Page 56 of His Dark Pull

The pounding on the door begins and vibrates through the floorboards. The doorknob rattles violently, and I know it won’t hold for long.

I search for another escape route, a hiding place, anything to avoid being captured again. But the room offers no sanctuary, no escape from the inevitable.

The door splinters and bursts open with a deafening crash, a figure silhouetted in its opening. My breath catches in my throat.

Then, I see him. The unmistakable wild dark hair, the broad shoulders, the fierce determination in his eyes.Alexander.His presence fills the room, pushing back the darkness.

“Ava, are you hurt?”he asks, panting.

Tears stream down my face, hot and salty. “Yes,”I choke out, my voice trembling, barely recognizable as my own. “I’m okay—”

He strides towards me, his eyes searching mine as he pulls me into his arms.

“I’ve been looking for you,”he murmurs against my hair, his voice rough with emotion, his breath warm against my skin. “I couldn’t breathe, not knowing where you were.”

I cling to him, my tears soaking his shirt, my body trembling with the aftershocks of Dexter’s assault. The world outside fades away for a second as I focus on the steady beat of his heart, the feeling of being home.

“I’m so glad you found me,”I whisper.

He holds me, his hand stroking my hair, his touch a silent promise of protection. “I won’t let anything happen to you,”he vows. “I’ll keep you safe now.”

We stand there for a moment, lost in each other’s eyes. Then, with a sigh, he pulls away, his gaze hardening. “We have to go,”he says, his voice urgent. “We need to get out of here. Now.”

I nod. Hand in hand, we turn and face the dark, twisting corridors, ready to fight our way back to freedom, back to each other.

Chapter 17

The Confrontation

We race through corridors, the only sound our frantic footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. Alexander’s hand, warm and strong, grips mine, guiding me through the maze of the building.

He’s been here before. I can feel it. He knows this place.

Every shadow threatens, and every corner promises a dead end. We have to get out of here, I think. The urgency is a mantra in my mind.

Each approaching footstep, each muffled shout, sends my heart racing. We press ourselves into a shadowy alcove, the cold stone seeping through our clothes. They are close. I can taste fear on my tongue, feel it in the tremor of Alexander’s hand as he grips mine. We hold our breath, praying they don’t see us.

Then, silence. The footsteps fade.

“Come on,” Alexander whispers, his hand brushing against the gun tucked in his waistband. The cold steel is a stark reminder of the world we are trapped in.

“I’m with you,” I breathe, the words a silent vow.

He pulls me along, and we sprint through the darkness, adrenaline surging through my veins. My lungs burn, andmy legs scream, but the hope of escape propels me forward. We burst through a door, stumbling into the cool night air. The open sky feels vast compared to the building’s confines.

We’re outside!

The stars are a million pinpricks of light against the darkness. I take a deep breath, the fresh air clearing my mind. Alexander and I exchange a look: Maybe we can escape.

Alexander’s hand grips mine, pulling me through the darkness. His strength is in the way he moves with practiced ease through the shadows. He moves like a man who has seen too much and understands violence in a way I never could. He’d told me the Veles Network has a strict code – betray them, and you disappear. Was that what had driven him to this rescue, some unwritten law that demanded he save me even at his own risk?

But there’s no time to celebrate or think. My lungs burn, and my legs ache. We’re still fugitives, hunted prey. The rough ground scrapes against my bare feet as we flee through the open fields. The air, thick with the cloying sweetness of honeysuckle and the earthy scent of damp soil, whips against my face. The moon casts long, distorted shadows, transforming the landscape into a menacing, alien world. Ahead, the skeletal outline of the abandoned plantation rises against the horizon, each broken window a vacant eye staring into the night. The stench of rot, of wood crumbling into dust, hits me in waves, making my stomach churn.

Ahead of us, a tall wall blocks our path.A fence?Alexander pulls me behind a cluster of bushes, leaves rustling against our skin as we huddle together.

The sound of approaching footsteps makes adrenaline flow through my body. I peek through the leaves, and my blood runs cold. Dexter and Kovacs, illuminated by the pale moonlight, are closing in, their eyes glinting.

I freeze.No, no, no.

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