His breathing was shallow, his skin too pale. She pressed a cloth to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

Enzo cracked an eye open. "You look worried. Should I be concerned?"

"You should be unconscious," Isabella shot back.

"Too stubborn for that."

The prisoner leaned against the doorway, watching the group with an almost amused expression. "You want to know the truth?"

Isabella's head snapped up. "What truth?"

"The truth that's been staring you in the face this whole time." He gestured to all of them. "One of you has been working for the enemy."

Silence.

Jayden's mouth opened, then closed. "That's not funny."

"Who's joking?" The prisoner shrugged. "Think about it. How do they always know where you are? How does every escape route lead straight into a trap?"

Liana's expression darkened. "You're saying-"

"That someone here isn't who they pretend to be."

The air in the room grew thick. Unbearably heavy.

Isabella wanted to call him a liar. To deny everything. But he had a point.

Jayden shook his head. "No way. We trust each other."

"Do you?" The prisoner tilted his head. "Or have you just been too blind to see the truth?"

Before anyone could say another word, a weak voice cut through the silence.

"Isabella"

She turned sharply.

Enzo's eyes fluttered open, his lips parted as if he was about to say something.

Then he collapsed.

Enzo overhears the truth but collapses before he can speak.

The street outside was too quiet.

Jayden stood near the broken window, his gaze fixed on something outside. He wasn't moving.

Isabella felt a knot tighten in her stomach. "Jayden?"

He didn't look away. Just pointed. "You need to see this."

Isabella crossed the room quickly, Liana right behind her. They both stopped when they saw it.

A message-written in blood.

COME OR DIE.

The letters were bold, smeared across the cracked pavement under the streetlamp. The blood was fresh.

Jayden let out a slow breath. "Well. That's subtle."

"They know where we are," Liana said, her voice flat. "They've always known."

Isabella clenched her fists. "This isn't just a warning. It's a challenge."

Jayden frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They don't want to kill us from the shadows. They want us to come willingly."

Liana scoffed. "Not happening."

Jayden crossed his arms. "This is obviously a trap."

Isabella exhaled sharply. "I know."

She turned back toward the couch, where Enzo lay unconscious. He wasn't getting any better. They were out of time, out of safe places.

If they stayed, they'd all die.

She swallowed hard, then spoke the words none of them wanted to hear.

"Maybe I should go."

The reaction was immediate.

Jayden turned so fast he nearly knocked over his chair. "What?"

Liana's eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it."

Isabella forced her voice to stay calm. "They're after me. If I go, I can buy you time."

Jayden let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, and if you go, you'll be dead."

Liana crossed her arms. "You go, we all go. That's how this works."

Isabella took a deep breath. "We don't have another choice."

Jayden shook his head. "Oh, we absolutely do. It's called 'not walking into the arms of our enemies like an idiot.'"

Liana's voice was sharp. "You die, Isabella. That's the choice you're making."

Isabella swallowed hard. She knew they were right. But they were out of options.

The bloody message outside was waiting.

And Isabella wasn't sure how much longer they could survive.

Isabella considers turning herself in to buy them time.