Wrong Place, Wrong time
CHAPTER 1 – Wrong Place, Wrong Night
Rain blurred the city into streaks of light and shadow.
Lena Brooks leaned forward on her scooter, squinting through the downpour as water soaked through her sleeves. The delivery bag on her back felt heavier than usual tonight.
Or maybe she was just tired.
Her phone buzzed in the holder.
ORDER #9187 — PRIORITY DELIVERY
Location: Industrial Zone, Block C
Lena frowned.
“No one orders food there.”
She slowed slightly, glancing at the map again.
Same location.
Same strange destination.
Her thumb hovered over cancel.
Then she checked her wallet.
Bad idea.
“Of course,” she muttered, pressing accept.
The further she drove, the quieter the roads became.
Streetlights thinned out.
Shops disappeared.
Even the noise of the city faded behind her.
By the time she reached the industrial zone, it didn’t feel like Mumbai anymore.
It felt… empty.
Her scooter rolled to a stop outside a large warehouse.
Old. Rusted. Silent.
Lena stared at it.
“No.”
She shook her head.
“No way.”
She checked her phone.
No signal.
Perfect.
A metallic crash echoed from inside the building.
Sharp. Sudden.
Lena froze.
Her fingers tightened on the handle.
“This is not my problem.”
She turned the key—
Then stopped.
A low sound drifted out.
A groan.
Human.
Lena closed her eyes for a second.
Exhaled slowly.
“This is not my problem,” she repeated.
But her feet were already moving.
“Hello?” she called as she stepped inside.
Her voice echoed back at her.
The air inside was cold.
Heavy.
Smelling faintly of rust… and something darker.
Her heartbeat grew louder with every step.
Then—
She saw him.
A man slumped against a concrete pillar.
Blood soaked through his shirt, dark and spreading across the fabric.
A gun lay near his hand.
Lena stopped.
Everything inside her screamed—
Leave. Now.
“Don’t.”
His voice cut through the silence.
Low. Controlled.
Not weak.
His eyes lifted to meet hers.
Sharp.
Alert.
Watching.
“I’m just here for a delivery,” Lena said quickly.
His gaze flicked briefly to the bag on her back.
Then back to her face.
“Wrong place.”
“No kidding.”
For a second, neither of them moved.
“You’re bleeding,” she said.
“I noticed.”
“You need help.”
“You need to leave.”
Lena exhaled quietly.
Looked at the blood.
Then at him.
He didn’t look scared.
Didn’t look desperate.
If anything—
He looked like he was deciding something.
“Fine,” she muttered, stepping closer.
His hand shot out.
Fast.
Gripping her wrist before she could react.
“Who sent you?” he asked.
“I—no one!” Lena’s voice came out steadier than she expected. “I swear.”
His eyes searched hers.
Cold.
Careful.
Seconds passed.
Then—
His grip loosened.
Lena pulled her hand back slowly.
Didn’t run.
Instead, she knelt beside him and pulled off her scarf, pressing it against his wound.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“And you shouldn’t be bleeding on a warehouse floor.”
A flicker of something crossed his face.
Gone before she could place it.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
A pause.
“…Adrian.”
“Lena.”
He repeated it.
Quietly.
“Lena.”
The way he said it made something in her chest tighten.
“Can you stand?” she asked.
“Yes.”
He didn’t move.
She gave him a look.
“Clearly.”
For a second—
There it was.
A faint shift in his expression.
Almost like amusement.
She slipped his arm over her shoulder and helped him up.
He was heavier than she expected.
Solid.
“Where do you live?” she asked.
“I don’t.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
Before she could reply—
Headlights flashed outside.
Voices followed.
Men.
Adrian stiffened instantly.
Every trace of weakness disappeared.
“Go,” he said.
“What?”
“Leave. Now.”
“They’re coming for you?”
He didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
Lena hesitated.
“You can barely stand—”
“I said go.”
The way he said it—
Quiet.
Final.
It made her step back.
She turned and ran.
Rain hit her face as she rushed to her scooter.
Her hands trembled as she started the engine.
For a split second—
She looked back.
The warehouse stood silent again.
Dark.
Empty.
Like nothing had happened.
Lena drove away fast.
Her heart still racing.
She didn’t know who he was.
Didn’t know what she had walked into.
But something told her—
This wasn’t over.
