11:48 PM
The hospital was quiet—too quiet.
Luca's hand gripped the phone in his pocket so tightly his knuckles turned white. The message replayed in his head:
> Time's up. Midnight. Come alone, or he pays the price.
They hadn't said Elijah's name, but they didn't need to.
Luca knew exactly who he was.
---
Elijah was pretending to sleep.
He wasn't.
Through his half-lidded eyes, he watched Luca stand, check the hallway, and slip his jacket over the thin hospital gown like a man trying to disappear.
"Where are you going?" Elijah's voice was calm—but sharp enough to cut through Luca's spine.
Luca froze. "Go back to sleep."
"That's not an answer."
"You don't need to know."
"Then I'm coming with you."
Luca turned, his expression a mixture of fear and frustration. "No. You're staying here. It's safer—"
Elijah swung his legs off the bed, IV drip and all. "We've been through this. I'm not a bystander in my own life anymore."
---
Luca's Inner Conflict
If he comes, I can't protect him.
If he stays, they'll find him anyway.
---
"Fine," Luca muttered, jaw tight. "But you do exactly what I say."
"I make no promises," Elijah said, pulling on his coat.
---
11:59 PM – Abandoned Warehouse District
The air smelled of rust and oil. A single flickering light buzzed over the door.
"They picked the same kind of place they always do," Luca said under his breath.
Elijah glanced at him. "You've been here before?"
"Not here," Luca said. "But places like this. Places where no one hears you scream."
Elijah shivered but didn't reply.
They stepped inside.
---
The Voice Came First.
"Well, well. Look who couldn't stay away."
A man emerged from the shadows, flanked by two others. His smile was thin and cruel.
"You brought company, Luca. That's… disappointing."
"Let him go," Luca said immediately.
The man chuckled. "We don't have him, yet." His eyes slid to Elijah. "But we could."
Elijah didn't back down. "You're going to regret touching me."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"
"Because if you think he's dangerous…" Elijah tilted his head toward Luca. "…you haven't seen me angry yet."
---
The tension thickened.
Luca stepped forward, placing himself between Elijah and the men. "I'm here. I have what you want."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small black flash drive.
"This has every account, every transaction, every name you've been hiding," Luca said. "It's worth more than your lives combined."
The man's grin widened. "And you're just handing it over? No tricks?"
Luca's hand tightened around the drive. "One condition. You leave him out of this. Forever."
---
Suddenly—
One of the men moved too fast. A gun raised. Elijah's heart slammed in his chest.
Without thinking, he lunged forward—knocking the man's arm away just as the shot fired. The bullet smashed into a steel beam.
Chaos erupted.
Luca grabbed Elijah's arm and yanked him toward the exit. "Run!"
They bolted into the cold night air, footsteps pounding behind them.
---
Halfway Down the Street – Breathless
Elijah gasped, "You were going to trade everything for me."
"I told you I'd protect you."
"That wasn't protecting me, Luca—that was suicide!"
Luca stopped, chest heaving, eyes burning into Elijah's. "Then tell me, Elijah—what's the point of surviving if I lose you?"
The words hit harder than any bullet.
And before Elijah could speak—before he could process—the men's shouts grew closer.
They had seconds to decide whether to run… or turn and fight.
---