130. TRUST ISSUES

KATERINA

"Hello, Sir! Hello?!"

My legs hurt as I ran after a guy that I saw walking along the empty street I was walking towards. He turned back briefly but kept walking, and I had to run faster to catch up with him.

I sprinted down the abandoned street, my breath ragged, heart pounding louder than the echo of my footsteps. The air felt thick, heavy with dust that stirred around my feet, rising in little clouds as I ran. Every step was desperate, frantic and my eyes were locked on the figure ahead. My backpack was becoming too heavy to endure already, but I had to keep going.

He was moving fast, too fast. A shadow slipping away just out of reach, his jacket flapping slightly in the breeze. I wanted to scream at him again to stop, to turn around, but my throat was too dry. Vincent said keeping my in an area like this was for my safety? He might have meant it, my subconscious defended.

I shook my head. The text I’d seen—God, I couldn’t shake it. Mafia. A part of me wanted to believe th