Chapter 4 - The Unseen Scars
Inside the cabin, Ren stood frozen near the medical table, her rifle still clutched in her hands. Her chest heaved as she listened to the muffled thuds outside, followed by the sudden, heavy silence.
The front door creaked open.
Orion stepped back inside, shaking the rain from his shoulders. His expensive suit was completely ruined—stained with mud, grease, and dried blood. He looked down at his pistol, ejected the magazine to check his remaining rounds, and clicked it back into place before sliding it into his holster.
"It's over," Orion said softly, looking at Ren. "Marcus and his men won't be bothering anyone tonight. I'll call my cleanup crew to handle the trash outside."
Ren slowly lowered the hunting rifle, leaning it against the wall. Her hands were shaking—not from fear of the gunmen, but from the sudden, violent collision of the world she had fled with the world she was trying to forget.
"You live like this," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Every day. Looking over your shoulder. Waiting for a knife in the dark."
"It's the only life I've ever known," Orion replied, walking over to check on his father. Aldrich was still breathing steadily, color slowly returning to his pale cheeks. Orion let out a long, shuddering breath of relief. "Power attracts predators, Ren. You either become the hunter, or you become the meal."
"That's a miserable way to exist," she said, walking past him to grab a fresh cloth to wipe the blood off the counter.
Orion turned his head, watching her movements. There was a grace to her resilience—a quiet, unbreakable strength that intrigued him far more than any high-society debutante or corporate shark he had ever dealt with in Seattle.
"Why did you run, Ren?" he asked suddenly.
She froze. The cloth in her hand remained suspended over the basin. Her shoulders stiffened, the comfortable warmth of the cabin suddenly feeling suffocating.
"That's none of your business, Mr. Steel," she said, her voice dropping into a chilly defensive barrier.
"Nothing is private anymore," Orion said, stepping closer, his gray eyes searching her face. "You saved my father's life. That makes you tied to my family whether you like it or not. If there's someone hunting you—if there's a ghost from your past hiding in these mountains—you only have to say a word. The Steel empire has a very long reach."
"I don't need your empire," Ren snapped, turning around to face him, her hazel eyes flashing with sudden, sharp anger. "I don't need your protection, and I don't need your charity! I ran away from a hospital in Seattle three years ago because I watched a system protect corrupt politicians and wealthy criminals while letting innocent people die on gurneys! I ran because I couldn't breathe in a city where power buys everything—even justice!"
The words hung heavy in the air between them.
May you like
Orion didn't flinch. He didn't raise his voice. He simply absorbed the blow, recognizing the deep, agonizing truth behind her fury.
Before he could answer, a weak, rasping cough echoed from the wooden table.
