Chapter Eight: Lines in the Dark

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The trio had relocated to an abandoned villa deep in the countryside. Moonlight filtered through broken windows, casting jagged patterns on the cracked wooden floor. The stillness of the night was deceptive, a fragile veneer over the chaos they knew was coming.

Raven leaned against the wall, her sharp eyes scanning a laptop’s screen, while Taehyung sat on the couch, methodically cleaning his weapons. Lisa paced the room, her nerves frayed from the constant danger and the storm brewing between them all.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Taehyung muttered, glancing at her.

Lisa stopped mid-step, shooting him a glare. “Maybe I wouldn’t be pacing if you’d actually tell me what’s going on.”

Taehyung sighed, setting his gun down. “I’ve told you everything you need to know.”

“No,” Raven interjected, her tone dripping with mockery as she looked up from her laptop. “You’ve told her what you think she needs to know. Big difference.”

Taehyung’s glare could have cut steel, but Raven only smirked, unbothered.

Lisa crossed her arms, her gaze flickering between them. “She’s right. You keep shutting me out, Taehyung. How am I supposed to trust you if you won’t let me in?”

For a moment, the only sound was the wind whistling through the cracks in the walls. Then Taehyung stood, his movements slow and deliberate as he closed the distance between them.

“You think I’m shutting you out?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”

Lisa refused to back down, even as he loomed over her. “Maybe I don’t need your protection. Maybe I just need the truth.”

The tension between them crackled like a live wire, and before Lisa could say another word, Taehyung’s hands were on her, pulling her close. His lips crashed against hers, and all the frustration and fear between them ignited into something raw and consuming.

Lisa gasped against his mouth, her hands fisting in his shirt as he backed her against the wall. The kiss was rough, almost desperate, as if he were trying to pour every unspoken word into her. She responded in kind, her body pressed against his as their breaths mingled, hot and erratic.

“Do I feel like I’m shutting you out now?” Taehyung murmured against her lips, his voice husky.

Lisa’s response was a soft moan as his lips trailed down her neck, his hands roaming her waist. The world outside faded into nothingness, leaving only the heat of his touch and the fire building between them.

“Wow,” Raven’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and amused. “Should I leave you two alone, or can we focus on the fact that Aegis is still hunting us?”

Lisa shoved Taehyung away, her cheeks flaming as she turned to glare at Raven. “You have the worst timing.”

Raven’s smirk widened. “You’re welcome.”

Taehyung shot Raven a warning look before turning back to Lisa, his hand brushing her cheek. “This isn’t over,” he said softly, his gaze dark with promise.

Lisa swallowed hard, her heart pounding as he stepped away. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to yell at him or pull him back in.

Raven cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to the laptop. “As much as I enjoy the drama, we have a problem. This villa isn’t as abandoned as we thought.”

Taehyung was instantly alert. “What do you mean?”

Raven turned the laptop around, showing a grainy video feed from a hidden camera. Several figures were moving through the woods surrounding the villa, their faces obscured by masks.

“They’re here,” she said simply, her tone devoid of humor.

Lisa’s stomach dropped as she reached for her gun. “How did they find us so fast?”

Raven shrugged, closing the laptop. “Aegis has eyes everywhere. We probably triggered a sensor or left a trail.”

Taehyung grabbed his weapons, his expression grim. “We need to move. Now.”

But before they could make it to the door, the sound of shattering glass filled the room. A smoke grenade rolled across the floor, hissing as it filled the air with a thick, choking fog.

Lisa coughed, her eyes burning as she tried to make out the shapes moving around her. She heard the sharp crack of gunfire and the clash of metal on metal as Raven engaged one of the attackers.

“Lisa!” Taehyung’s voice cut through the chaos.

She turned toward the sound, only to feel strong arms wrap around her, pulling her back into the smoke. She struggled, kicking and clawing, but her captor was too strong.

“Taehyung!” she screamed, her voice muffled by the smoke.

Then, just as suddenly as she’d been grabbed, she was free. She stumbled, coughing as the smoke began to clear, revealing Taehyung standing over her would-be captor, his knife dripping with blood.

“You’re okay,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

Lisa clung to him, her heart racing. “I thought—I thought they had me.”

“Never,” Taehyung said firmly, his hand tangling in her hair as he held her close. “I won’t let anyone take you.”

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of Raven’s voice. “Hate to break up the love fest, but we’ve got more incoming.”

Taehyung released Lisa, his expression hardening. “Raven, take the back exit. Lisa, stay close to me.”

Lisa nodded, gripping her gun as they moved through the villa, the sound of footsteps and shouted orders growing closer.

As they fought their way out, Lisa couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t adding up. How had Aegis found them so quickly? And why had they focused on capturing her?

The questions lingered in her mind, even as they escaped into the night, the villa burning behind them.

One thing was certain: the game was far from over, and the shadows around them were growing darker with every step.

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