The moment I saw Castellano dart toward the woods, my breath caught in my throat. He was coming straight for us, using the chaos of the firefight to make his escape. My heart pounded violently in my chest, panic surging through my veins as the realization hit me—he wasn't just running. He was heading toward me, toward Ava.
I froze, holding Ava tighter against me, her small body trembling as the sounds of gunfire echoed through the forest. Martha knelt beside us, her face pale with fear, her eyes wide as she, too, saw Castellano moving toward us through the trees.
"He's coming," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the noise. "Martha, we have to move."
Martha nodded, her fear clear, but she was steady. We couldn't stay here. Castellano was closing in, and if he reached us, it would be over. I had to protect Ava. I couldn't let him take her.
"We need to go deeper into the woods," Martha said quickly, her voice shaking. "We can lose him in the trees."
