Chapter 15 - The Savior in the Dark
"Grab her," Vance ordered, motioning to the two guards. "And make it quick. We have a drive to clear."
The guards advanced, their heavy boots crunching on the dusty concrete. Darra braced herself, shifting her weight to her back foot, preparing to fight tooth and nail for every second of breath. She wasn't going down without a brutal, screaming struggle.
Before the guards could lay a hand on her, the entire overhead lighting system of the parking garage suddenly plunged into absolute pitch blackness.
Clunk.
The master electrical breakers tripped simultaneously across the entire subterranean level.
"What the hell?!" Vance cursed, stumbling backward as total darkness swallowed the space. "Emergency power! Turn on the backup generators!"
Before the red emergency lights could kick in, a burst of blinding, tactical white light exploded from the stairwell entrance.
"Drop the weapon, Vance. Right where you stand," a voice roared through the garage—a voice that carried the absolute, lethal authority of a thunderclap.
Aiden Ashworth stepped out of the stairwell shadows. He wasn't wearing a tuxedo anymore. He wore a dark tactical turtleneck, his face set in lines of cold, unyielding fury. In his hands, he held an assault rifle with a high-intensity rail-mounted light beam locked directly onto Vance’s chest.
"Aiden!" Vance stammered, dropping the steel wrench with a loud clatter. "This... this is a misunderstanding! The girl was trespassing—"
"Save it," Aiden interrupted, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly lethal hum.
Before Vance could blink, two tactical security operatives rushed out from behind Aiden, tackling both guards to the concrete floor and slamming handcuffs onto their wrists with practiced efficiency.
Aiden didn't look at Vance as he walked past him. He crossed the garage in long, furious strides, stopping directly in front of Darra. The harsh red and white emergency lights cast jagged shadows across his face as he searched her over frantically.
"Are you hurt?" Aiden asked, his voice raw, the icy corporate composure completely shattered, revealing a naked, desperate panic underneath.
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Darra exhaled a long, shaky breath, letting the adrenaline finally drain out of her limbs. "I'm fine," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm okay."
Without a word of hesitation, Aiden pulled her straight into his arms, crushing her against his chest in a fierce, protective embrace that left zero doubt about what she meant to him.
