Suddenly, a loud electronic beep echoed through the warehouse.

Vanessa’s phone lit up in her hand, the screen casting a bright blue glow on her face.

She looked at the message, her eyes widening in sudden realization.

“Marcus,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “We have to go. Right now.”

Vanessa grabbed Marcus’s arm, her fingernails digging into his expensive wool coat.

Marcus glanced at Dante, then at the darkened exit behind the towering wooden crates.

“Get them,” Dante barked, his hand reaching inside his jacket.

A loud crash echoed from the far end of the warehouse as a metal security door flew open.

Two men in dark tactical gear stepped into the light, raising automatic weapons.

“Down!” Dante yelled, lunging toward me and pulling me behind a heavy steel pillar.

The deafening sound of gunfire shattered the air, bullets pinging off the metal structure and sending sparks flying.

I pressed my hands over my flat stomach, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Through the rising dust and smoke, I saw Marcus and Vanessa slip through a side door into the rain.