Chapter 10 - Out of the Shadows
The rain had stopped by the time the black sedan crossed the state line, heading north toward the jagged, tree-lined peaks of the mountains.
Inside the cabin, the heater hummed softly. The morning sun broke through the gray clouds, casting a warm, golden light across the leather dashboard and the open highway ahead.
Nebula sat in the passenger seat, wearing a simple wool coat, her hair falling loose and natural around her shoulders. The bruise on her jaw had faded to a pale yellowish-green, almost entirely gone.
She looked out the window at the endless expanse of pine forests rushing past, breathing in the clean, crisp air of a world that felt wide open.
Vance kept his eyes on the road, one hand resting on the wheel, the other casually draped over the center console.
“Where are we going?” Nebula asked quietly, breaking the long silence.
Vance glanced sideways at her, a faint, rare smile touching the corners of his mouth—not the dangerous smirk of a syndicate boss, but something older, warmer, and entirely real.
“Canada,” Vance said. “I know a place by the lake. No white fences. No country clubs. No architects.”
Nebula let out a soft breath that sounded dangerously like a laugh—the first real laugh she had shared in four years.
She reached across the console, her fingers brushing his scarred knuckles. This time, he didn't pull away. He turned his hand over, interlocking his fingers firmly with hers.
She looked back out the window as the car climbed higher into the mountains, leaving the wreckage of her old life far behind in the valley.
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She wasn't running away anymore.
She was finally going home.
