Chapter 4 Ghosts Of The Past

• Kenneth's voice crackled through the phone's speaker, urgent and strained. "Lisa, where are you? Are you safe?"
• "Safe?" Lisa scoffed, her eyes fixed on Fiona's approaching car. "We're being chased down the highway by your fiancée and some tattooed thug. Define 'safe.'"
• Mark swerved sharply, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the SUV. Elena yelped, gripping the door handle.
• "Listen carefully," Kenneth said, his voice dropping. "Fiona isn't who you think she is. She's—"
• A burst of static cut through his words, followed by a muffled struggle. Lisa's heart leaped to her throat as she heard Fiona's voice in the background, cold and threatening.
• "Kenneth? Kenneth!"
• The line went dead.
• "Damn it!" Lisa threw the phone down, frustration and fear warring inside her.
• "Lisa," Mark called from the front seat, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "I need to know what we're dealing with here. Who are these people?"
• Lisa closed her eyes, memories flooding back. The warm summer nights, stolen kisses, whispered promises—and the day it all came crashing down. She took a deep breath.
• "Kenneth and I... we were high school sweethearts. More than that. We thought we were soulmates."
• Elena's eyes widened. "What happened?"
• "Senior year. We had plans to go to college together and build a life. But then—"
• Lisa's explanation was cut short as the SUV rammed them again, harder this time. The car fishtailed, tires squealing as Mark fought for control.
• "Hold on!" he shouted, yanking the wheel.
• They careened across three lanes, horns blaring around them. For a heart-stopping moment, Lisa thought they would flip. Then Mark straightened them out, accelerating down an exit ramp.
• "We lost them," Elena breathed, peering out the back window.
• Her relief was short-lived. As they rounded a corner, headlights flooded the car's interior. Fiona's sports car bore down on them, engine roaring.
• "Keep going," Lisa urged Mark. "I'll finish the story."
• As Mark navigated the unfamiliar streets, Lisa continued. "Everything changed when Kenneth's father died. It was sudden—a heart attack. Kenneth was devastated, and his mother... she fell apart."
• Lisa's voice caught, remembering the pain in Kenneth's eyes. "He felt responsible for them both. So when his uncle offered him a position in the family business—on the condition he attend a specific university—Kenneth felt he had no choice."
• "He left you," Elena said softly.
• Lisa nodded, blinking back tears. "He said it was for the best. That we were young, that maybe fate had other plans for us. I was heartbroken. I didn't understand how he could just... give up on us."
• A gunshot cracked through the night, making them all jump. The rear windshield spiderwebbed but held.
• "Jesus!" Mark swore, taking a sharp turn down a narrow side street.
• "This is insane," Elena said, her voice shaking. "Why are they trying to kill us over some old relationship?"
• Lisa shook her head, bewildered. "I don't know. I haven't seen Kenneth in ten years. Not until tonight."
• Another turn brought them to a dimly lit industrial area. Warehouses loomed on either side, creating a canyon of concrete and steel.
• "I think I lost them," Mark said, slowing the car. "We should ditch this and find somewhere to hide, figure out our next move."
• As they pulled into the shadow of a large warehouse, Lisa's phone buzzed again. Unknown number.
• With trembling fingers, she answered. "Hello?"
• "Lisa." It was Kenneth, his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you okay?"
• "For now," she replied cautiously. "Kenneth, what's going on? Why is Fiona trying to kill us?"
• "It's complicated," he said. "But you're in danger. All of you. There's more at stake here than you know."
• "Then tell me!"
• "I can't, not over the phone. It's not safe. But I can help you. There's a place—"
• Suddenly, Kenneth's voice was replaced by another. Smooth, cultured, and chilling in its calmness.
• "Hello, Lisa," Diego's voice purred through the speaker. "I'm afraid Kenneth can't come to the phone right now. But don't worry, you'll be seeing him soon enough. All of you will."
• The line went dead.
• Lisa looked up, meeting Elena and Mark's terrified gazes. The weight of Diego's threat hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
• Before anyone could speak, a pair of headlights swept across them. Fiona's car crawled into view, blocking their exit.
• In the rearview mirror, Lisa saw the SUV approaching from behind, boxing them in.
• They were trapped.