LOGINThey all locked their attention on the screen.It was showing a live aerial view of a highway. A black sedan was weaving through traffic at a hundred miles an hour with police cruisers and their own black security SUVs in a tight formation behind it.Beck quickly grabbed the remote from the side table and unmuted the television. The reporter’s voice filled the lounge immediately.“—what appears to be a coordinated pursuit connected to last night’s shooting in the warehouse district. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the suspect or suspects inside the vehicle, but sources say the chase began less than thirty minutes ago—”Myla stood up too, her pulse hammering. “It’s him,” she whispered. “He was in that car. I saw him get in.”The footage jerked as the helicopter camera adjusted when the SUV swerved sharply around another vehicle before finally being forced toward the shoulder by converging units.They watched in silence. As the lead security SUV cornered the sedan, fo
“Are you sure this is meant for him?” Hayden asked, his voice low but sharp.The nurse’s eyes darted between Hayden’s sharp tuxedo and Myla’s elegant gown. Without even hearing their names, she knew them from face alone.Bringing the wealthiest couple in the state a package that made them look so uncomfortable. She looked like she wanted to drop the package and run.“Yes sir,” she replied, looking like she wanted to run away. “The delivery man said it was specially for Mr Beckham Garner. For the hero’s man.”“Well shit,” Beck cursed softly under his breath.Myla gave the nervous nurse a soft, reassuring smile. “Thank you, dear. You may go.”For a long second, they all stared at the black rose, none of them speaking.Myla leaned forward, examining the rose. It had the sweet scent of a fresh flower mixed with something metallic. Its petals were so dark they looked like velvet dipped in ink. “For one thing,” she muttered after a while. “It’s a really pretty rose.”Then Hayden dragged a h
They walked out into the quiet hallway, the silence feeling strange after the excitement. When they sat down on the plush leather chairs of the VIP lounge, Myla suddenly broke into laughter.It started as a small giggle, then turned into a full, racking laugh that brought tears to her eyes. Hayden huffed out a laugh and dragged a hand down his face. “I genuinely thought we were about to hear he was in critical condition.”“He was in critical condition, alright,” Beck said, chuckling. “Critical levels of stubborn. He woke up in the ambulance and started giving them hell.”That made Myla laugh again.Then, slowly, the laughter faded.Beck looked at Myla, his eyes turning soft and concerned. "How are you really feeling, Myla? You watched a man die tonight. That isn't something you just walk away from."Myla grew sober, leaning her head back against the chair. "It was terrible, B. Edward... he was so broken. He actually looked at me at the end and realized I wasn’t her.” Her throat tigh
The moment Hayden and Myla stepped through the doors of the emergency ward, both of them froze.The hospital corridor was in chaos.Nurses rushed back and forth with clipboards, IV bags, and trays of medical instruments.The squeak of hurried shoes against polished floors echoed sharply under the fluorescent lights, blending with clipped instructions and the constant beeping of distant machines.“We need the head doctor now!” another voice called out from somewhere further down the hall. “The patient that was brought in with the gunshot injuries is a difficult one!”Myla’s heart dropped into her stomach.Myla and Hayden froze. They looked at each other, the same thought flashing through their minds."Jared," they whispered in unison.Hayden turned so fast toward the nearest passing nurse that she nearly collided with him.“What room?” he asked sharply. “The patient from the shooting. Jared Lotto. What room is he in?”The nurse barely slowed down as she pointed frantically down the hal
The ride back to the hall was a blur of flashing blue lights and the cold, metallic smell of blood. Myla sat in the back of the security SUV, her body shaking so hard her teeth rattled. She had refused to go to the hospital yet. She had refused to let the paramedics take her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at her hands resting limply in her lap, noticing the dried blood on them.Edward’s blood.She could hear the way his voice had broken in those final seconds. She still felt the weight of him in her arms when his body had gone still."What an unnecessary nightmare," she whispered, her voice a soft and broken sob. Beck was not with her. He had jumped into the back of the ambulance with Jared.Her mind strayed towards Jared despite how much she was trying to forget. She could still see Beck’s hands, stained red as he pressed down on Jared’s wound. The image of Jared’s pale face stayed in her mind like a brand. When the car pulled up to the private rear entrance of the h
"Four seconds in. Four seconds out," Jared’s mind repeated as his body followed the instructions. It was a rhythmic mantra he used to use in the field. It was his way of overriding pain and forcing his mind into sharp focus. Those days felt like centuries ago. His body was no longer used to being pushed past its limits.“Damn. You really let yourself go, man,” he thought to himself. Then breathed slowly as he blended his large frame into the deep shadows.He was about ten feet away from Myla, his body positioned at a tactical angle while his eyes scanned the shadows around them.Even though Kessler was injured, he was surprisingly good at hiding, and that worried Jared.The man was a great marksman. He had taken a bullet and still had the strength to run. And he was good at staying invisible. Everything Jared had seen so far pointed to one thing: the man was trained. Not just trained. He was "special forces" trained.Everything Jared had seen so far pointed to the fact that he was
The car was quiet with Myla, Beck, and Jared throwing looks at Hayden, whose head was completely turned away from them, looking outside through the tinted windows of the SUV, the snow-draped city flashed by. He hadn’t said a word after they left the precinct, leaving Jared to drive the car to the
"Don't touch anything yet, B," Myla warned, her voice was firm but playful. " We are still waiting for Jay. Sit down."Beck smirked mischievously, enjoying the playful glint in her eyes that hadn't been there earlier that morning, as he still reached across the table. She stretched out her hand an
“I almost found out where they were keeping you prisoner, Rosie. I was so close, but the demons were tracking me. Hayden’s dogs are everywhere.” Eddie’s voice turned into a conspiratorial whisper. “But my good Samaritan helped me and rescued me. He’s taking care of me for now, keeping me safe while
(Flashback: 1st Christmas together)“So,” he said casually, like he was asking if she wanted dessert. “Do you want to spend Christmas with me?”Myla was sitting on a low concrete bench at the park with her head on Hayden’s shoulder, her fingers laced with his. Standing a few respectable feet away f







