Chapter 104

The city felt different, darker somehow, even with streetlights flickering along the sidewalks. I moved cautiously, keeping my hands in my pockets and my head low, every instinct alert. Lucien was out there, somewhere, and I could feel the weight of his obsession pressing in, like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

Torin followed a step behind, his gaze scanning every alley, every doorway. His presence was both comforting and grounding, a reminder that I wasn’t alone, yet it made my own heartbeat echo even louder in my chest. I could sense his tension radiating off him, a low hum of readiness that mirrored my own fear.

“He’s close,” I whispered, voice barely audible over the faint hum of traffic.

Torin’s jaw tightened. “I know,” he said, his tone sharp. “I can feel it too. That’s why we stick to the plan. Stay visible, stay unpredictable. We make him think he can’t predict our moves.”

I nodded, gripping the strap of my bag tightly. Every instinct screamed at me that Lucien was watching, waiting for the perfect opening. He’d been patient this long; it was only a matter of time before he struck.

We entered a small café that had become one of our safe checkpoints. Jess had tipped us off that it was neutral territory, a place where people came and went without notice, the kind of location Lucien might not consider important. Still, I couldn’t shake the unease coiling in my stomach.

Torin seated himself across from me, scanning the room with a predator’s precision. “We wait here, observe, and report back any unusual behavior,” he murmured. “If he shows, we’re not alone. Casey’s monitoring. Jess has eyes on the street. We’ve got layers of protection.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid beat of my heart. Layers of protection, I thought. Enough to keep us safe: hopefully.

Minutes stretched, slow and deliberate, each one sharpening my awareness. The café’s chatter faded into background noise as my senses attuned to movement and potential threats. Then, my phone buzzed, a message from an unknown number: “You can’t hide forever, Marlowe. I see you. Always.”

I froze, the words sinking into me like ice. My fingers trembled as I handed the phone to Torin. He read it quickly, expression darkening. “He’s escalating faster than I thought,” he muttered, voice tight. “He’s not playing games anymore. This is a warning.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, voice shaking despite my attempt at calm.

“It means he’s closer,” Torin said, jaw tight. “He’s testing boundaries, seeing how we react. If we overreact, he’ll know what we’re planning. If we underreact… he gets the advantage. We have to stay unpredictable, Marlowe. That’s our only edge.”

I swallowed hard, heart racing. Every instinct told me to bolt, to run, but I knew running wasn’t an option anymore. Lucien thrived on fear, on the knowledge that he could control me with a whisper or a glance. The only way to fight that control was to stand firm, to stay visible, to be untouchable.

Torin’s hand brushed over mine, grounding me. “We’re ready,” he said softly. “No matter what he throws at us, we’ve got this. And I’ve got you. Always.”

I let out a shaky laugh, leaning into him for a moment, letting his reassurance soak in. “Always,” I whispered back.

Our moment of fragile peace was interrupted by a flurry of movement outside the café window. I squinted, heart hammering. Two men, unfamiliar, lingered on the sidewalk, their eyes scanning the entrance with a deliberate intensity that set every alarm in my body ringing.

Torin’s eyes narrowed. “They’re scouts,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Checking for weaknesses, watching patterns. Lucien sent them.”

I felt my stomach drop. So close, I thought. Too close.

He reached over, gripping my hand with a firm, steady pressure. “Stay calm. Stay normal. They don’t know we’re aware of them yet.”

I nodded, heart in my throat, and we continued sipping our coffee, every muscle taut, every sense alert. The men outside lingered for another few minutes, then moved down the street, fading into the shadows. My chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, tension threading through every fiber of me.

Torin leaned in, voice low and urgent. “See? That’s him testing us. Trying to gauge our reactions. We didn’t flinch. That’s exactly what we need—confidence, control. Don’t give him anything else.”

I nodded again, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. “It’s just… he’s relentless. No matter what we do, it’s never enough to make him stop.”

“Then we make him afraid,” Torin said firmly. “Not of us, but of getting caught. Of underestimating us. That’s the only way we beat someone like him.”

I let his words settle, a mixture of fear and determination threading through me. Lucien had always been one step ahead, but that could change. We had intelligence, strategy, and a bond he couldn’t break.

The café’s door chimed, and a woman entered, shaking off rain. I barely registered her presence, my attention still on the street, on potential threats. Torin’s hand rested on my knee, a silent anchor in a sea of tension.

We spent the next hour scanning the city from the café’s large windows, noting every unusual movement, every shadow that lingered too long. The constant vigilance was exhausting, but necessary. Lucien’s obsession didn’t sleep, and neither could we.

Finally, Torin leaned back, exhaling with visible relief. “We’ve got enough intelligence for now. Let’s get back, review, and plan the next steps. He won’t catch us off guard…not this time.”

I nodded, heart still pounding, fingers brushing against his as we gathered our things. “No more running,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “We face him. We fight. And we survive.”

Torin’s eyes softened, his hand finding mine again. “Together,” he said, voice low, unwavering.

I let myself breathe for the first time in what felt like hours, knowing the fight was far from over, but feeling a spark of confidence. Lucien may have thought he was in control, but he hadn’t accounted for us working as one.

And for the first time in weeks, I believed we could outsmart him.