Chapter 1: The Stranger in the Dark

The city never felt so suffocating.

Her legs burned, lungs screaming for air as she ran through the narrow alleyways, her wrist still trapped in his iron grip. She didn't know where he was taking her, didn't even know if she should be following him, but the sound of footsteps closing in behind them made one thing clear- if she stopped, she'd die.

"Faster!" the boy ordered, barely out of breath despite his injuries. His white dress shirt, now stained deep crimson, clung to his body, proof of the gunshot wound he refused to acknowledge.

She wanted to shout at him, tell him she wasn't some action hero who could keep up with a dying mafia boss, but there was no tome.

Gunfire erupted behind them.

She screamed as the impact of a bullet shattered a nearby streetlight, raining glass onto the pavement.

"Shit!" Kai cursed under his breath. Without warning, he yanked her sideways, pulling her into another alley and slamming her back against the brick wall. His body pressed close, shielding her from view as another round of bullets tore through the air.

She held her breath.

The gunfire stopped. The night fell eerily silent, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the pounding of her own heartbeat.

Kai's arm was still braced beside her head, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Even up close, his features remained sharp- dark eyes that gleamed under the dim streetlights, jaw clenched in frustration. He smelled of gunpowder, rain, and something faintly intoxicating.

Her mind screamed at her to move, to push him away, but she was frozen in place.

His eyes flickered toward the alley's entrance, where shadows shifted. They were still looking for him.

He muttered a curse. Then, with the same swiftness he had used to escape death, he leaned in close, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.

"Stay quiet." he whispered.

She swallowed hard, every nerve in her body going rigid.

Kai',s hand moved to his waist, gripping the gun tucked under his jacket. She hadn't even noticed it before- hadn't had time to register just how dangerous this boy really was.

But now, with his bloodied hands, the sharp scent of gunpowder, and the way his grip on his weapon never wavered, she knew one thing for certain.

This wasn't just some bad boy from school. He was a killer.

And she had just saved his life.

Minutes Ago...

She wasn't supposed to be here.

She had just finished her shift at the cafe, walking home like she always did. She had taken this route a thousand times before, cutting through the alley to save five extra minutes.

But tonight, fate had other plans.

The first gunshot shattered the silence.

She froze. No. That wasn't possible. This wasn't a crime movie- this was her city, her world, where things like this didn't happen.

Then came the second shot.

a voice- low, rough- grunted in pain.

Against every instinct screaming at her to turn around, she stepped forward. Just one step, just enough to see.

And that's when she saw him.

A boy, maybe eighteen or nineteen, leaning heavily against the brick wall, a hand pressed to his bleeding stomach. His dress shirt was drenched in red, the color so dark it looked almost black under the flickering streetlight.

Even in the dim light, she could see his features- sharp, intense, and far too calm for someone who had just been shot.

Then she saw a man standing over him, gun aimed directly at his head.

Her breath caught.

The boy on the ground smirked, blood trailing from the corner of his lips. "Took you long enough."

The man with the gun scowled. "You talk too much."

He pulled the trigger.

Without thinking, she moved.

Grabbing the nearest thing- a rusty metal pipe leaning against a dumpster- she swung.

For a moment, she just stood there, stunned, heart pounding against her ribs.

Then the boy lifted his head. And rheir eyes met.

Dark. Unforgiving. Full of something she couldn't name.

But instead of gratitude, all he said was- "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Present....

She pressed hearself further against the wall, forcing herself to stay still, to ignore the burning questions in her mind.

The voices outside the alley faded.

Kai exhaled, finally stepping back. " They're gone."

She stared at him, still breathless, still processing everything. "Who were they?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead he ran a hand through his dark hair, eyes scanning their surroundings. Then, as if deciding something, he met her gaze.

"People who want me dead."

She led out a shaky breath. "And now they'll want me dead too, won't they?"

Kai tilted his head slightly, considering. "Probably."

Her stomack twisted. "Great. Just great. I was supposed to go home, take a shower, and binge- watch some stupid drama- not get hunted down by the freaking mafia!"

Despite everything, the corner of his lips twitched. "Guess your night didn't go as planned."

"Understatement of the year!" she snapped. "And you- who even are you?"

His smirked faded, replaced by something unreadable. "Kai."

She frowned. "Just Kai?"

"That's all you need to know."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're unbelievable."

Kai igbored her, stepping toward the alley's exit. "We need to move. It's not safe here."

She folded her arms. "Oh, really? And where exactly do you think i'm going?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "With me."

Her body tensed. "Excuse me?"

"You think they'll just let you go now?" he asked, voice cool and detached. "You saw too much. You saved me. They'll assume you're involved, whether you are or not."

She swallowed. "So... What? I'm just supposed to follow you? A guy I just met? A mafia boss?"

Kai turned fully, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her. He stopped just inches away, his presence overwhelming.

"You want to survive?" murmured. "Then, yes."

Her breath caught.

Everything in her screamed to say no, to turn around, to run.

But deep down, she knew.

The second she had stepped into the alley... her life had changed forever.

And there was no going back.

End of Chapter 1.

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