The midnight ocean stretched endlessly before them, black and silent, the distant shimmer of the moonlight casting fleeting silver across the waves. Amara sat beside Zayne on the sandy beach, their bags packed and ready behind them, the weight of the night’s events pressing down on her.
It had taken everything they had to escape Rico’s hideout. Rico had stayed behind to buy them time, creating a diversion as they slipped out the back, ducking through shadowed alleyways until they reached the shore. Now, with only the beach as their sanctuary, they were closer than ever to freedom but still haunted by the relentless shadows of their past.
Zayne looked out at the water, his gaze sharp and distant, his body tense as if he could still feel the threat lurking just out of reach. He was about to speak when a flash of headlights appeared over the hill behind them, illuminating the beach.
Amara’s breath caught. “Zayne… smaddy a come.”
He sprang to his feet, pulling her up with him, his eyes scanning their surroundings. There was nowhere to hide—the beach stretched empty and exposed, and all they could do was brace themselves as the car came to a stop. But instead of a shadowy figure emerging from the darkness, it was Rico who stepped out, his face grim but holding something in his hand.
“Rico!” Zayne called, tension releasing just a fraction. “Mi tink—”
“Yeah, well, tings change,” Rico cut him off, his tone hard, but his eyes softened as he looked between them complicated “Mi neva did ago lef unuh out ya to fi suffa. Mi got Good… an complicated news.”
He held out an envelope, thick and sealed, as he approached them. Zayne took it, frowning as he felt the weight of it.
“Wah dis?” he asked, tearing open the envelope carefully. Inside, to their shock, was a thick stack of cash, far more than they had seen in a while, along with two gleaming passports and a note.
“Money fi di road,” Rico explained, his voice calm but intense. “It look like di two a unuh got smaddy a look out fi unuh.”
Amara glanced at the note, a jumbled mix of letters that Zayne read aloud, his voice filled with confusion. “*Tek dis, an nuh look back. Yuh earn yuh freedom.*”
He looked up at Rico, his brows furrowed. “Who sen dis?”
Rico hesitated, his gaze shifting away. “Wah old fren. Smaddy who did have wah bone fi pick wid David people dem. Look like dem neva rate how him deal wid him bizniz, especially when it come to people like yuh and yuh family. So, dem pull some strings, get yuh di funds and di passports. Yuh get your fresh start—nuh strings, nuh deals.”
Amara’s hand flew to her mouth, relief and disbelief flooding through her all at once. It felt surreal—a gift from someone they’d never even met, a way out when they thought all hope was lost.
“So wah dem a help wi fah?” Zayne pressed, still wary.
“Call it… say the score even.” Rico replied, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Look like David never as invincible as him tink, an now dat him gone, people a line up fi mek tings rite.”
The revelation was dizzying, a sudden, unexpected twist that left them both stunned. After all the fear, the sacrifices, and the relentless run, freedom was now within reach, handed to them by a hidden ally in the shadows of Kingston’s underground.
Rico took a step back, nodding to them. “Now find some weh go. Go some weh far, somewhere weh nuhbody nah find yuh. And nuh come back.”
Zayne’s eyes glistened as he looked at his old friend, gratitude and relief washing over him. “Rico… Mi nuh know how me go repay yuh.”
Rico shrugged, his usual grin creeping back onto his face. “Just live a good life, yere? Stay safe. An nuh figet—Kingston issa small place. Even far away, dis place memba yuh.”
He turned to leave, but Zayne caught his arm, pulling him into a quick, fierce embrace, a silent thank you that said everything words couldn’t. Amara followed, hugging Rico tightly, feeling the bittersweet ache of saying goodbye to the person who had saved their lives more than once.
As Rico drove off, they were left alone under the vast, star-studded sky, the envelope heavy in Zayne’s hand. Amara took a shaky breath, looking at Zayne with a small, hopeful smile.
“So… where to?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Anywhere we want, love. The world’s finally ours.”
Hand in hand, they turned toward the waiting waves, the horizon wide open before them. Their past lay buried in the sands of Kingston, and ahead was a new beginning, untouched and waiting.
YOU ARE READING
FATE
FantasyRomance, at the beach with a bonfire, with Amara and Zayne. They met, chatted, and had a great time, things took a turn when they made love for the first time. It was magical and memorable. However, Amara felt bad after doing it with someone she jus...
