Carmen

Blood rushes to my head as Corden's heavyweight threatens to suffocate me. Outside the red room, people are still screaming after the gunshots rang out, and my heart is a drum as adrenaline takes over.

Corden glances down at me again, suddenly realizing he's putting his full weight on me. Supporting himself on his elbow, he pulls up his pants, moving a hand between us to fix his buckle. "You need to stay in here," he mutters lowly.

My blood runs cold. "You're leaving me?"

"You think I'm taking you out there in open fire?" He shakes his head, slipping his phone out. "I'm texting security to get in here as soon as possible. They'll meet you here and take you to safety. It shouldn't take long. They've been ordered to stay outside the building until our mission is complete."

"Corden, you can't leave me." My body trembles beneath him, my bottom lip wobbling, and Corden's brow furrows like he's considering staying with me and not saving the world like he's been trained to do for years. "I'm scared."

"I know," he soothes. His eyes remain locked on mine when he sits on his knees and grabs his gun out of the waistband of his briefs. He flicks the safety off and says, "I'd never let anything happen to you, Carmen."

"But w-what if something does?"

His eyes shutter like the thought is unbearable. "Then I'd kill myself trying to find you."

I don't have to question it when it seems unbearable for him to rise to his full height. He helps me off the floor, fingers swiping at my cheeks. I didn't even notice I was crying until now. "Stay in here until my security finds you or me if I can handle this fast enough, alright?"

With a shaky nod, he moves to pull away until I grab his wrist and pull him back to me. I kiss him before I can stop myself, and the sentence is on the tip of my tongue, but I withhold it in fear I'd say it out of desperation. "Be safe," I say instead. "Please. I don't know what I'd do if..."

He smiles, full and bright. "I'll come back to you, Carmen. I haven't had someone to live for until you." And as if he didn't just knock my entire world off kilter with those words, he strides for the door and closes it, leaving me alone with the sultry music that is the completely wrong ambiance for whatever terrors are happening outside that door.

I'm not an idiot, so I don't just stand in the middle of the room like bait. I find a secluded, dark corner and tug my knees against my chest, attempting to control my chattering teeth that won't seem to calm the fuck down.

Corden has handled situations like these plenty of times. He knows what he's doing. I have to trust that he'll be okay, even though I'm terrified one of those bullets will find him and not his enemy.

What does this mean that I'm becoming so attached? Corden has wrapped himself around my heart to the point if something happened, I'd be...broken. I've never let a man have this much control over me, but it's hard when he treats me like no other. I feel like a queen to him, and I've spent so long pushing him away that now all I can do is regret all the wasted time.

I should have ended things with Archer the second Corden reappeared in my life. I should have made use of the bonus minutes we had. I would have kissed him sooner. Would have allowed my guard down sooner. I would have done a lot of things differently.

Another round of gunshots rings out, causing the breath to stall in my lungs. I fight back tears, clutching my arms around my knees tighter in an attempt to hold myself together when the door to the red room opens.

Light filters in, although I can't see the door. My breaths quicken, but I hold them in so the person entering won't hear me. I'm shaking from head to toe, my stomach churning at the thought of this being an enemy rather than the security Corden instructed to find me.

"Carmen?" The voice whispers. I don't recognize it, but I haven't formally met Corden's security yet, either, aside from Delano. "My name is Jesse. You might have heard of me from Corden. Are you in here? Everything's going to be okay."

Jesse. Delano mentioned he was the insider in Rafino's circle, secretly working for Corden. Maybe he was closer than the security?

"Corden sent me," Jesse says in a reassuring voice. "But we have to hurry and get out of here."

Corden probably sent Jesse because he was the first person he ran into, and if Jesse is my only shot at getting to safety, I'd be stupid to remain sitting here when gunshots are going off every ten seconds.

I scramble away from the corner, still only in my lingerie set, but thankfully, Jesse avoids his gaze from traveling lower and instead holds out his hand to me. "Come on. Let's go."

"I-Is Corden okay?" My palm lands in his, and I allow him to pull me towards the exit.

"As far as I know, yes." When the door opens, I stifle a scream at the man waiting on the other side. His gun is raised to us, a black ski mask covering the majority of his face. He glances over me before meeting Jesse's eyes and then lowers the weapon. Then again, if Jesse is technically playing the part of being in Rafino's circle, it'd make sense why the enemy wouldn't shoot him. Of course, Corden would want me to leave with Jesse. It's the safest exit.

"I'm taking her out back," Jesse says in a harsher voice than he used with me in the red room. "Let the boss man know we have her."

Wait, what?

He grabs me by the forearm and continues pulling me towards the elevator, unbothered by the fleeing people running in chaos. Do I run? Fight him off? What if this is just an act to get me to safety? Jesse can't be seen being nice to me in front of Rafino's goons. Otherwise, it'd be obvious he's a snitch.

I opt to side with the only rational explanation: Jesse will keep me safe. Corden trusts him, so I will, too. My brain whirls as the elevator descends, my heart pounding in my ears at the thought of where Corden is and if he's safe.

The elevator doors open, but it's not to the exit I'm familiar with. This elevator leads to a back alley of sorts. I didn't notice with all of the action surrounding me which elevator we took, but I've never seen this part of The Harbor before.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Hidden exit," he replies gruffly. "The car is up ahead."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Which is...?"

He huffs a laugh, grabbing my forearm rather harshly. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Does Corden know where you're taking me?" The silence that echoes from my words is loud. Too loud. I try to tug my arm from his grasp, wincing in pain when it only tightens.

"Not particularly." He chuckles, low and deep, and the car we're approaching is a...van. A dirty, rundown van.

Immediately, I dig my heels into the ground, attempting to thrash out of his grip. Jesse wraps his arms around my waist in response, elbows digging into my abdomen and no doubt leaving bruises. A fear I've never experienced before courses through me when I realize I was an idiot for trusting him. I should have stayed in the fucking corner. I should have listened to Corden when he said to wait for security, not Jesse.

"Get in the fucking car, bitch," he hisses through gritted teeth. Tears leak from my eyes as I'm pushed toward the van.

Bile rises to my throat, causing Jesse to curse when I vomit all over the pavement. How will Corden find me? He thinks Jesse is a good guy. He thinks he's on his side. Corden hasn't been able to find Rafino yet, and if Rafino is the one behind all of this, what makes him think he'll be able to find me?

Fuck. I'm going to barf again.

And with his grip latched around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides even as I continue to thrash, it hits me that there isn't a way out of this. I thought I was brave enough to handle anything, but Jesse is strong. Way too strong for me to fight back, and this man who I thought would bring me to safety is turning out to be a man who will only bring me to my worst nightmare.

Because Jesse isn't working for Corden at all.

He is the enemy.

And I walked free willingly into his grasp.