Dangerous Attention

Chapter 15: Shadows of Betrayal

The cabin was eerily quiet the next morning. The tension that had been temporarily eased by Daou’s embrace the night before had returned in full force. Offroad lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the events of the past few days over and over in his mind. It was hard to believe how quickly everything had spiraled out of control. The life he had known was gone, replaced by this dangerous, high-stakes game they were now playing.

He rolled over, glancing at the empty space beside him. Daou was already up, no doubt pouring over the documents again, trying to figure out their next move. Offroad wasn’t sure how Daou did it—how he managed to stay so focused, so controlled, when everything around them was unraveling. But Daou had grown up in this world of crime and betrayal, so maybe he was used to it in a way that Offroad could never be.

Sighing, Offroad finally pushed himself out of bed and padded into the small living room where Daou was sitting, his laptop open, papers spread out on the table. He looked up when Offroad entered, his expression softening just a little at the sight of him.

“Morning,” Daou said, his voice low but steady.

“Morning,” Offroad replied, moving toward the kitchen to make some coffee. He could feel Daou’s eyes on him as he moved, and despite the heavy atmosphere, the intensity of Daou’s gaze sent a familiar warmth spreading through Offroad’s chest.

He turned back to Daou, cradling his mug in both hands. “Anything new?”

Daou shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “Not much. But I’ve been thinking…there’s someone we might be able to trust.”

Offroad’s heart skipped a beat. “Who?”

Daou’s expression darkened as he considered his next words carefully. “It’s a long shot, but there’s a guy I used to work with. An ex-cop. He’s out of the game now, but he still has connections. If anyone can help us get this information out without getting killed in the process, it’s him.”

Offroad frowned, unsure. “You trust him?”

Daou met his gaze, his eyes hard. “As much as I trust anyone in this business. Which isn’t much. But he owes me a favor, and that’s all we’ve got right now.”

Offroad nodded slowly, setting his coffee down on the table. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”

“We need to meet him,” Daou said, his voice grim. “But we can’t just show up out of the blue. We’ll have to be careful, make sure we’re not being followed.”

Offroad’s stomach churned at the thought of putting themselves back out there, of taking another risk. But he knew they didn’t have a choice. Staying hidden in the cabin wasn’t going to solve anything.

“When do we leave?” Offroad asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

Daou stood, coming around the table to stand in front of Offroad. He placed a hand on Offroad’s shoulder, his touch grounding. “Tonight. We need to move under the cover of darkness.”

Offroad nodded, his throat tight. The calm before the storm was officially over. The storm itself was here, and they were about to walk right into the heart of it.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation. Daou made a few calls, arranging the meeting with his contact, while Offroad helped pack a few essentials. Every sound outside the cabin made Offroad’s heart race, every shadow in the trees making him jump. The paranoia was creeping in, the constant fear of being caught, of Daou’s uncle finding them before they had a chance to make their move.

By the time night fell, Offroad’s nerves were frayed. They loaded up the car in silence, the tension between them palpable. Offroad kept glancing at Daou, looking for some sign that he was nervous too, but Daou’s face was unreadable, his focus entirely on the task ahead.

They set off under the cover of night, the cabin disappearing into the distance behind them. The darkness seemed to swallow them whole, the headlights cutting through the inky blackness as they sped toward the city. Offroad couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched, that someone—maybe Daou’s uncle or one of his men—was lurking just out of sight, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Daou’s contact was waiting for them in an old, run-down warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The place was deserted, its once-bustling interior now empty and hollow, the faint echo of their footsteps the only sound as they walked inside. The air was thick with the smell of dust and oil, and Offroad’s skin prickled with unease.

“Stay close,” Daou whispered, his hand brushing against Offroad’s as they made their way deeper into the warehouse. Offroad nodded, his heart racing. He had no idea what to expect—whether this contact of Daou’s would actually help them, or whether this was all just a trap.

Finally, they reached the far end of the warehouse, where a man stood waiting in the shadows. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a grizzled face that spoke of a life spent in and out of trouble. His eyes flicked to Daou, then to Offroad, before settling back on Daou.

“Long time, Daou,” the man said, his voice rough but not unfriendly.

“Too long,” Daou replied, his tone cool. “You still owe me.”

The man smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I remember. What do you need?”

Daou didn’t waste time. He pulled the documents from his jacket and handed them over. “I need these to disappear. And I need you to make sure they end up in the right hands.”

The man’s eyebrows rose as he flipped through the papers. “You sure about this? This is some dangerous shit you’re messing with.”

Daou’s eyes narrowed. “I know what I’m doing.”

The man looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll take care of it.”

Offroad felt a flicker of hope for the first time in days. Maybe they could actually pull this off. Maybe they could bring Daou’s uncle down and get out of this alive.

But as they turned to leave, a cold voice echoed through the warehouse, sending chills down Offroad’s spine.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

They froze, Daou’s body immediately tensing as he stepped in front of Offroad protectively. From the shadows, several men emerged, all armed, their faces twisted with cold, cruel smiles.

And standing at the front of the group was Daou’s uncle.

The storm had found them.