Chapter 16
The silence in the basement felt heavier than the steel door slamming shut behind them.
Lena stared at the vacant space where Ethan had been mere seconds before, her mind spinning. One hour. That was all they had. Sixty minutes to decide between enforced disappearance or death.
Noah stepped beside her, attempting the restraints again. "This is bad."
"God," Lena breathed, her heart thudding against the inside of her ribcage.
Noah exhaled sharply. "Files were bait. We were used from the start."
Lena clenched her teeth. She had known she was playing, but to realize they'd never been in control? That stung.
She rested back her head, breathing deep into it. Hold on. Do not freak.
"I'm not quitting," she stated.
Noah dry-laughed. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us. But how do you plan on fighting back when we're tied to chairs in a locked room?"
Lena tugged at the ropes, wincing as they dug deeper into her wrists. She'd escaped worse predicaments before—perhaps not exactly like this, but close enough.
"We have to assume Ethan's bluffing," she said.
Noah frowned. "About which part?"
She swallowed hard. "The hour."
Noah's eyes turned dark.
Lena continued, her voice soft. "If he wanted us dead, he wouldn't have taken the time to threaten us. He'd have done it already."
Noah's jaw tightened. "What does he want, then?"
Lena shrugged. "That's what we have to discover before the clock begins to tick."
A harsh knock resounded from the steel door.
Lena and Noah both froze.
The door creaked open a little, but no one stepped inside. Instead, a voice—low, hesitant—filtered through the opening.
"You don't have much time."
Lena's stomach twisted.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The voice hesitated. "Someone who wants you out of here alive."
Lena's heart took off. Their secret hero?
The voice continued, desperate. "Listen carefully. There is a security panel behind this door. It has an emergency unlock feature coded into it. If you can trigger it, you can get out before they come back."
Noah scowled. "And how do you expect us to do that when we're tied up?"
The person hesitated again. Then—
A thin, small thing slid under the door through the gap. A knife.
Lena swallowed.
The stranger rushed off. "Can't stay. But if you get out, go to the 5th shipping yard. Someone will meet you there."
And with that, they disappeared.
Lena and Noah traded a glance.
"This is a trap," Noah growled.
Lena nodded. "Possible. But do we have any choice?"
Noah breathed hard. "No."
Lena snapped her fingers. "Then let's move."
The knife was within arm's reach.
Lena extended her fingers towards it, wincing as the rope cut deeper into flesh. Just a little more—
Her fingertips found the handle.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stretch further. The edge of the blade sliced into her palm as she wrapped her fingers over it. Got it.
She exhaled through her nose, then carefully moved the blade from finger to finger, using it to saw against the rope tied around her wrists.
The strands pulled at first, but she teased them slowly, gently, and started to be able to see around them.
Seconds were forever.
Then—snap.
Lena didn't wait. She grasped the blade properly, turned around to Noah, and snipped his restraints in swift, efficient movements.
He shook his hands out as soon as he was free. "Now what?"
Lena glanced towards the metal door. "The panel."
Noah sat back against the door, straining to listen. Then he went for the one on the wall. "If this guy was right, there should be a—"
There was a quiet beep, silencing him.
His fingers touched a button, hidden from sight.
Lena's pulse raced.
Noah pressed it.
A split second later, the door snapped open.
The lock had unlocked itself.
They looked at each other.
Lena breathed quietly, "On three."
Noah nodded.
"One… Two…"
She opened the door wide.
The hall behind was empty.
Flickering fluorescent lights suspended overhead, casting macabre shadows on the bare walls.
Lena's instincts screamed at her to run, but she forced herself to move slowly, taking in their surroundings.
Noah lagged behind her a step, his shoulders squaring. "Too easy."
She didn't dispute it.
But they couldn't afford to wait.
They crept down the corridor, past a line of shut doors. The air was thick with the smell of wet concrete and something metallic—blood, perhaps. Then—footsteps.
Lena and Noah pressed themselves against the wall as a figure emerged from the end of the corridor - an armed guard.
Lena's breath caught.
The man rounded the corner, and for a fraction of a second, time slowed.
Then—Noah acted.
Before the guard could react, Noah hit him hard, slamming him into the wall. The gun dropped to the floor.
Lena bolted and picked it up.
The guard struggled against Noah's grip, but Noah wasn't letting him go.
Lena aimed the gun. "Stop."
The guard froze.
Noah pressed his forearm into the man's throat. "How many others are here?"
The guard spat in his face. "Screw you."
Noah grunted. "Incorrect answer."
He twisted the guy's arm behind his back until a vile pop echoed down the corridor. The guard yelped, muffled.
Lena tightened her grip on the gun. "Talk."
The guard panted. "Three… three more upstairs."
Lena and Noah exchanged a look.
They had no time for a fight.
Lena's fist tightened on the gun. "Knock him out."
Noah didn't wait. A swift elbow to the back of the head sent the guard crashing to the floor, out cold.
Lena stepped over him. "Let's go."
They reached the door—a metal door to the alley behind the building.
Noah checked the gun magazine. "One bullet."
Lena exhaled. "Let's not have to use it."
Noah remained motionless against the door, listening. "No one outside."
Lena nodded. "Then let's go."
Noah opened the door.
The night air chilled them in a flash. The alley continued on ahead of them, empty except for a streetlamp at the far end, dimly lit.
No guards. No Ethan.
Only the stillness of the night.
They stepped out cautiously.
Lena's flesh crawled.
Something felt wrong, then, a black SUV careened into the corner.
Headlights lit the alley.
Lena's stomach dropped.
Noah grabbed her wrist. "Run.".