The phone screen flickered, and the call disconnected.

I stared at the dead screen, my breath rattling in my throat.

Down in the stairwell, a loud grunt echoed, followed by the sound of a heavy body hitting the metal railing.

“Liam!” I screamed, leaning over the concrete banister.

The beam of his flashlight danced wildly across the damp walls below, casting distorted shadows that leaped and twisted.

“I’m fine!” Liam’s voice gasped out, strained and breathless. “Get to the car, Audrey!”

Another scuffle broke out, the scraping of leather shoes on grit and the dull thud of a fist meeting flesh.

I couldn’t leave him.

I gripped the cold iron railing and lunged back down the steps, my boots slipping slightly on the slick concrete.

By the time I reached the landing, the intruder was scrambling toward the exit door.

His heavy boots kicked open the metal door, and he vanished into the rain-slicked alley.

Liam was leaning against the wall, holding his ribs, his face pale under the harsh white light of his flashlight.

“Are you hurt?” I rushed to him, my hands finding his wet shoulders.