CHAPTER 68

William’s voice crackled through the speakers, thick with amusement.

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.”

Fiona’s grip on her weapon tightened. The dimly lit warehouse was silent except for the hum of the old speaker system, but she could feel the weight of unseen eyes.

Bella exhaled sharply. “I knew this was a setup.”

Darwin’s jaw clenched. “No way out but through.”

Fiona scanned the room. The flickering light cast long shadows over rusted crates and broken-down machinery. The walls were lined with metal grates, making it clear—this was no ordinary warehouse. It had been chosen. Prepared.

She tapped her earpiece. “Marcus, tell me you’re getting this.”

Silence.

Then static.

Fiona’s stomach dropped.

Bella swore under her breath. “Comms are jammed.”

William’s chuckle filtered through the speakers. “Clever, aren’t you?” A pause. “But not clever enough.”

Fiona exchanged a look with Darwin. They had walked into William’s lair, and he had made sure they were cut off from the outside world.

A slow creak echoed from above.

Darwin’s gaze snapped upward. “We’re not alone.”

Fiona’s pulse spiked. Movement in the rafters. A shadow shifting.

Then—

Gunfire.

A burst of bullets rained down from above, forcing them to scatter. Fiona dived behind an overturned crate, pressing her back against the cold metal. Darwin rolled behind a rusted barrel, while Bella took cover near a pillar.

Muzzle flashes lit up the dark corners of the warehouse. They weren’t dealing with one or two shooters. William had come prepared.

Fiona took a deep breath and peered around the edge of the crate, squeezing off a shot at one of the shadows in the rafters. The figure ducked away, but not before she caught a glimpse of something unsettling.

Black tactical gear. Masks.

These weren’t just hired guns. These were professionals.

Bella cursed, firing back. “How the hell did he pull this together so fast?”

Darwin gritted his teeth. “He’s had a backup plan from the start.”

William’s voice returned, smooth, mocking. “You didn’t think I’d run, did you?”

Fiona’s mind worked fast. William wasn’t just trying to kill them. He was controlling the game, maneuvering them exactly where he wanted.

A diversion.

A misdirection.

Her eyes darted around the warehouse, taking in the layout. The catwalk above, the sealed doors, the lack of windows.

Then she saw it.

A side door.

Not the main exit. A maintenance access point.

But William wouldn’t make it that easy.

Fiona looked at Darwin and Bella. “We need to get to that door.”

Bella reloaded. “You think it’s open?”

Fiona narrowed her eyes. “We won’t know until we try.”

Darwin nodded. “I’ll cover you.”

They moved fast.

Fiona fired at the rafters, keeping the shooters distracted while Bella bolted toward the door. Darwin laid down suppressive fire, forcing the attackers to retreat momentarily.

Bella reached the door first, yanking at the handle.

Locked.

She slammed her fist against it. “Dammit!”

Fiona’s mind raced. They had to break through. Fast.

She turned, scanning the warehouse. Then she saw something even worse.

A red light blinking in the far corner.

A timer.

Her breath hitched. “Darwin—”

He followed her gaze. His expression darkened. “Oh, hell.”

Bella twisted. “What?”

Fiona’s voice was sharp. “He didn’t just set a trap.” She pointed at the blinking light. “He set a countdown.”

A bomb.

Bella’s eyes widened. “You have got to be kidding me.”

The warehouse had never been meant to hold them. It was meant to bury them.

William’s laughter returned, colder this time. “Did you really think I’d let you walk out of here?”

Fiona’s heart pounded. They were running out of time.

And William was already slipping away.

---

Desperation Moves

Fiona forced herself to focus. The clock was ticking.

“Bella, help me with the door,” she ordered.

Bella nodded and backed up, bracing herself.

Darwin took a step toward them—

A gunshot rang out.

Darwin jerked back, a pained grunt escaping his lips as he clutched his shoulder.

“No!” Fiona lunged forward, catching him before he could hit the ground.

Blood seeped through his fingers, staining his shirt. His face twisted in pain, but he forced himself to stay upright.

“I’m fine,” he gritted out.

Fiona’s hands trembled. The warehouse was a kill box, and they were running out of options.

She turned to Bella. “We need that door open now.”

Bella hesitated, torn between helping and covering them.

Darwin groaned, pushing against Fiona’s grip. “Go.” His voice was hoarse but firm. “Get us out of here.”

Fiona let out a shaky breath. No time to argue.

She and Bella turned back to the door.

Another burst of gunfire forced them to duck.

Fiona’s brain worked overtime. They needed to break through. Now.

Then—

A fire extinguisher.

She spotted it near the entrance.

“Cover me,” she told Bella, then sprinted for it.

Bullets whizzed past. She grabbed the extinguisher and swung it hard against the door’s locking mechanism.

Once.

Twice.

The metal dented.

Bella fired at the hinges.

Then—

With a final swing, the lock snapped.

The door burst open.

Fiona wasted no time. “Darwin, move!”

Bella helped Darwin to his feet as they stumbled through.

The second they crossed the threshold, Fiona slammed the door shut behind them.

A muffled boom echoed inside the warehouse.

The shooters weren’t giving up.

Bella exhaled. “We have to go.”

Fiona nodded. But her mind was already on the next problem.

William had played them. But he had also underestimated them.

And now?

Now, she was done playing his game.

---

The Chase Begins Again

The night air was cold against Fiona’s skin as they moved through the alleyways, staying low.

Marcus’s voice finally crackled back into their earpieces.

“Fiona? What happened?”

Fiona exhaled. “We walked into a trap. He knew we were coming.”

Marcus cursed. “Are you injured?”

Darwin groaned. “Not enough to slow me down.”

Fiona shot him a look. He was barely standing, but she didn’t argue.

Marcus’s tone shifted. “You need to hear this. I found something.”

Fiona’s pulse quickened. “What?”

There was a pause.

Then—

“I know where William is going next.”

Fiona’s breath hitched.

Finally.

Their next move was clear.

No more waiting.

No more running.

William’s time was running out.

And this time—

She would make sure there was nowhere left for him to hide.