In the Shadow Of Memory

Chapter 38

Mia's breath hitched in her chest as Lucas dashed through the darkened streets, his arms tight around her as he carried her. She could barely process the fact that she was still alive-seconds before, she had been mere inches away from a knife, and now Lucas was running with her, his face tight with a storm of emotions she had never seen before. She had never witnessed this violent side of him, and she could feel the weight of his anger and fear in the way he moved.

He stopped abruptly, gently setting her down on the ground, his hands trembling as he opened the back of an ice cream truck. The soft hum of the truck's refrigeration unit was the only sound in the night air, and for a moment, everything felt surreal. He turned to her, his eyes wide with urgency and a touch of panic.

Mia, still in shock, stood frozen, trying to make sense of everything. He noticed her shaking, his expression softening as he stepped forward, pulling her into a tight hug. "Mia," he muttered, his voice thick with regret. "I'm sorry... I messed up. I messed up so bad."

She pulled back, her brow furrowed in confusion. He was still panting, the adrenaline pumping through him, but he wasn't looking at her; he was looking past her, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Listen," he said, voice rough. "I went against them. I don't know if Daisy saw me up there, but if she finds out I helped you escape..." He trailed off, shaking his head, as if he couldn't even finish the thought. "They'll kill me, Mia. No excuses. I'll be dead."

Mia's heart pounded, and she saw the fear in his eyes-genuine fear, something raw and real. It made her stomach churn. She'd always known Lucas had a darker side, but seeing him so vulnerable, so broken, made her realize just how far they'd fallen into something far worse than either of them had anticipated.

"I'm scared, Mia," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm scared they'll catch up to us... I can't run forever. And if they find out about us, the detective... We can't hide anything from him anymore."

Mia was still trying to process everything, still shaking from the near-death experience, and now she was staring at him-really looking at him. He wasn't the same Lucas she had once known. She could see how he was crumbling, how the weight of their situation was pulling him apart. And despite everything, she couldn't stop herself from feeling for him.

He suddenly pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her-a small gun. Her fingers trembled as she took it, still processing the significance of it. "If you see anyone following us," he said, his voice grim, "you shoot. I'm not kidding. If they're tracking us, we don't have much time."

Mia sat in the back of the ice cream truck, the gun heavy in her lap, still trying to grasp how the night had spun so wildly out of control. She didn't understand how it had all gone from normal to this chaotic, terrifying moment. Her mind raced with the thought of what they'd both gotten involved in.

Without another word, Lucas slammed the door shut, jumped into the front, and sped off into the night, the screech of tires and the echo of their frantic escape filling the air.

The night had swallowed them whole as Lucas sped through the winding streets, the engine of the ice cream truck roaring louder than the pounding in Mia's chest. She sat rigidly in the back, the gun clutched tightly in her hands, her eyes darting to the side mirrors. The weight of what they'd just done-the betrayal, the escape-hung heavily between them.

Behind them, the sounds of pursuit grew louder. Tires screeched as Dennis and Daisy tore down the same streets, their car a relentless shadow in the night. Lucas' hands gripped the wheel tighter, knuckles white with fear and desperation. He glanced at Mia, his eyes full of raw panic.

"Mia, don't hesitate if they get too close," he warned, voice clipped. "I'm not kidding. They'll kill us if they catch us."

Mia nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. She had never fired a gun in her life, but she knew the rules now-survive at all costs.