The diner's door swung shut with a soft click, trapping the cold night air outside—and us inside with Archer West. My pulse pounded in my ears as I locked eyes with him. Archer wasn't just dangerous; he was lethal. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I was frozen in place, caught between the flight response and the knowledge that running wouldn't save us now.
Lila sat beside me, her whole body trembling. She had gone pale, her eyes wide with fear as she gripped the edge of the table. Tyler, on the other hand, had gone completely still, his gaze never leaving Archer as he stood near the entrance, casually scanning the room like he had all the time in the world. It was as if he enjoyed watching us squirm.
Archer's eyes flicked between the three of us, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Well," he said, his voice low and smooth, "I've been looking for you three."
My throat tightened as the words hung in the air. He didn't seem rushed, didn't seem to care that we might try to escape. That's what scared me the most. Archer knew he had already won.
"You led me on quite the chase, Tyler," Archer continued, his dark eyes settling on him. "I have to say, I'm impressed. You're quicker than I expected."
Tyler didn't respond. He sat rigid, his hand resting on the table, close to his jacket—close to the gun I knew he had tucked away. But drawing it now would be suicide. Archer would have us on the floor before Tyler even reached for the trigger.
Archer took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with a predator's calm. "Now, let's make this easy. You give me Lila, and I'll let the two of you walk out of here. No need to complicate things further."
My breath caught in my throat. Give him Lila? No. I couldn't let that happen. We had come too far, uncovered too much. Thorne couldn't win.
But one look at Lila told me she had already resigned herself to this fate. She was terrified, yes, but more than that, she looked defeated. Her trembling hands fell into her lap, and she stared at the table, as if accepting that there was no way out.
I couldn't let her believe that. I couldn't let her give up.
"No," I said, standing, surprising even myself with the firmness in my voice. "You're not taking her."
Tyler shifted beside me, ready to back me up. But Archer simply tilted his head, amused by my defiance. "You're brave," he said, his voice cold. "But bravery won't save you."
I swallowed hard, fear curling in my stomach. "You don't scare me," I lied.
Archer's smile widened. "You should be scared, Emily. You should be terrified."
With a swift motion, Archer reached into his jacket. My heart stopped, expecting a gun, but instead, he pulled out a sleek black phone and held it up in front of us. His thumb tapped a few times on the screen, and then he turned the phone toward us, revealing a live video feed. The image was grainy, but it was unmistakable.
It was the motel room we had just left.
A cold sweat broke out across my skin. The bed was visible, the small window, the door. And standing in the middle of the room was a man I didn't recognize, his face partially obscured by a hood. He was looking right at the camera, as if waiting for a signal.
"I could've had you taken back there," Archer said, lowering the phone, "but I wanted to do this face-to-face. Gabriel prefers it that way."
Lila let out a soft sob, her face in her hands now. I could feel the panic rising in my chest. We were out of time, and Archer had us completely cornered. But I couldn't let him take Lila. I couldn't let Thorne win.
Tyler shifted beside me, his hand slowly inching toward his jacket again. I knew what he was thinking. He was going to try to take the shot. But even if he managed to get his gun out, we were too exposed. There was no guarantee Archer wouldn't fire back, and Lila was sitting right between us.
"We're not giving her to you," Tyler said, his voice low and steady, though I could hear the tension underneath.
Archer let out a small sigh, as if disappointed in our resolve. "This really doesn't have to be difficult," he said. "You have no idea what you're up against. Thorne isn't someone you can fight. He owns the world you're living in."
"Maybe," I said, stepping forward, trying to draw his attention away from Tyler. "But I think we have something Thorne doesn't want the world to see."
Archer's eyes darkened, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. "The files," he said, his voice deadly quiet.
I nodded, trying to keep my voice calm, though my heart was racing. "We have the documents, and we're not afraid to use them. You take Lila, and we release them."
For the first time, Archer's smile faded, and I saw a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. He hadn't expected us to push back. He hadn't expected us to have leverage.
But just as quickly as that flicker appeared, it was gone, replaced by cold calculation. Archer's gaze hardened, and he took another step forward. "You're bluffing," he said, though I could hear the doubt in his voice. "If you had already sent the files, you wouldn't still be here."
Tyler moved subtly, his hand now just inches from his gun, but before he could act, Archer's hand snapped up, pulling his own gun from his jacket. He pointed it directly at Tyler, his movements calm, precise.
"Let's not make this messy," Archer said, his tone deadly serious. "Put your hand on that gun, and I'll make sure neither of you walk out of here."
Tyler froze, his hand hovering near his jacket. I could feel the tension radiating off him, the weight of the moment pressing down on all of us.
For a long, agonizing moment, no one moved. The diner was eerily quiet, the hum of the neon lights above the only sound in the room. My heart raced as I glanced between Tyler and Archer, desperate to think of something, anything, that could get us out of this.
Then, suddenly, the door to the diner burst open, slamming against the wall.
A figure stepped inside, and I could barely believe my eyes.
It was the man from the video feed—the hooded figure from the motel.
But instead of siding with Archer, he raised his gun and pointed it directly at him.
"Drop it, Archer," the man growled.
For the first time since this nightmare began, I saw genuine shock on Archer's face.