The garage doors rattled violently as another explosion echoed outside. Dust rained from the ceiling. The medic screamed and ran for cover.
Lucian stepped in front of Rhea instantly, gun raised.
"Stay behind me," he ordered, voice sharp and calm despite the chaos.
Adrian, clutching his bleeding side, struggled to stand.
Rhea grabbed him.
"You can't fight like this—"
He clenched his teeth.
"I don't need to fight. I just need to keep you alive."
Before she could protest, the metal doors blew open.
A rain of sparks.
Shards of steel flying.
The whole structure shook.
Six masked men stormed inside, armed and deadly.
Lucian fired first—
Two shots, two bodies down.
But more entered.
Rhea ducked behind a crate, pulling Adrian with her.
"Stay low," he whispered, shielding her with his body as bullets tore through the air.
Lucian moved like a shadow, fast and precise.
He fought with a frightening calmness—like a man who'd killed more times than he could count.
But still, there were too many.
One attacker flanked right, firing toward the crate where Rhea and Adrian hid.
Adrian shoved Rhea down.
Pain ripped through his side, blood spilling fresh.
"Adrian!" She cried.
He winced, breath catching.
"I'm fine… stay down."
Another explosion.
More gunfire.
Rhea peeked up—
A masked assassin was rushing toward them, knife raised.
She froze.
Adrian reached for his gun. —
But he was too slow.
The knife arced toward Rhea—
A shot blasted from behind her.
The attacker dropped dead at her feet.
Rhea turned—
Lucian stood there, smoke rising from his gun.
"Move!" he barked.
"We're losing ground."
Adrian tried to stand again, but his legs buckled.
Rhea grabbed him.
"No! You can't—"
Lucian cursed.
"He's losing too much blood. If he collapses, they'll kill all three of us."
Rhea lifted Adrian's arm around her shoulders.
"You take the lead, Lucian. I'll get him out."
Lucian hesitated.
For the first time since she met him… she saw panic flash in his eyes.
Not for himself.
For his brother.
He nodded.
They ran toward the back exit, gunfire chasing them like hungry wolves.
Lucian shot the lock and kicked the door open.
Cold night air rushed in—
But before they could escape—
A man stepped into their path.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Almost amused.
He wasn't masked.
His face was familiar.
Too familiar.
Rhea's breath caught.
"Marcus?" Adrian rasped.
Marcus Hale—one of Adrian's top security officers—smiled coldly.
"Sir, I told you the curse always wins."
Rhea's eyes widened.
"You were working with the assassins?"
Marcus shrugged casually.
"I was hired to make sure she—"
His gaze slid to Rhea, dark and chilling—
"doesn't survive long enough to break it."
Adrian lunged forward, fury exploding across his face.
But pain crippled him mid-step.
Marcus lifted his gun.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Knight."
Rhea's heart stopped.
She grabbed Adrian tightly—
A gunshot echoed.
Lucian fired first.
But Marcus fired at the same moment.
Both bullets flew.
One hit Marcus's shoulder, sending him stumbling back.
The other—
Rhea felt Adrian jerk violently against her.
"Adrian!" she screamed.
His body collapsed into her arms.
Blood soaked her hands instantly.
Lucian shot again, but Marcus had already fled into the darkness.
Rhea held Adrian's face, shaking violently.
"Stay with me, Adrian—open your eyes, look at me!"
His eyelids fluttered.
He touched her cheek with trembling fingers.
"Rhea…" he whispered, voice fading.
"…don't…cry."
And then—
His hand fell.
His head slumped.
The night went silent.
Rhea screamed his name, her voice breaking, echoing through the battlefield of concrete and blood.
Lucian knelt beside her, jaw clenched, eyes dark with rage.
"He's not dead," Lucian said through gritted teeth.
"But we have minutes—minutes—to save him."
Rhea's tears fell fast.
"I'm not losing him," she whispered fiercely.
"I don't care about curses… I don't care about destiny."
She pressed her forehead to Adrian's.
"You're not dying. Not for me. Not because of them."
Lucian stood, lifting Adrian's limp body in his arms.
"Then pray," he growled.
"that we reach the safe house before they find us again."
Because another shadow was already watching them…
From the rooftop above.
And he whispered into his earpiece:
"Phase Two begins now."