LOGINERDENI don’t wait for Farouk to shut the engine off before I’m at the car.I reach for the door and rip the handle so hard it screeches, metal biting into my palm as it gives. The door flies open and Farouk flinches in his seat, eyes snapping to me.“Where the fuck is your phone?” I demand.He looks away still caught halfway between driving and getting out. “I… um, I don’t have it.”I let out a low sound in my throat, something between a laugh and a growl. “Obviously you don’t,” I say, leaning closer so he has no room to breathe. “So where the fuck is it?”Before he can answer, Lyssandra laughs. It’s soft and unguarded and completely wrong for the tension buzzing through my body.“I have it,” she says cheerfully.I straighten slowly and turn my head toward her. My eyes roll from her face to Farouk and back again, irritation crawling up my spine.“Why,” I ask Farouk coldly, “does Lyssandra have your phone?”Lyssandra shifts in her seat, clearly pleased with herself. “I took it from hi
ERDENIt takes about an hour to settle myself down, during which time I get everything settled with Antonio and my brothers. When I'm done, I don’t turn toward my apartment. I don’t want to be there alone, and I don’t want the silence that waits there, that emptiness I can’t fill without her. Every instinct in me is dragging me toward her, to the place that feels like home, that feels like her. I’ve been away from her too long. I’ve been chasing my father like a fool, risking everything, and the thought of ending the night without her pressed against me feels unbearable.I curse under my breath. Cross Kryne was supposed to pay me back tonight with his life, and yet he’s out there somewhere, laughing at me, once again ghost I can’t catch. My side burns with the memory of being grazed by a bullet. My arm still pulses as if it remembers the strike, as if the night wants to remind me of every failure I've suffered today. But I don’t care. Nothing matters except Lyssandra, and she’s w
ERDENThe impact rattles my teeth and throws all of us forward at once. The sound is violent and metallic, and it crawls up your spine and stays there. Antonio swears loudly as the steering wheel jerks in his hands. Trent slams into the back of my seat, grunting as he catches himself.“Fuck,” Antonio gasps. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”“Don’t stop,” I snarl. “Don’t you dare stop.”The back of Cross’s truck fishtails, tires screeching as it swerves sideways. For a moment, just a moment, I think we’ve done it. I think we’ve pinned him. I think I finally have him.Then the truck straightens again, and of course it does. He’s always been good at slipping out of my hands.Gunfire erupts almost immediately, and it's not from our side. Bullets slam into the side of Antonio’s truck, the sound is deafening inside the cab.Trent shouts something behind me, but I don’t catch the words. I pull my gun up and brace myself against the dashboard, leaning out just enough to fire back through the shattered win
ERDENI don’t wait for anyone to speak before I grab my phone again. My hands are slick, either from sweat or blood, I don’t stop to check. I punch in the number hard enough that the screen nearly cracks. “Kavev,” I snap the second the call connects. “Did you set up a trail or not?”There’s noise on his end. I hear the sound of engines, and voices. “We’re on him,” Kavev says. “Aksel’s with me. We saw the truck pull out. We’re behind them, but…”“But what?” I bark.“But he’s fast,” Aksel cuts in. “And he’s got a lead. We’re trying to close the distance.”I grit my teeth, heat flooding my chest. “Don’t lose him. Whatever the fuck you do, don't lose that man.” “We’re trying not to,” Kavev replies. “But Erden, if he’s heading where I think he is, the it'll be difficult.”“I don’t care where he’s heading,” I interrupt. “You stay on that truck until I catch up to you.” “We might not catch up,” Kavev says.The words hit like a slap. I don’t respond. I just end the call and lower the phone
ERDENAntonio doesn’t waste time once the engines are off. He moves to the back of the truck and swings the doors open. Metal scrapes metal. The sound settles into my bones. Trent is already beside him, boots planted, eyes moving.“Let’s go,” Antonio says. “Fast.”They start unstacking the crates together. One slides out, then another. I can feel the weight of the crates though I'm not touching them. Whatever guns he sourced for my father, they're expensiveI stay a step back, my gun loose in my hand, my attention on the perimeter.“This is taking too long,” Trent mutters. His trigger finger is on his gun and I can see him twitching every few seconds. The waste of time is making me fidget too, but I still myself every time. “It’s taking exactly as long as it should,” Antonio snaps back. “Rushing gets people killed.”Trent shoots him a look. “So does standing around.”Antonio ignores him and gestures to the ground. “Stack them there.”I don’t tell them to stop arguing. Their voices ar
ERDENI don’t wait around after the call ends. I shove my phone into my pocket and head for the door. Trent’s already on his feet, adjusting the straps of his vest. He doesn’t ask questions, but then no one does when my jaw looks like this.We step outside together. The air hits my face and does nothing to cool the anger burning under my skin. I walk faster, and Trent falls into step beside me without breaking stride.“Are you good?” he asks.“I will be,” I say. What else can I say? I'm fucking angry and it doesn't help that Lyssandra’s safety isn't under my control right now. I can't help thinking that this meeting with my father could be a distraction at best, and a waste of time at worst.But my answer seems enough for him. He reaches the car first, pulls the door open, then pauses as I stop short. Antonio’s truck is already there, waiting in my driveway. It's a big, armoured truck. A vahicle that doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Antonio stands beside it, rolling his shoulder







