Blood in the Alley

I lifted my head slowly, my hands still slick with Daniel's blood, my breath caught halfway in my chest. Polished shoes stopped a few feet from us.

They were expensive. Immaculate. Completely out of place in the filth of this alley.

My gaze carefully traveled upward. To tailored trousers. A dark coat and a hand hanging loosely at his side. The gun was almost casual in his grip. My breathing hitched unevenly.

I followed the line of his arm, forcing myself to look up, even as every instinct screamed at me not to. That was when I saw his face.... Calm, controlled.

Adrian Red.

I knew who he was. Everyone in the city knew the Redwell Biotech logo; it was on every hospital, every pharmacy, every government health directive. He was the man who kept the city alive... and apparently, he was also the man who'd decide on who lives or not.

His cold stern gaze moved from Daniel's body to me. A flicker of recognition sparked in his eyes... not the way a stranger looks at a face, but the way a collector looks at a piece he thought he'd lost.

"You," he said quietly.

My ears began tumbling inside my head, ringing so much I had to place my hands to cover my ears. The scent no longer felt like a coincidence.

It was all finally beginning to add up. The timbre of his voice, the way he tilted his head... it was all identical to the man in the club. The man who had commanded me, pleasured me, and then discarded me like a broken little toy.

"Of course," he said softly. "It's you."

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Daniel's fingers twitched one last time against my wrist.

He coughed, lips curling into a faint, tired smile. "You always run in head first," he whispered, each word ragged. "I... guess I followed you this time." His hand fell weakly against mine. "Please Jenny... leave before it's too late," he breathed.

A tear rolled down my cheek. For a moment, it felt like my heart had shattered before I even moved. As much as it hurt to leave him behind, there was nothing else I could do. I immediately took to my heels.

I ran as fast as I could, but even as my feet hit the pavement, I knew:

Adrian had seen my face.

And he would never let me walk away just like that.

_____

I didn't stop running until the sound of footsteps faded behind me. My lungs burned and my legs ached, but I didn't dare slow down.

Daniel's last words echoed in my head.

Run.

His last strength had been used to force me to move. I could still feel his hand weakly clutching mine, guiding me, giving me the push I needed.

I ducked into an alley, pressing my back against the cold brick wall, trying to catch my breath without making a sound. My hands trembled. My eyes stayed wide. Alert.

Daniel was gone. The warmth of his hand was gone.

But his warning stayed.

They were fast. Too fast. Whoever Adrian Red was, he had eyes everywhere. I had been foolish to think I could just walk away.

"Jenny," I whispered to myself, forcing my voice low. "Think. Jenny. Think."

I remembered the video Miguel had given us, Redwell Biotech. Illegal experiments. Disappearances. Money laundering. And now Daniel was gone because we had stepped too close.

The man responsible, Adrian Red knew exactly what I was capable of.

Not personally. Not yet. But enough to hope I wasn't the one handling this case.

I stayed in the shadows, sliding along the walls. Every instinct screamed at me to call the police, but that would be too slow. Too visible. Adrian Red was precise. If he had taken Daniel out like that, he could erase me in seconds.

I stayed in the alley for what felt like hours, long enough to be certain no one was following me. Every passing car, every distant footstep made me flinch.

When I was finally sure the coast was clear, I stepped onto the street, careful not to draw attention. A taxi rolled by, and I waved it down.

The driver eyed me, but I kept my head lowered.

"To Silver Pines Street," I said, trying to sound calm.

The city passed in a blur outside the window. I didn't let myself think about Daniel. Not yet.

Now in a hotel... it couldn't risk putting mamá in danger. I immediately locked the door behind me, and pressed against it, as if my body could absorb the security it offered.

I barely had the energy to remove my coat before heading straight to the bathroom.

The warm water was supposed to relax me. It didn't. It did nothing to wash away the image of Daniel hitting the ground, the blood, the panic in his eyes as he tried to push me to safety.

Even as I scrubbed, the memory replayed in an endless loop. My chest tightened every time I heard his last words in my head. I had survived. He hadn't.

And that was on me.

My phone buzzed. Suddenly, but immediately bringing me out of my trance and back to reality.

I checked, Unknown number. My fingers shook slightly as I proceeded to answer.

"Miss Havan," a smooth, controlled voice said.

"I don't know who this is," I replied cautiously, keeping the water running through my hair.

"We need to talk," he said calmly.

I stiffened. My blood ran cold. "About what? Who is this?"

"If you want to continue living," he said evenly, "come to my office tomorrow. Alone. We can reach an agreement. If not, you will meet the same fate as the man you were with tonight."

My stomach turned. The threat was direct. And it was now painfully clear who I was speaking to.

"You killed him," I spat, my voice steady despite the tremor inside me.

"You.. you've crossed the line, Adrian. And if you think I won't make sure the world sees what you've done, you're mistaken. I have evidence. Enough to ruin everything you've built."

There was a pause. His voice, once icy, quieted, just slightly.

"Evidence," he said carefully. "What kind?"

"If anything happens to me, the public will know everything. I'm talking about all the skeletons in your closet, your experiments, the people you hurt, the money laundering, the failed trials. So.. don't try me."

It wasn't entirely a lie.

I did have evidence. Or at least, I had evidence.

Most of it was with Daniel. And now that he was gone, I didn't know if it had vanished with him or if he had been smart enough to hide it somewhere no one would think to look.

I had only said it to make Adrian hesitate. To make him believe I had leverage.

The composure returned to his voice, but it was different now. Measured. Less threatening. Almost respectful.

"You are... bold," he said. "I like that."

"Call it experience," I replied quickly. Sharp.

"Good," he said after a beat. "Come to my office tomorrow. Nine-thirty sharp. We will discuss the terms. Carefully. No one else."

He ended the call.

My heart was still hammering. Adrian Red had tried to intimidate me. Tried to scare me.

But now, he had to know the leverage wasn't entirely his.

I spent the rest of the night organizing the files and fragments of evidence I still had. The rest had died with Daniel.

Every detail of Redwell Biotech's operations. Every crime tied to Adrian. I double-checked everything. I couldn't afford a single mistake.

Not for Daniel. Not for Miguel.

Not even for myself.