Chapter 78

The fear never left me. It clung to my skin, wrapped around my throat and sat heavy in my chest. I told myself I was strong, that I had survived worse, but the truth was, I was exhausted.

Every night, I laid awake listening to Dorian’s steady breathing. I imagined them finding us, breaking down the door, dragging us back into the nightmare we had barely escaped. I imagined what they’d do to us.

After a while I couldn’t live like this anymore. I knew what I had to do.

I waited until Dorian was asleep. He always slept light, but exhaustion had finally caught up to him. It was the only chance I’d get.

I moved carefully, easing out from under the blanket, barely breathing as I pulled on my coat. My heart pounded so hard I was sure it would wake him. My boots were by the door. I slipped them on, then hesitated. My fingers hovered over the doorknob.

If I left now, there was no turning back.

I stepped out into the night.

The cold bit at my skin as I pulled my coat tighter, shoving my hands into my pockets to hide the tremble. The streets were mostly empty and my footsteps echoed louder than I would have liked.

I moved quickly, keeping my head down, watching for anyone following me. It wasn’t paranoia. We were being watched. Always.

But tonight, I wasn’t running.

I was hunting.

I reached the alley behind the old café, the one where we had met Viktor the night before. The scent of damp concrete and cigarette smoke lingered in the air. My pulse pounded as I stepped into the shadows, my breath fogging in the cold.

I didn’t have to wait long.

Viktor emerged from the darkness like a ghost, his face drawn and wary. His eyes flicked behind me, scanning for Dorian.

“This is a bad idea,” he muttered.

I lifted my chin. “Dorian doesn’t know I’m here.”

Viktor exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “Then you should turn around and go home before he wakes up and finds you gone.”

“I can’t,” I said firmly. “I need answers, Viktor. And I need them now.”

His jaw tensed. “I already told you what I know.”

“No.” I took a step closer, refusing to let him evade me. “You told us just enough to scare us into running. But I’m done running.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “You think you want the truth, but you don’t.”

“Try me.”

He sighed, his breath misting in the cold. He looked tired, as if the weight of too many secrets was finally crushing him.

“Why now?” he asked. “Why come to me alone?”

I swallowed hard. “Because if I don’t, we’ll never be free. And because I know you want out too.”

His gaze snapped to mine, sharp and assessing. I knew I had hit a nerve.

“Help me,” I pressed. “Help me end this.”

Viktor let out a low curse. He ran a hand through his hair, then glanced around the alley again before sighing in resignation.

“This will get you killed,” he warned.

“I’ll take my chances.”

He studied me for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Alright. But if we do this, we do it my way.”

I nodded, my pulse hammering. “Fine.”

“Then follow me.”

Viktor led me through the back streets, taking a path so confusing that I soon lost track of where we were. I didn’t ask questions. I just kept up.

Eventually, we stopped in front of an unmarked door in a deserted industrial block. He knocked twice, waited, then knocked again—three short raps. A beat passed, then the door creaked open.

A woman stood on the other side. She was tall, her dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Her eyes flicked over me before settling on Viktor.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said flatly.

“Neither should you,” he shot back. “But here we are.”

She exhaled smoke, then stepped aside. “Five minutes.”

I followed Viktor inside. The air was thick with the scent of oil and old paper. The walls were lined with filing cabinets, stacks of documents spilling onto tables. The woman shut the door behind us, locking it with a click.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“Information,” Viktor said. He moved to a cabinet, rifling through a drawer. “Everything they don’t want you to know.”

I stepped closer, scanning the scattered files. Some of the names were familiar. Some sent chills down my spine.

And then I saw it.

My name.

My fingers trembled as I reached for the folder.

Inside were pages of notes, medical reports, surveillance logs. My stomach twisted as I read the dates, realizing they had been watching me long before I had even known I was a target.

Dorian’s name was there too. But what sent ice through my veins was the final page.

A termination order.

“Jesus,” I whispered.

I turned to him. “Who are they?”

He hesitated. Then, finally: “A division of powerful industries. Off the books. Funded by people with enough power to keep it buried.”

I gripped the folder tighter. “And what do they want from us?”

His expression darkened. “If you ask me, I think it's a personal beef with you both but then again what do I know.”

I felt sick.

“They won’t stop,” Viktor said. “Not until they have you. Or until you’re dead.”

A sharp knock at the door made us both freeze.

The woman tensed, putting a hand on the gun at her hip. “You need to go,” she said. “Now.”

Viktor shoved a USB drive into my hand. “Everything I have is on there.”

I nodded, stuffing it into my pocket. “Thank you.”

He hesitated, then gripped my arm. “Be careful, Anna.”

The urgency in his voice sent a fresh wave of fear through me. I pulled away, following the woman to the back exit.