The alarm kept screaming.
Lena jumped to her feet. Her heart felt like it would tear out of her chest.
"Someone's here," she said.
"I know," Adrian replied.
He was already moving. Fast. Controlled. Like this wasn't new to him.
He pulled a phone from his pocket and spoke into it. "Lock down the west entrance. Now."
Lena didn't know what that meant, but she heard heavy doors closing somewhere in the house.
"Come with me," he said.
She didn't argue. She ran after him down a long hallway. Her feet felt weak. Her hands were cold.
They entered a smaller room. No windows. Just screens on the wall. Cameras. Too many cameras.
Adrian pressed a button. One screen zoomed in on the front door.
Two men stood there.
They wore dark clothes. No faces. Just masks.
"They're inside?" Lena asked.
"Not yet," Adrian said. "But they will be."
Her voice shook. "What do they want?"
"You," he answered.
Her knees almost gave out. "Why me?"
"That's what we need to talk about," he said.
She laughed softly. "Now? While someone is breaking into your house?"
"Yes," he said. "Because after this, things will change."
A loud bang echoed through the house.
Lena screamed.
Adrian grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me."
She did.
"You need to stay calm," he said. "You need to trust me."
Her eyes filled with tears. "You said you were protecting me."
"I am."
"Then why does it feel like I walked into a trap?"
He didn't deny it.
"That's because you did," he said.
Her breath stopped. "What?"
"Not a trap for you," he added quickly. "A trap for them."
She pulled away from him. "You used me."
"I used the situation," he said. "There's a difference."
Another loud sound. This time closer.
"Adrian!" someone shouted from outside the room.
"They breached the lower hall," the voice said.
Adrian cursed under his breath.
Lena hugged herself. "I don't want to die."
"You won't," he said. "Not today."
"That's not comforting!"
He turned back to her. "Listen to me. I need to tell you something, and I need you to believe it."
She nodded quickly.
"You weren't chosen by accident," he said. "But you weren't chosen because you're weak either."
She frowned. "That doesn't make sense."
"They thought you were invisible," he said. "Easy to take. Easy to scare."
"And?"
"And they were wrong."
She stared at him. "I'm just a café worker."
"You're more than that," he said.
Her heart pounded. "How would you know?"
He hesitated.
Then he said it.
"Because your mother didn't die from illness."
The room went silent.
"What?" Lena whispered.
"You heard me."
Her head shook. "No. She was sick. The doctors—"
"They lied," Adrian said. "Or they were paid to stay quiet."
Tears streamed down her face. "You're lying."
"I wish I was."
Another bang. Even closer now.
Lena cried openly. "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because they're not just here for you," he said. "They're here for what you have."
"I don't have anything!" she yelled.
"Yes," he said. "You do."
She looked at him like he had lost his mind.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flash drive.
"This," he said.
She stared at it. "I've never seen that."
"You have," he said. "You just don't remember."
Her stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
"It was hidden in something your mother gave you."
Her voice cracked. "My mother gave me nothing."
Adrian met her eyes. "Think harder."
Her mind raced. Old memories. Old boxes. A necklace.
Her hand flew to her neck.
The necklace.
"You still have it," Adrian said.
She nodded slowly.
"That's where it was hidden," he said. "Inside the clasp."
Her legs gave out. She sat down.
"You're saying my life… all this time…" she whispered.
"Was never random," he finished.
The door shook violently.
"They're almost in!" someone shouted.
Adrian turned back to Lena. "We don't have much time."
She looked up at him, broken. "What do you want me to do?"
He crouched in front of her. "I want you to make a deal."
Her lips trembled. "What kind of deal?"
"You stay with me," he said. "You follow my rules. You trust me."
"And if I don't?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away.
Then quietly, "Then I can't protect you."
The door cracked.
Wood splintered.
Lena sobbed. "This isn't fair."
"I know," he said.
She wiped her face. "If I agree… what happens to my old life?"
Adrian looked at her carefully.
"It ends."
The door burst open.
Gunshots.
Shouting.
Adrian grabbed Lena and pulled her behind him.
"Decision time," he said in her ear. "Right now."
She looked at the broken door.
The men coming in.
The truth crashing down on her.
She nodded.
"I'll stay," she whispered.
Adrian exhaled sharply.
"Good," he said.
Because once you chose me…"
He turned to face the intruders.
"…there's no going back."
Lena's mother's death was a lie.
Lena holds something powerful.
And staying with Adrian may be more dangerous than leaving.