LOGINCastle.The sound of gunshots through the phone while I talked to both Angel and Tomas makes my heart skip .“Tomas?” I shouted, my voice breaking. “Angel? Tomas!”Nothing. Just chaos on the other end.“Tomas, answer me!” I yelled again, louder this time. But the call had already died.My body moved before my mind caught up. I was already out of the room, running through the halls of the Lucchese mansion barefoot, heart slamming against my ribs like it wanted out. I didn’t even grab a coat. I just grabbed my keys, hurriedly put on my shoes, stormed outside and drove like a mad man.The tires screamed against the asphalt as I pushed the car harder than it was built for. The streets blurred past—lights, buildings, red lights I didn’t see. I didn’t care. All I could see was Tomas bleeding and Angel in handcuffs.When I got to the hotel, the place was swarming. Police tape. Flashing lights. Too many uniforms. I parked a few blocks away and walked fast, head down. Inside, the smell of gun
Angel.The café was small, half-lit by morning sun spilling through the blinds. The smell of burnt toast and coffee sat heavy in the air. I sat in a corner booth, a plate of bread and eggs in front of me, and a cup of coffee that had already gone cold.I kept hearing my father’s voice in my head. His words, sharp and cruel when he said, “You’ll have to kill Castle.”At first, I thought I hadn’t heard him right. But I did. He had looked me dead in the eye when he said it, like he was talking about the weather, not murder.And now, sitting there, I knew I couldn’t do it.Even if I wanted to please him, I couldn’t. Because I loved Castle more than he or I could ever comprehend. But I didn't even want to please my father, because the man I saw yesterday wasn’t the father I once knew. He was a stranger wearing his face, speaking like God had given him the right to decide who lived and who died.I took a sip of the coffee. It was bitter. Still, I drank it as my thoughts continued whirling.
Castle.The road stretched ahead like a blur of black glass, the headlights slicing through the fog that had settled before dawn. My hands were tight on the steering wheel, my pulse drumming under my skin. I kept thinking maybe I’d spot that damned sedan again, the one that had taken Angel. But each turn, each red light, each empty intersection gave me nothing. Just empty darkness..When I finally slammed my hand against the wheel, it wasn’t just frustration. It was helplessness. I could feel it burning slowly in your chest in a way that made me want to rip something apart.Tomas flinched from the passenger seat. “Castle, we’ll find him. He’s still got the hoodie on and we can trace it.”I shook my head. “Or we walk right into a trap.”He opened his mouth, then shut it. I didn’t blame him. Even I didn’t know where Angel’s head was at anymore. He wasn’t a kid but right now, he was a storm. He was currently unpredictable, emotional, and at this point, angry enough to burn down anythin
AngelAfter the call, I waited for several minutes. My father said he was going to come to get me, so I just paced around while I waited. My mind went back to Castle and I began wondering what he was doing at the moment. I wish I didn't storm out the way I did. I wish we had had the time to talk it through, but his overprotectiveness was no longer sexy.Does this mean I'm falling out of love with him? Or does it mean something else entirely? Before I could process my emotions and answer the questions that I asked myself, a black sedan stopped in front of me with the engine humming low. The window rolled down, and there was my father alive. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. His face hadn’t changed much: just sharper around the edges, older in the eyes. A man who had seen too much and learned to hide behind silence.He didn’t smile. His eyes just scanned me and when he seemed satisfied with what he saw, he grunted, “Get in.”I hesitated but I entered. The interior of the car wa
Castle.When Angel walked out of the suite, he slammed the door so hard that the frame shook.But that wasn't the only thing that shook. My heart pounded so violently in my chest at the thought that this might truly be the end of us. But I still held hope. We've fought and broken up countless times before, but we always found our way back to each other. Hopefully, this time wouldn't be different.For a long time, I just stood there, staring at the door like maybe Angel would come back if I waited long enough. But the echo of his footsteps was already gone, and what was left was cold silence and guilt.I dragged a hand down my face and sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets still smelled like him and it made my chest tighten with regret.I should’ve told him. I knew I should have. Hell, I’d known it since the moment I saw his father alive. But when I looked into that man’s eyes, all I saw was manipulation and lies. How was I supposed to tell Angel that the man he’d been mourning all
Angel. Hours had passed since Castle and Tomas left, and I was still in the same spot—shirtless, half-slouched over the laptop, scrolling through files that led nowhere. Every search, every folder, every hidden archive brought out nothing but useless reports and dead ends. My eyes burned, and I wanted to throw the laptop across the room. I rubbed my face, let out a shaky breath, and leaned back in the chair. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I muttered. “Days of this and still nothing.” I had convinced myself that if I just kept digging, I’d find something that would prove I wasn’t the traitor they made me out to be. But all I found was bullshit. Just when I was losing hope, my laptop beeped and I frowned. No notification should’ve come through. I had everything on lockdown—firewalls, encrypted layers, and ghost mode. The beep came again, and a small window popped up on the corner of the screen: incoming call from an encrypted line. “What the hell…” I muttered. The line didn’t







