Chapter 17 — The Fall
The wind screamed through the shattered windows as Adrian pulled Eli to the ground. Shards of glass rained around them, catching the firelight like sparks from a dying star. The sound of gunfire was distant but deliberate — trained, professional.
"They're flanking the cliffside," Adrian hissed, peering through the splintered frame. "Two—no, three shooters."
Eli's breath came fast and shallow. "How do you know?"
"Because it's what I'd do," Adrian muttered.
Another shot cracked the night. A bullet embedded itself inches from Eli's head, splintering the wood behind him. Adrian's hand closed over Eli's wrist, strong and steady. "Stay low. Don't move unless I tell you."
Eli nodded, eyes wide. "Adrian, we can't fight them all—"
"We don't have to." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote. "We just need to buy time."
Before Eli could ask, Adrian hit the switch.
Outside, a low rumble began — then an explosion ripped through the cliffside road. Flames burst into the storm, throwing shadows across the sea.
Eli flinched. "What did you—?"
"Diversion." Adrian's tone was clipped, controlled. "They'll think we're trapped inside. Come on."
He dragged Eli toward the back of the safehouse, where a narrow door led into the cliff tunnel — old, reinforced, the kind of place only someone like Adrian would have built. The tunnel sloped downward, echoing with their footsteps and the distant crash of waves.
Eli's heart raced. "How many of them are there?"
"Enough to kill us if we stay," Adrian said. "But they're not getting you."
"Why do you keep saying that?" Eli demanded. "You're the one they want."
Adrian stopped abruptly, turning to face him. His jaw was tight, eyes burning. "They want both of us. You were part of the same operation, Eli — whether you remember it or not."
Eli froze. "What are you talking about?"
Adrian didn't answer. The tunnel opened into an old storage room lined with steel crates. He shut the door behind them and finally looked him in the eye. "You were never just a bystander."
Eli shook his head, backing up. "That's not true—"
"You were their experiment." Adrian's voice broke through the darkness like a blade. "You're the reason I left."
Eli's pulse roared in his ears. "No. You're lying."
"I wish I was," Adrian whispered. "But I saw your name on the list long before you knew me. They thought you were dead because I made them think that."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Eli's knees nearly buckled. "You saved me… because you were the one who was supposed to kill me."
Adrian's gaze was haunted. "Yes."
The truth hung between them, heavy and unbearable.
Eli stared at him — at the man who'd been both his savior and his undoing — and for a second, he didn't know whether to hate him or hold him.
Before either could speak again, the sound of boots echoed above. They were inside.
Adrian grabbed Eli's hand. "We finish this later. Move."
They vanished deeper into the tunnel as the lights above flickered and died.