Chapter 74: The Sound of His Arrival

"Where’s your boyfriend?"

Marcus stepped closer, his expression twisted into a cruel smile.

"If he really cares about you, maybe he’ll come running."

He looked around at the men surrounding Zara before turning his attention back to her.

"But if he doesn’t..."

He let the sentence hang in the air.

The men behind him laughed.

Zara felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Marcus’s eyes remained fixed on her, and there was something deeply unsettling about the way he looked at her. To him, she wasn’t a person caught in a terrifying situation. She was simply another way to get to Jason.

"He can’t protect you," Marcus continued. "Not from all of us."

Zara swallowed hard.

She could hear her own heartbeat.

Jason.

Her first thought wasn’t about herself.

It was about him.

She had to warn him.

Whatever these men wanted, she couldn’t let Jason walk straight into their hands.

Marcus seemed to read the fear on her face and smiled.

"Maybe you think he’ll come charging in like some hero."

He laughed.

"That would be a mistake."

His men chuckled behind him.

"He’s just a college kid. What exactly do you think he can do against us?"

Zara’s hands tightened into fists.

She refused to let them see how frightened she was.

"Leave him alone," she said.

Her voice trembled, but she forced the words out clearly.

"If you have a problem with Jason, deal with him yourself."

Marcus laughed.

"That’s exactly what we’re planning to do."

He stepped forward.

"But first, you’re going to help us get his attention."

Zara’s stomach tightened.

She slowly backed away.

She needed a way out.

Her eyes moved toward the apartment entrance.

The old security gate was only a short distance away.

If she could reach it, she could get inside.

Then she could lock the door.

Call Jason.

Call the police.

Anything.

She quietly slipped one hand into her bag.

Her fingers searched for her phone.

Marcus noticed the movement.

His expression changed.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Zara froze.

"I wasn’t going anywhere."

"Really?"

He gave her a mocking smile.

"You’re a terrible liar."

Then he reached toward her.

Zara reacted instantly.

She pulled a small canister from her bag and sprayed directly toward his face.

"Stay away from me!"

Marcus screamed.

"AH!"

He stumbled backward, both hands flying to his face.

The pepper spray hit him almost immediately.

His eyes burned.

His nose and throat felt as though they had been set on fire.

"What the hell?!"

He dropped to one knee, coughing violently.

"My eyes!"

Zara didn’t wait.

She turned and ran.

"Get her!"

Marcus’s voice cracked with fury.

"Grab her!"

The men surged forward.

Zara sprinted toward the apartment entrance.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

She could barely hear anything except her own breathing and the pounding of her shoes against the pavement.

She had made one mistake, though.

Her heels.

They had looked elegant when she’d left the apartment that morning.

Now they were a nightmare.

Every step felt unstable.

The narrow heels caught against cracks in the pavement, forcing her to slow down.

Come on.

She pushed harder.

Just a little farther.

The entrance was right there.

She could see the old metal gate.

Only a few more steps.

Then she felt something behind her.

Footsteps.

Fast.

Getting closer.

Zara’s blood ran cold.

She reached into her bag again and pulled out her phone.

Her fingers shook so badly that she nearly dropped it.

She found Jason’s number and pressed call.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

Nothing.

"Come on..."

She kept running.

"Please answer."

The call continued ringing.

Still nothing.

Her breathing became ragged.

"Jason..."

She tried again.

No answer.

Panic began to overwhelm her.

She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t picking up.

Was he riding?

Was he somewhere he couldn’t hear his phone?

Was something already wrong?

She forced herself to keep moving.

"Help!"

Her voice echoed through the street.

"Someone help me!"

A few people looked in her direction.

But nobody seemed to understand what was happening.

Nobody moved quickly enough.

Behind her, the men were closing the distance.

One of them shouted,

"Stop running!"

Zara didn’t look back.

She knew better.

She pushed herself harder.

Her hair came loose from its tie, strands whipping across her face.

Sweat gathered along her forehead and temples.

Her vision blurred.

The apartment gate seemed to move farther away instead of closer.

Her chest burned.

Her legs were shaking.

She was almost there.

Just a few more steps.

Then one of the men caught up.

A tall, thin man lunged toward her and reached for her arm.

Zara screamed and twisted away.

"Don’t touch me!"

His fingers brushed her sleeve.

She pulled free and stumbled forward.

The man laughed.

"Keep running. Nobody’s coming."

Zara’s heart sank.

She tried calling Jason again.

Still nothing.

Her eyes filled with tears.

Not because she wanted to give up.

Because she was terrified she wouldn’t get the chance to warn him.

She finally understood what Marcus had meant.

They weren’t simply trying to scare her.

They were waiting for Jason.

And if he came back now, he’d walk straight into their trap.

No.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Jason, don’t come back.

She would rather face this alone than watch him get hurt because of her.

Her hand slipped into her bag again.

Her fingers closed around a small personal grooming tool.

She held it tightly.

If there was no way out, she would rather make her own choice than let these men take control of what happened to her.

Her vision blurred with tears.

I’m sorry, Jason.

Please don’t come back.

Another set of footsteps thundered behind her.

She was out of time.

Zara stumbled toward the gate.

Her hand stretched forward.

Almost there.

Then—

RRRRRMMMMM!

The deep roar of a motorcycle suddenly tore through the street.

Zara froze.

The sound came from behind her.

The men stopped.

Even Marcus, still struggling to recover from the pepper spray, turned toward the road.

The motorcycle engine grew louder.

Closer.

Fast.

A horn blasted.

BEEP!

The sound echoed between the buildings.

Zara slowly turned around.

A motorcycle was speeding toward them.

The rider wore a helmet, but there was something unmistakable about the way he handled the bike.

The controlled turn.

The sudden acceleration.

The sheer confidence.

Her heart stopped.

"No..."

Her voice came out as a whisper.

Then she recognized him.

"Jason..."

The motorcycle slammed to a stop.

The rider swung one leg off and ripped off his helmet.

Jason’s face was cold.

Not the playful expression Zara had seen before.

Not the relaxed smile.

There was nothing gentle in his eyes now.

He looked at the men surrounding her.

Then at Zara.

Then back at them.

His jaw tightened.

The entire street seemed to fall silent.

Jason stepped forward.

His voice was low, but every word carried.

"You’re looking for death."

Zara’s eyes filled with tears.

For the first time since the attack began, she felt a tiny spark of hope.

Jason was here.

But Marcus and his men had no idea what they had just brought upon themselves.