Page 49 of Gentle Warrior

Without hesitation, they closed ranks, circling her like sentinels. Elena felt their presence press close, a wall of steel and vigilance. Their gaze swept the shadowed corridor ahead, every muscle coiled, nerves razor-sharp.

Viper brushed her arm reassuringly around Elena’s waist, voice low but steady. “We stay close. Fast and quiet.”

Jax stepped to the front, eyes piercing the dark, alert to every whisper of movement.

Shadow took rear guard, scanning relentlessly.

They crept through twisting hallways and back stairwells, skirts of light avoided, crowds skirted. Elena’s pulse drummed in her ears when a flicker of movement to her right caught her attention—too fluid to be chance. Something slipped behind a cracked door.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Contact. They’re on us.”

They doubled back, twisting through service corridors cluttered with crates and waste. Elena stayed close to Viper’s side, heart hammering as footsteps pounded steadily, close but unseen.

At last, the stale, familiar air of the parking garage greeted them. Their SUV sat waiting in the shadows.

Jax scanned the lot then nodded sharply. “Move.”

They darted across the open stretch. Each second stretched thin until a pair of eyes glinted from behind a parked car. A gang member spotted them.

Elena’s stomach clenched as the man stepped forward and fired a quick shot. The bullet slammed into the side of the SUV, rattling the metal with a sharp clang.

Shadow yanked the car door open without hesitation. “Get down!” Jax ordered sharply. Elena dropped to the floorboard as Viper slid in beside her, pressing close and shielding her protectively. The door slammed shut behind them, and Jax’s hands moved quickly to start the engine.

Tires screeched against concrete as they peeled away, the shouting fading behind them. But Elena knew better. This escape was just beginning.

Sudden, fierce acceleration threw the SUV into a tight spin. Jax pulled hard on the wheel. Elena’s breath hitched.

Shadow’s voice broke the tense silence. “We got a tail.”

Jax didn’t waste a breath, slamming the gas. The tires screeched louder as they wove back toward the nearby garage entrance.

“Backtrack,” Viper ordered sharply. “We circle around. Lose them.”

Outside, the early morning light struggled against the dawn haze as Detroit’s streets erupted into rush hour chaos. Tail lights bloomed red in endless lines, weaving through the heavy traffic. The roar of engines and blare of horns filled the air, a relentless background to the urgency inside the SUV. Elena’s knuckles went white as she gripped the seat edge, nerves taut with every sharp turn and weaving maneuver through congested streets and narrow alleys.

Shadow’s eyes flicked between the windows like a predator scanning for prey amidst the sea of cars. “Eyes sharp. No shots,” he muttered, voice low but tense.

Minutes stretched taut, the city’s veins winding beneath them as the chase persisted.

Then Viper leaned forward, voice calm but resolute. “Forget the second hotel. Courthouse. Safer. Fortified. Crowds help us disappear.”

Elena swallowed and nodded, heart seizing. The trial loomed nearer. This fortress might be their only chance.

Jax angled the wheel down main avenue, swift and sure.

The courthouse rose into view, bathed in the pale early light.

Viper’s fingers moved quickly over her phone. “Dispatch, we need an escort immediately. High risk situation. Key witness headed to the courthouse, gang members in pursuit. Requesting protection to get her inside, ASAP.”

Elena watched, grateful swell rising as determination echoed in Viper’s tone.

“Units en route,” Viper said, ending the call. “They’ll meet us at the steps. No one breaches with cops around.”

Tension eased fractionally but nerves stayed sharp as sirens wailed closer.

Jax brought the SUV curbside. Officers swarmed, blue and red lights painting the street.

Two uniformed cops advanced, signaling them out swiftly.