The night air outside the warehouse was bitter and dank. Noah's grip on Mia's arm tightened as they fled into the dark alley shadows. Derek was right behind him, gun in hand, sharp eyes searching for signs of pursuit. Marcus shouting orders inside the warehouse had become very faint; they had put quite a distance between themselves and the chaos.Mia was gasping; her fingers gripping Noah's arm. "We can't keep running like this," she muttered. "They'll find us again.""We don't have a choice," Noah replied with a voice that was reassuringly firm. "If we stop, we are as good as dead."Derek stopped suddenly, hushing them to be still and find a hiding place behind a dumpster as he crouched peeking from around the corner. "We need a safe house. Somewhere Marcus doesn't know about," he turned back to Noah.Noah paused and looked at Mia. "There is a cabin out of town. My mother used to take me there when things got bad."Derek nodded. "Good. Let us move before they track us."---It was tense drive to the cabin. Mia was in the passenger seat, arms folded, eyes blank. Noah found himself stealing glances at her, the weight of her earlier question on his mind: Do you trust him?In the back seat was Derek, his face an absolute mask. He hadn't said much after they got away, and Noah just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.The car halted at the threshold of the cabin, and everyone felt instantly the tension rising within them. The cabin was small and battered, enveloped in tall trees that drew closer.This place does not look like it has been used for years, Derek said, stepping outside and looking around.It hasn't, Noah admitted. But it is safe.I nibbled near the car, wrapping my arms around myself. Noah moved in closer, soft of voice, asking, "Are you okay?"With a nod, she failed to meet his gaze. "I just... I don't know who to trust anymore."He reached up, moving a wayward strand of hair from her face to say, "We'll figure it out. Together."For a moment, the world seemed to fade away. The fear, the danger-it melted into the background as Mia looked up. The warm glow in her eyes stirred something deep within Noah-and before he knew what he was doing, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.The kiss was brief but electric; a moment's sanctuary amid chaos. When they parted, Mia's cheeks burned, but she didn't dare to move.We should go inside," she said softly, her voice trembling a little.---Inside the cabin, Derek was already busy unpacking supplies from the warehouse-maps, a burner phone, a small box of ammunition-and so on. He glanced up just as Noah and Mia came in."We need to talk," Derek said, his voice serious, though it held the promise of more.Noah frowned. "About what?""This is not just Marcus, Noah," Derek said, his gaze piercing. "This is a much larger plan. Then there's more. Your mother's past... It's tangled with something much more dangerous than what you realize."Folding his arms, Noah's jaw tightened. "Then tell me. Just lay it all out. Stop dancing around the truth."Heaving a sigh, Derek scratched his hair. "Sara's enemy was not only Marcus. She was an enemy of an organization-a group that dabbles in secrets, blackmail, and power. When she tried to extricate herself from it, she acquired enemies who never forgot her name. So, Marcus was only the beginning . They're after you since you're the key to unlocking the thing she took from them.""What did she take?" Noah asked angrily.Derek hesitated; his eye wandered over to Mia. "A ledger. Names, accounts, everything. If that payload fell in the wrong hands, it could destroy lives."Heart sank, Noah. "And you think I have it?" he asked softly."Yes," said Derek. "Whether you know it or not, Sara left you clues. They are buried in her past, in the life that she tried to keep hidden from you."Noah turned away, trying to take this in. Oh, what a difficult person his mother was to get to know; but this... this was beyond his imagination.---At night, the cabin became very silent. Mia was sitting by the fire with her pulled-up knees. Noah went up next to her, shoulder brushing against hers."Think we will ever get out of here?" she asked."We must," Noah replied in a voice that brooked no argument. "For both of us."Mia took a breath, hesitated, and placed her hand atop his. "Thank you. For saving me. For not giving up on me.""You bet," Noah said, turning his eyes onto her. "I'd do it a thousand times, if I had to.""Derek, who was by the window, stiffened at the moment," shouted Derek just as the moment was punctuated by a sudden external noise. Something snapped underfoot.Somebody's here," he whispered and clutched the weapon.Noah's heart pounded as he gets up, signaling Mia to remain behind him. The walls around the little cabin felt as thin as paper under the increasing sounds of possibly approaching footsteps."Be quiet," Derek murmured as he approached the door.The silence was deafening as they waited. Then the door was smashed open without warning, and a masked figure burst through, gun raised."Get down!" Derek commanded and squeezed off a shot that missed the intruder by inches.The intruder lunged toward Noah, sending him flowing to the ground. They wrestled on the floor, causing the room to fill with the abrupt sounds of punched fists and ragged gasps. Noah fought for his life, glowing pictures of Mia, and his mother flashing through his mind; he must not lose this battle.Finally, he managed to pass off his entire weight behind a surge into shoving the intruder off him. He grabbed a nearby hanging chair and swung it all forcefully at him. The form sunk down to the floor, unconscious.Derek shouted from the distance and came over. The husk took off to reveal one of Marcus' men."They know we've been found," Derek said grimly."Time for a fast exodus." Mia stood as a frozen statue at the display before her.Even so, Noah positioned a soothing hand on Mia's shoulder and said, "We'll get through this," as his strong voice reassured her.Yet upon sneaking a glance at the unconscious man, a slip of paper fell from the thief's pocket. Noah picked it up, glancing through its contents.It was a map with the cabin highlighted in red."They knew we'd come here," Noah muttered, his blood growing cold.Derek's mouth grew thick. "This means some insider was sent on the information."No longer did Noah look at Derek but rather began to have the suspicion take root in his mind that maybe he knew the truth. "How did they know, Derek?"Derek didn't say anything; his expression was inscrutable.The atmosphere within the compartment became oppressive, as the unasked question remained afloat between the two, awaiting terrible consequences, much like a menacing storm cloud.- To Be Continued...