The Night He Held Me

The door shook again, and I felt my heart jump into my throat as someone tried to break into the office. I held the folder tightly against my chest while Adrian stood between me and the door. “Stay behind me,” he whispered, and I nodded.

The lights were still off, and the only light in the room came from the city outside the windows. I could barely see Adrian’s face, but I could feel the tension in his body. The door shook again, and then the lock broke. Adrian grabbed my hand. “Run.”

We moved toward the private entrance at the back of his office, and I tried to keep up with him even though my legs felt weak. A loud crash came from behind us as they entered the room, and when I looked back I saw two men standing in the darkness. One of them raised his arm, and I heard something hit the wall beside me. Adrian pulled me down. “Keep moving.”

We ran through the private hallway, my heart pounding so hard that I could barely breathe, while Adrian kept hold of my hand the entire time. We reached the emergency staircase. “Go down,” he said.

“What about you?”

“I am right behind you.”

I started down the stairs, and we had barely reached the next floor when we heard footsteps above us. “They are following us,” I whispered.

“I know.” Adrian looked around. “There is another exit on the ground floor.”

We continued running, and my shoe slipped on one of the steps, nearly sending me to the ground before Adrian caught me. “Are you hurt?”

“I am fine.”

“You are shaking.”

“So are you.”

He looked at me for a moment. “I am not afraid for myself.”

I did not know what to say, and before I could respond, another sound came from above. Adrian pulled me closer. “Come on.”

We reached the ground floor and rushed through the emergency exit, a cold wind hitting my face as Adrian led me into a narrow street behind the building. We kept running until we reached a parking area where his car was waiting near the end. He opened the passenger door, and I got inside while he quickly moved to the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove away.

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. I looked at the folder resting on my lap. “They came because of this.”

“Yes.”

“How did they know we had it?”

“I do not know.”

I looked at Adrian. “You said you trusted your security.”

“I did.”

“Then someone inside your company helped them.”

He glanced at me. “That is possible.”

I looked out the window, thinking about how quickly everything had happened. Victor. My father’s death. The Marlowe Group. The people who were following me. And now Adrian. I had known him for only a few days, yet somehow he had become the only person I felt safe around, and that thought frightened me more than anything else that night.

I turned toward him. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere they will not expect.”

“Your house?”

“No.”

He drove for another fifteen minutes before stopping at a small hotel, and we entered through the back entrance. The receptionist looked at Adrian and immediately handed him a key, and he took it and led me upstairs. When we entered the room, I saw only one bed, and I stopped.

Adrian noticed. “You can take the bed.”

“And where will you sleep?”

“I will stay outside.”

I looked at him. “You cannot stay outside all night.”

“I can.”

I shook my head. “You have already done enough.”

He looked at me. “You are welcome.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, and for the first time since we escaped the office, I allowed myself to breathe. My hands were still shaking. Adrian noticed and sat in the chair across from me. “You are safe for tonight.”

“How do you know?”

“I do not.”

I looked at him. “Then why did you say it?”

“Because you need to hear it.”

His answer made my chest tighten, and I looked down. “I am scared.”

“I know.”

“I have never felt this helpless before.”

“You are not helpless.”

“I am running from people I do not know because of secrets I never knew existed.”

“You are still standing.”

I looked at him. “So are you.”

He smiled faintly. “Yes.”

The room became quiet. I studied his face, noticing something different about him now that he was not trying to protect me. He looked tired, almost lonely. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you really helping me?”

He looked away. “I told you.”

“No. You told me about my father.”

“That is the truth.”

“Only part of it.”

He looked back at me, and for several seconds neither of us spoke. Then he said, “Your father was not the only person who asked me to protect you.”

My heart skipped. “Who else?”

Adrian’s eyes stayed on mine. “You.”

I frowned. “I never asked you.”

“You did not remember.”

“What are you talking about?”

He leaned back. “Six years ago, you came to my office.”

I stared at him. “I have never been to your office.”

“You did.”

“Why?”

“You were looking for your father.”

My breathing became shallow. “I do not remember that.”

“You were upset. You had just argued with him because he refused to tell you what was happening with his business.”

I tried to remember. There were parts of my father’s final year that had always been unclear to me. I remembered one argument, and I remembered leaving his house in tears, but I did not remember Adrian. “What happened after I came to your office?”

“You asked me to help you.”

“Help me with what?”

“Your father.”

I stared at him. “What did I say?”

Adrian’s expression softened. “You told me that you were afraid you were going to lose him.”

Tears filled my eyes, and I looked away. “I do not remember.”

“I know.”

“Why did you never tell me?”

“Because your father asked me to let you forget.”

“Why?”

“Because he believed remembering everything would put you in danger.”

I wiped my cheek. “My father made so many decisions for me.”

“He was trying to protect you.”

“I know.” I looked at Adrian. “But I am tired of people deciding what is best for me.”

He nodded. “You should be.”

I stood. “I want the truth.”

“You will have it.”

“Everything.”

“Everything.”

I moved closer to him. “I want you to promise me.”

He stood too. “I promise.”

We were suddenly standing very close, and I could feel the warmth of his body as he looked into my eyes. For a moment, neither of us moved. I should have stepped away, and I knew that, but I did not. His eyes dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes, and my heart began beating faster. “Adrian.”

“Yes?”

“I do not understand what is happening.”

“Neither do I.”

He reached toward my face but stopped before touching me, and that small hesitation made me realize he was giving me the chance to move away. I did not. Instead, I closed the distance between us, and his lips touched mine.

The kiss was gentle at first, nothing like the kisses I had shared with Victor. There was no demand in it, no promise that I owed him something afterward. There was only warmth, uncertainty, and a feeling I could not quite explain. When we pulled apart, I looked at him. “This should not have happened.”

“I know.”

I stepped back. “We have too much going on.”

“I know.”

I looked at him again. “But I do not regret it.”

Something changed in his eyes, and before he could respond, his phone rang. He answered immediately, and his face turned serious. “What happened?” He listened for a moment, then looked at me. “Are you sure?” Another pause followed before he ended the call.

“What is it?” I asked.

He walked toward the window. “Victor has escaped.”

My heart stopped. “How?”

“Nobody knows.”

I stood frozen as Adrian turned toward me. “And he left one message.”

“What did he say?”

Adrian’s eyes remained on mine. “He said he was coming for you.”

I felt the fear return, but this time there was something else inside me as well. I was no longer only afraid of Victor. I was beginning to understand that the man who had broken my heart might be connected to something far more dangerous than I had ever imagined.