Hak didn't hesitate. One look was enough. "Move," he said sharply.
They followed her. The staff member guided them through a narrow access point into a maintenance corridor.
This are was completely different to the rest of the hotel.
Plain walls. Industrial lighting. No public cameras. She closed the door behind them quickly.
"This goes to the staff elevator," she said quietly handing them an access key card. "It's not on the main surveillance grid. It drops directly to the kitchen on the first floor."
Giuseppe exhaled once. "Good."
"Thank you." Ulyana said gently as she placed a hand on the staff members arm.
"Thank your Grandfather and his years of respect for our service staff, Miss Vasily." she responded warmly before she gestured for them to go.
Hak nodded once, already scanning the route ahead.
Ulyana finally loosened her grip slightly, but stayed close. She eyed the woman and aske "You're safe here?"
The woman hesitated only a fraction. "Safer than up there and safer than you."
Hak stepped forward, pressing the elevator call. "We won't stay long," he said. The staff elevator arrived with a quiet chime, unmarked and plain compared to the main lifts. They stepped inside quickly.
Hak positioned himself slightly in front of Ulyana again as the doors closed.
Giuseppe checked the corridor one last time before it sealed. The descent brought a beat of silence. As the elevator began moving down, Hak finally exhaled slowly, eyes still sharp but steady.
"Kitchen exit," he said. "Then we disappear into traffic."
Ulyana looked up at him briefly. "Then home?" she asked.
Hak met her gaze. "Yes, then we get you home." he said.
And this time, there was no hesitation in it. They reached the kitchen level just as the elevator doors slid open. Heat, noise, and movement hit them instantly.
Staff were still working despite the hour, unaware of what was unfolding above them. Metal clanged softly, ovens hummed, and carts rolled across tiled floors.
Then Hak saw the two men positioned near the service exit. Definitely not staff. His expression tightened immediately.
"Back," he said under his breath. But it was already too late to fully avoid them.
One of the men turned.
A brief momrnt of eye contact.
Recognition written in his face.
"Move," Hak snapped.
Giuseppe reacted first, stepping forward to create space as Hak guided Ulyana back through the nearest side corridor. The kitchen erupted into confusion behind them as the presence was confirmed.
Ulyana stayed close, but the tension was rising fast again. The controlled calm she had earlier was starting to fracture under pressure.
Hak made a quick decision as they reached a junction.
"There's a staff car park near the lobby," he said quickly to Giuseppe. "We take a vehicle and exit clean."
Giuseppe nodded once. "I'll clear it."
Hak turned to Ulyana. " You go now too," he said firmly.
She blinked. "What?"
"Parking level. Stay out of sight. Between cars. Don't move until I come for you."
Her grip tightened slightly. "Hak—"
"Now," he repeated, softer but absolute.
Giuseppe stepped in briefly. "I'll get her there."
For a split second, Ulyana hesitated. Then she nodded, "Okay," she said quietly.
-
Giuseppe guided her through a side exit while Hak turned back toward the kitchen entrance, drawing attention away and pulling the threat with him. The separation was clean, but immediate tension followed it.
Giuseppe moved fast with her through service corridors and down into the lower staff levels. The atmosphere changed again as they entered the parking structure access point. Cold air, concrete, echoing space.
Cars lined the area. "Stay low," Giuseppe instructed softly.
Ulyana nodded, slipping between two parked vehicles as he signalled her to stay hidden. Then he moved off to check the perimeter.
Silence settled.
For a moment, she was just breathing. Then it changed.
The sounds from above, the distant movements, unfamiliar footsteps somewhere nearby, the absence of Hak and the instability of everything that had been happening all night finally caught up with her.
Her breathing quickened.
Faster.
Shallower.
She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to steady it, but it didn't slow. Her vision blurred slightly at the edges.
"No,no, no," she whispered to herself, barely audible. "No, I'm fine." But her body wasn't listening.
Her knees drew in slightly as she crouched lower between the cars, trying to make herself smaller, trying to anchor herself in something physical. A panic response starting to build.
Then a hand landed gently on the roof of the car beside her. She froze. Another shadow moved into view.
Hak.
Giuseppe followed a second later, scanning the area quickly before focusing back on her.
Hak crouched immediately in front of her. His voice was calm, controlled. "Hey," he said quietly. "Look at me."
Ulyana tried, but her breathing was still uneven.
"I can't—" she started, then stopped, shaking slightly.
Hak stayed steady. "You're safe here," he said firmly. "You're with me. Nothing is happening to you right now. I'm here"
Giuseppe positioned himself slightly behind, watching the surroundings while staying close enough to intervene if needed.
Hak lowered his voice further. "Breathe with me," he said. "In. Slow." He demonstrated, steady and deliberate.
Ulyana struggled at first, but she tried to match him. Her hand lifted instinctively and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket again, grounding herself in contact.
"That's it," Hak said softly. "Stay with me."
Her breathing began to slow, still uneven but stabilising. The panic didn't fully disappear, but it stopped escalating.
Hak didn't move away. He stayed right there, steady presence in front of her until her focus started to return.
Giuseppe glanced once at Hak. "Perimeter is clear for now," he said quietly.
Hak nodded once without taking his eyes off Ulyana. "We move in two minutes," he said. Then, softer again to her: "You're okay. I've got you."
Ulyana's breathing finally steadied, the sharp edge of panic easing back into something manageable. Her hand, however, did not leave Hak's sleeve.
"I need to stay with you," she said quietly, voice more controlled now but still fragile at the edges. "If I'm not with you, I can't… control it."
Hak didn't question her.
"Then you stay with me," he replied immediately. That was it. No hesitation.
Giuseppe appeared a moment later from between the rows of cars, giving a short nod.
"Clear. We can move."
They chose a black vehicle parked near the end of the row. Hak checked the surroundings once, then opened the door and helped Ulyana inside first.
He stayed close as she settled into the passenger seat, keeping one hand near her shoulder until she was secure.
Giuseppe took the driver's seat. The engine started cleanly. They pulled out of the staff parking level and slipped into the night streets once more, merging into the flow of the city like they belonged there.
For the first time in hours, the immediate pressure eased slightly. Ulyana leaned back against the seat, still holding onto Hak's arm.
After a moment, she looked at him. "You were gone for a while," she said softly.
Hak didn't look away from the road.
"I was making sure no one could follow," he answered. "I set something in place to secure our exit."
Giuseppe glanced at him briefly through the mirror but said nothing.
Hak continued, voice steady. "Anyone tracking us won't get a clean route. They'll hit dead ends."
Ulyana nodded slowly, accepting that without needing detail. If Hak said it was handled, she believed it was handled.
The car turned onto a wider street, heading toward a more open route out of the city grid.
For a few minutes, they felt like they had escaped the worst of it.
A vehicle came out of a side street too fast and everything changed in a split second.
Giuseppe reacted instantly. "Shit—"
The impact hit before there was time to fully correct. Metal twisted. Glass cracked. The world jolted sideways. The car spun once, then slammed to a stop against the edge of the road. Silence followed, broken only by the hiss of the engine and the distant hum of the city.
Hak moved first. "Ulyana," he said sharply.
No response at first. His focus snapped to the passenger seat. She was there, stunned but conscious, breathing hard.
"I'm here," she managed.
Relief flickered briefly through his expression, but it didn't last long.
Giuseppe pushed his door open, shaking off the impact. "I'm good."
Hak checked quickly, then looked outward through the shattered angle of the windshield. They weren't alone for long; they heard footsteps and distant voices.
"Out," Hak said immediately. He opened Ulyana's door and helped her out carefully, keeping her close. But the moment they stepped onto the street, everything worsened.
A second vehicle appeared from the opposite direction, headlights cutting across the crash site. The sudden attention forced immediate movement.
"Separate," Giuseppe called sharply. "We regroup after."
Hak looked at Ulyana. She hesitated. "Stay close," she said quickly.
"I will," Hak replied. But the pressure of incoming movement forced a split. Giuseppe pulled attention one direction, moving fast toward cover.
Hak guided Ulyana the other way, into a narrow side lane between buildings. The noise behind them blurred into distance.
Then the separation widened. A sudden obstruction, shifting angles, and traffic movement broke their line of sight of each other.
Ulyana turned sharply. "Hak—" But he was already out of view, moving through the opposite side of the street, trying to draw attention away.
And just like that, the space between them grew. She stopped, breathing uneven again, but this time different. Not panic from within but panic from loss of sight.
The night swallowed the distance between them, and for the first time since everything began, she was no longer directly beside him.
Ulyana moved before fear could fully catch up to her. Instinct took over, not panic. She crossed the narrow lane quickly, slipping into the nearest structure she could find. An abandoned building, its entrance half open, interior swallowed by dust and silence. It wasn't safe, but it was cover.
That was enough for now.
She moved through it carefully, keeping her steps light, just as Hak had drilled into her before. Only moving with purpose. She climbed level after level.
The building was old, hollow, partially stripped. Stairwells creaked under her weight, but she didn't stop. Her breathing stayed controlled, though her heartbeat was loud in her ears. On the third level, she paused briefly, listening. Nothing close.
She continued upward until she found a small room off a corridor. The door still functioned. It locked from the inside. Good enough.
She slipped in and shut it quickly, twisting the lock with careful precision. For a moment, she just stood there, back against the door, breathing shallowly.
A cupboard sat against the far wall. She hesitated only a second before opening it.
It was cramped, would be tight enough that she had to fold herself inward to fit. She pulled her knees close, making herself small, just like she'd been taught.
She pulled the door closed after she shimmied into the cupboard.
Darkness.
Stillness.
Her breathing began to settle again, her mind trying to focus on logic instead of sensation.
Stay hidden. Stay quiet. Wait. But the silence changed. It wasn't empty like it was supposed to be,
It started to close in on her.
Too close.
The confined space pressed in around her, and something inside her mind began to shift. The physical tightness became something else. Her stomach tightened. Her chest followed.
The memories she usually kept controlled started slipping through the edges.
Not full images at first, just fragments.
Closed spaces. Helplessness. The feeling of not being able to move, not being able to breathe properly, not being able to escape.
Her fingers curled tightly against her arms. "No," she whispered under her breath, as if she could push it back down.
But it kept rising.
Her breathing quickened without her permission.
Shorter.
Shallow.
Her body started reacting before her thoughts could intervene. She pressed her forehead lightly against her knees, trying to ground herself, but the cupboard only made everything feel smaller.
The darkness felt heavier now.
The silence felt loud all of the sudden. And for the first time since she'd separated from Hak, her control began to slip.
She forced herself to stay still. Stifing her cries. But inside, everything was starting to spiral.
-
Hak didn't panic.
He never did, not in a way that showed. But the absence of Ulyana beside him sat heavier than anything happening in the streets around them.
He trusted her instincts. He trusted what he had taught her.
Still, trust didn't cancel urgency.
He moved through the side street with controlled speed, using angles and reflections to track movement ahead. Giuseppe stayed close, scanning the opposite side, both of them working in silent coordination.
One threat appeared at the edge of the block.
Gone in seconds.
Another tried to flank from behind a parked vehicle.
Handled before it became a problem.
They didn't linger. They didn't escalate more than necessary. Each encounter was clean, fast, and silent enough that the wider area still hadn't fully locked onto their position.
But Hak's focus kept snapping back.
Ulyana.
Inside the cupboard, Ulyana had already slipped past the point of control. The tight space, the silence, and the isolation overwhelmed her until her breathing turned uneven, then broken. Tears fell quietly as she pressed a hand over her mouth, trying not to make a sound.
Her thoughts blurred. She felt distant from herself, like she was stuck somewhere between awareness and collapse. Then—
A voice. "Ulyana."
She froze completely. For a moment, she didn't move at all.
No. That isn't real.
It felt too clear, too familiar. Like something her mind had created to comfort her rather than something actually outside the door.
A hallucination, she thought faintly. Her breathing hitched again, silent tears continuing as she stayed completely still, refusing to respond.
Then it came again.
Closer. "Open the door for me."
This time, something shifted. The sound had weight. Her chest tightened.
That wasn't memory. That was now.
Her hands trembled as confusion and fear collided. Still crying silently, she hesitated, afraid that reacting would break the illusion. Then a hand attenpted to move the latch from outside.
Real.
Her breath caught sharply.
Slowly, she unlocked the cupboard. But strangely she didn't come out right away. She just stayed there, crying quietly in the dark, unsure if he was really there or if her mind had finally given up on her.
Hak opened the cupboard fully and the sight in front of him made everything else narrow down to one focus.
Ulyana didn't look up.
She was still folded into herself, shoulders shaking quietly, tears falling without sound. Not reaching out. Not speaking. Just stuck in that fragile in between state where she was present, but barely anchored.
Hak crouched immediately in front of her.
No scanning the room first. Just her. "Hey," he said quietly.
Her breathing stuttered at the sound, like she recognised it but couldn't fully trust it yet.
Hak's expression stayed controlled, but his voice softened further. "It's me," he said.
She flinched slightly, then slowly lifted her head just enough for her eyes to meet his for a second before dropping again. Like looking at him too long might make him disappear.
Hak understood instantly. This was her baseline slipping.
He exhaled slowly, grounding himself so he could ground her. "Listen to me," he said firmly but calm. "We don't move until you're steady."
Her hands trembled in her lap. She didn't answer, but she didn't pull away either.
Hak shifted slightly closer, lowering his voice even more. "You're here," he said. "I'm here. Just focus on us right now."
Giuseppe stood a few steps back, keeping watch, but not interrupting.
Hak continued, steady and direct. "I need you at baseline," he said. "Not calm. Not perfect. Just with me." The words landed differently.
With. Me.
Ulyana's breathing hitched again, but this time it started to slow, just slightly. Like her body was trying to follow something familiar.
Hak stayed still, giving her space but not distance. "Look at me," he added gently.
This time, she did. Not fully stable yet, still tearful, still shaken but present now. Hak nodded once, subtle approval. "Good," he said. "Stay with me. We move when you're ready."
And for the first time since she'd hidden herself, she didn't feel like she was alone in the dark anymore.
For a few seconds, she held it together just enough to look at him. But the moment Hak stayed there, steady and real, something inside her finally gave way.
It didn't happen quietly this time. Her breath broke first, sharp and uneven, then everything followed. A full, sudden collapse of control. She covered her mouth instinctively, but it didn't stop the sound from slipping out as she broke into open tears.
Her shoulders shook as she leaned forward slightly, like her body didn't know where else to go. The effort she'd been using to hold everything down was gone all at once, leaving nothing to replace it.
Hak didn't move away. He stayed exactly where he was, grounded in front of her, letting her fall apart without trying to interrupt it.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "Just let it out."
That only made it worse for a moment. Her breathing turned messy again, tears falling faster as she finally stopped trying to contain it. Years of pressure, fear, and exhaustion all hitting at once in a way she couldn't regulate anymore.
Giuseppe stayed alert nearby, watching the corridor.
Hak shifted slightly closer, lowering his voice. "You're safe," he repeated. "I've got you."
Ulyana shook her head faintly through tears, like she didn't fully believe it, but she didn't pull away from him either.
Hak held his position, steady and unchanging. "Stay with me," he said. "That's all."
And gradually, even through the crying, her body started to follow his presence back toward something closer to stable.
Her crying didn't stop immediately.bIt tapered unevenly, like her body didn't know how to slow down once it had started. Her breaths kept catching, her shoulders still trembling as she tried to steady herself.
Hak stayed exactly where he was, close enough for her to reach, but not overwhelming her space. "Keep breathing," he said quietly. "You're doing great."
Ulyana blinked through tears, trying to focus on him, trying to stay present. Her hand shifted slightly, instinctively reaching for his sleeve again, grounding herself in the only stable thing she could recognise.
Hak didn't move away from it.
Then her strength gave out all at once.
"Ulyana," he said sharply, then softer when he realised what was happening. "Hey."
But she didn't respond. Her head dipped forward slightly, and before she could correct it, her body leaned into him fully.
Hak reacted instantly, catching her before she slid down completely.
Her breathing had evened out too suddenly. The exhaustion, the adrenaline crash, and everything she'd been holding together finally collapsed into unconsciousness.
Hak adjusted immediately, shifting his arms to support her properly as she went limp against him.
Giuseppe stepped closer, scanning once more down the corridor. "She's out?" he asked quietly.
Hak nodded once. "Yeah," he said. He lifted her carefully, securing her against his chest with controlled precision, making sure she was stable. His expression tightened slightly, but his voice stayed calm. "She held on longer than she should have," he said.
Giuseppe gave a short nod. "We move?"
Hak looked down at her for a brief moment, then shifted his grip to make sure she was fully supported.
"Yeah," he said. "We move."