Calder rose suddenly, as if remembering something vital. “We can’t stay here,” he whispered. “They’ll circle back after they don’t find you at the office.” Evan stared at him, frozen between terror and disbelief. Calder tugged his arm gently but insistently. “If you stay, you’re handing them exactly what they want.”
They moved into the stairwell, shadows swallowing them as the door clicked shut behind them. Calder descended with surprising speed, checking every landing before stepping onto it. Evan followed, heart pounding, struggling to decide whether he was escaping a threat outside or stepping deeper into a trap.