The cool night air hit me like a slap, the cold biting through my skin and bringing me fully back to my senses. William kept a firm grip on my arm as we ran, his eyes darting around, scanning the shadows for any sign of danger. My mind raced with everything that had just happened. Jace—his madness, his desire to control everything my father left behind, and his claim that he wasn't acting alone.
My heart pounded as we reached William's car, parked just out of sight behind an abandoned building. He opened the door and practically shoved me inside before quickly getting behind the wheel. The engine roared to life, and he sped off down the dark, deserted streets.
For a few moments, the only sound in the car was my ragged breathing and the low hum of the engine. I felt a thousand questions bubbling to the surface, but none of them made it past my lips. My mind was still too clouded by the panic of what had just transpired.
William's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. He was focused, his jaw clenched, as if he was waging an internal war of his own.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "William," I said, my voice shaky. "What the hell is going on? How did you know where I was? And why is Jace—?"
"I have people watching you," he cut in, his tone clipped and sharp.
I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat. "You what?"
"Calm down," he said, glancing at me briefly before focusing back on the road. "It's for your protection, Alice. I've had a bad feeling ever since the reading of the will. Something about Jace was off, and I didn't trust that he'd stay quiet."
"You had me followed?" I could barely process what he was saying. "You didn't think to tell me about this?"
"I didn't want to alarm you until I was sure," he replied, his voice steady. "And I was right to be cautious, wasn't I? Look at what just happened."
Anger flared inside me, mixing with the fear and confusion. "I deserve to know when I'm being watched, William! I'm not a child. You can't just keep secrets from me."
William's grip tightened on the wheel. "I'm not keeping secrets to hurt you. I'm trying to protect you, Alice."
"Protect me?" I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "This whole situation is out of control. Jace is... he's insane. He wants to take Ava from me. He wants everything."
William's jaw clenched, and he was silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Jace is desperate," he said finally. "And desperation makes people dangerous. But you're not facing this alone. I told you before, I promised your father I would protect you, no matter what."
His words hung heavy in the air between us. My father. The man who had been a shadow in my life for so long was still pulling strings, even after his death. William's loyalty to him was unwavering, and while that comforted me, it also terrified me. Because if my father had known how dangerous things would get, just how deep did this rabbit hole go?
I swallowed hard, trying to piece together everything. "Jace said he's not working alone," I whispered, staring out the window at the blur of city lights. "He said that Michael's enemies are his enemies now."
William didn't respond immediately. His silence spoke volumes, and I could feel the tension in the car grow thicker.
"Who's after me, William?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Who are these people?"
He exhaled sharply, glancing at me before returning his gaze to the road. "There's a lot you don't know about your father's business, Alice. He wasn't just running a legitimate enterprise. There were... other dealings. Underground alliances, black-market connections. Things that kept the business alive when legal avenues failed."
A chill ran down my spine. I'd always suspected there was more to my father than the charming businessman my mother had once described, but hearing it spoken aloud made it all too real.
"And Jace is tangled up in all of that?" I asked, my heart sinking.
William nodded. "It seems that way. He's aligned himself with some of Michael's old associates. People who want control of what's left of your father's empire. People who would do anything to take it away from you."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "So what do we do now?"
"We play smart," he said, his voice cold and calculating. "We gather information, we stay one step ahead of them. But most importantly, we keep Ava safe. No matter what happens, she's the priority."
The mention of Ava sent a wave of panic through me. She was with Martha, safe for now, but I knew that Jace wouldn't stop. He would keep coming for her, keep trying to tear apart the life I'd built for us.
I closed my eyes, my mind racing. "I can't let him take her," I whispered. "I won't."
"And he won't," William said firmly, glancing at me. "I won't let that happen."
His words were meant to be reassuring, but the fear still gnawed at the edges of my mind. There were too many unknowns, too many enemies lurking in the shadows. And now, Jace had made it clear that he wouldn't stop until he had everything.
The car slowed as we approached a dark, quiet street. William parked near the entrance of a gated building, his expression unreadable as he turned to face me.
"We'll stay here tonight," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "It's safe. No one will find us here."
I nodded, too exhausted to protest. My body ached, my mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear, and I could barely think straight.
But as we stepped out of the car, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over. The enemies my father had made were still out there, and now, I was caught in the middle of something much bigger than I'd ever imagined.
We made our way inside the building, the silence almost suffocating. I couldn't tell if it was the adrenaline still coursing through my veins or the weight of the secrets that had been unearthed, but I felt a heaviness in the air, an impending sense of doom that clung to me.
William led me to a small, dimly lit room and gestured for me to sit. "Rest," he said quietly, his expression softening for the first time since the night began. "You've been through enough."
I sat down on the edge of the bed, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. My body felt like it was shutting down, but my mind refused to rest. Too many questions, too many dangers still lurked out there.
"William," I whispered, my voice trembling as I met his eyes. "What if we can't win this? What if... what if this is too much?"
He knelt down in front of me, his hands gently cupping my face as he looked into my eyes, his expression fierce and determined. "We'll win, Alice. We have to."
Before I could respond, a loud crash echoed through the building, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. William's face darkened instantly, and he stood up, pulling a gun from his jacket.
"Stay here," he ordered, his voice low and urgent.
My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him move toward the door, his body tense and ready for a fight. I knew I should have stayed put, but every instinct in me screamed that something was horribly wrong.
Before I could make a decision, the door burst open, and two men stormed in, their faces masked and their intentions unmistakable.
And then, everything went black.