The rain drummed steadily against the windowpane of Lu Shayron's modest duplex house in the older quarters of Densfield City. The night was thick with mist, making the neon lights outside look like smeared paint across a grey canvas. Inside, everything was quiet—too quiet for a woman whose heart was racing like a fugitive on the run.
She stood by the window, arms wrapped around herself, as if trying to hold her thoughts in place. It had been two years and seventeen days since she last saw him. His name alone stirred her soul, carved itself into her every breath. The world called him a criminal, a fugitive, a ghost with blood on his hands. But to Lu, he was the man who had shown her what it meant to be truly loved—unconditionally, relentlessly.
She didn't see him often. Their meetings were rare, stolen from a world that refused to let them be. When he came, it was always in secret, always in the dark. They would spend two or three days locked in a room, a hidden universe of whispers, wine, and tangled sheets. No phone calls. No questions. Just the comfort of his hands and the pain of knowing he would leave again.
Tonight, something felt different.
Lu turned away from the window and sat on the edge of her bed. A small red envelope lay on the pillow. She hadn't seen it before. Heart racing, she picked it up. Inside was a single piece of paper, elegant handwriting etched in black ink:
"Don't leave your apartment tonight. Trust me. - B"
Her breath caught. No one had been in the room. She locked it every night. How did it get there?
As if summoned by the note, a loud crash echoed from the alley below. Lu ran to the window. Two men in black coats were dragging a third man toward a car. She saw the glint of a gun, no breaking of silence. Her chest tightened.
Just then, her door creaked. Spinning around, she saw a tall figure standing in the shades. Her instincts screamed, but the man raised his hands slowly, showing he was unarmed.
"Miss Shayron," he said in a smooth voice, "Mr. Dahkap sent us. You're not safe tonight."
Lu stared at him, heart pounding. Her mind screamed questions, but her gut told her to trust the name. Trust the man who had never let harm touch her, no matter how far away he was.
She nodded.
"Where are we going?" she whispered.
The man smiled faintly. "To the edge of the city."
As she followed the stranger into the night, Lu knew this was no ordinary love story. Baily Dahkap was more than a name in the dark. He was the wind that protected her, the storm that raged for her, and the heart that beat harder every time danger came too close.
And tonight, the story had just begun.
But who wants to make her unsafe! And, Why?