Chapter 107
Chapter 107:
The evening breeze whispered across the barren site, carrying fine grains of sand that crackled softly against the steel framework.
Brinley stood at the highest rise of the project site, a laser distance meter balanced firmly in her hand. The sinking sun stretched her shadow long across the dirt, mirroring the weight of her tangled thoughts.
Instead of joining the team in their well-earned celebration, she had chosen solitude, burying herself in numbers and measurements. Work had always been her refuge when her mind felt like a storm she couldn’t quiet.
Even now, she couldn’t explain why she was so frustrated.
Her fingers moved swiftly across her tablet as she uploaded the last set of data, the bluish glow casting sharp light over her focused face.
Once she snapped her equipment case shut, movement in the distance caught her eye. Two figures lingered at the edge of a dirt road, their posture hesitant—suspicious.
This place was desolate; the construction crews had long since left for the day. At this hour, no one had any reason to be here. And yet they were.
Brinley’s brows tightened, her breath catching. Something wasn’t right.
Off to the side sat a black car, parked like a predator lying in wait. No license plate. Windows dark as ink. It stood out starkly in the empty wasteland.
Were they just passersby?
She eased the tablet into her backpack, her fingertips grazing the reassuring weight of her car keys in her pocket. The rugged terrain was why she’d driven an SUV out here in the first place.
R𝗼𝘮𝗮ոс𝗲 𝗮𝗇𝗱 𝗽аs𝘀𝗶𝗈ո o𝗇
Turning toward her white SUV, she slowed her pace deliberately, her eyes catching the reflection of the black car in the glossy side panel.
Her hand closed around the door handle—then the other vehicle’s engine growled to life, low and menacing. The headlights stayed dark, yet the car shifted, its nose angling straight toward her.
Brinley’s chest tightened—these men weren’t passersby. They were hunting her.
She yanked open the car door and slipped inside, her hands moving with desperate speed.
The engine roared to life, and before her seatbelt even clicked, she shoved the gear into drive and slammed her foot down.
The SUV leapt forward, tires spitting yellow sand in a furious spray.
In the rearview mirror, a dark shape surged after her. The black car swung in hard, closing the distance fast, its headlights still off but its intent unmistakable. They wanted to cut her off.
“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath, knuckles whitening around the steering wheel.
This stretch of land offered no safe options—only one paved road leading out to the main highway, while the rest were narrow, broken industrial lanes twisting into dead ends. If something went wrong here, there’d be no chance of reaching anyone.
Brinley veered away from the straight cement road.
When the road split, she jerked the wheel, tires shrieking as the SUV skidded onto the gravel path to the right.
In the mirror, the black car swung after her without a flicker of hesitation. The engine’s thunder reverberated between narrow warehouse walls, chasing her with relentless intent.
Her eyes narrowed, a glint sparking in the gloom.