The interior lights inside the vehicle shut off completely, and darkness swallowed the backseat for half a second before emergency red lighting activated along the lower floor panels.
Outside, shouting erupted across the underground entrance. Security commands were heard, along with running footsteps and the sharp echo of tyres against wet concrete.
Seraphina's pulse hammered hard against her ribs, but her mind remained painfully clear. That frightened her more than panic would have because she recognised this feeling. The cold narrowing of instinct, the awareness that danger had finally stopped circling from a distance and moved close enough to touch.
Lucien's hand remained firmly around hers. "Stay low," he ordered quietly.
She nodded once immediately.
The driver attempted to reverse again, but another vehicle cut sharply across the exit lane, trapping them fully between the ramp barriers.
