MasukMichael's POVThe ropes were cutting into my wrists.I had lost count of how many times I had shifted against them, trying to find even the slightest bit of slack, but whoever had tied me had known exactly what they were doing.My hands were secured behind me, my back pressed against a thick concrete pillar in the basement.A few feet away, Carlos was tied to another one and the sight of him somehow made my frustration worse."This is ridiculous," I muttered.Carlos lifted his head."You're only realizing that now?"I exhaled sharply and looked around.The basement was dim, illuminated by a single overhead bulb that flickered every few seconds. Somewhere above us, I could hear muffled footsteps.I stopped then I looked at my hands as a terrible thought entered my mind.If I dislocated my thumb, maybe I could pull my hand through.I stared at it for several seconds and Carlos noticed."You think breaking your thumb is going to magically solve everything?" He asked."I don't care." I pu
Fernando's POVI watched Mortis disappear.Two of Marlo's men had dragged him toward the second vehicle while another pair followed closely behind, weapons visible beneath their jackets.One of the guards shoved him into the vehicle and the door slammed shut.I watched the car pull away.My jaw tightened."Where are they taking him?"Marlo stood beside me, watching the same vehicle disappear down the road."Somewhere quiet" he replied. "That's not an answer.""It's the only one you're getting" he said.I ignored the words then my thoughts returned to Michael, Henry and the others.I needed certainty."You promise you wouldn't touch Michael, Henry, Ashley and Nick."He gave me a knowing look."I will not personally touch Michael, nor Henry" he said.My shoulders relaxed slightly."And Ashley and Nick?"Marlo shrugged."I have no interest in them" he replied. I frowned. "That's not what I asked."He sighed."I won't personally hurt them either" he said.I searched his face."You swea
Michael's POVFor several seconds, I could only stare at Theo. I couldn't make sense of what he had just said.The words kept replaying inside my head."What does that mean?" I asked.Theo didn't answer then he turned away from me."Theo, I'm asking you a question."I pulled against Roberto's grip, frustration boiling inside me."What have you done?" I asked.Theo walked toward the other side of the basement, where Roberto had left a small table covered with phones, documents, and several sets of keys.My stomach tightened. He wasn't ignoring me because he didn't have an answer, he was ignoring me because he didn't want to give me one."Theo!"He finally stopped then his shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath. Finally, he turned around."I've made a decision" he said."You don't get to make decisions for me" I shot at him.His eyes hardened."I do when you're incapable of protecting yourself" he replied. I stared at him."I'm not incapable of protecting myself" I argued. "You s
Fernando's POVBeside me, Mortis stood as rigid as stone. Although his expression remained composed, I noticed the subtle movement of his eyes as he surveyed every vehicle, every gunman, every possible escape route.I leaned the slightest bit toward Mortis without taking my eyes off Marlo. Barely moving my lips, I whispered."How many do you think we can take?"Mortis answered just as quietly."If we're lucky?""I hate relying on luck" I said.Marlo watched us with obvious amusement and he folded his hands behind his back."You two always did enjoy whispering."Neither of us answered then Mortis lowered his voice further."When I move, you run" he said."You've lost your mind" I replied. "I'm serious" he said.Marlo clapped slowly."Touching. Absolutely touching."His smile widened. He began pacing slowly before us like a teacher addressing a classroom."Two loyal men, one broken empire and neither of you willing to abandon the other" he said then stopped walking. "But loyalty has al
Michael's POVMy heart hammered against my ribs so violently that I could hear it over the ringing in my ears.Roberto stood in front of the basement door and Theo stood beside him.For a long moment, nobody spoke and the silence stretched painfully between us.It was suffocating.Theo had hidden a camera inside my bedroom. The one place I had believed belonged to me.I looked at him and I saw someone I didn't recognize."I can't believe you" I said.Theo swallowed hard. His shoulders sagged as though the weight of my disappointment was physically crushing him."I didn't want it to happen this way. I thought Fernando was manipulating you" he said as if I hadn't heard him the first time."I already told you he wasn't" I replied, my voice stern."I don't believe that" he said.The certainty in his voice made something inside me snap."You don't have to believe it." I stepped toward him. "You don't get to decide what I think and you don't get to decide what I do."His jaw clenched."He k
Fernando's POVThe gunshot echoed through the air and every muscle in my body locked as I braced myself for the impact.I waited but nothing happened. I blinked and I was still standing.Slowly, almost disbelievingly, I looked down at myself. There was no blood. My hands remained raised exactly where they had been.The little boy was still clutching his stuffed dinosaur. His mother screamed, grabbing him into her arms before dragging him back toward the restaurant.People scattered in every direction and someone else shouted for the police, but none of that mattered.I was still alive.I lowered my gaze slightly before turning toward Mortis.He had stepped halfway out of the car, his gun now drawn as his eyes searched every rooftop surrounding the restaurant."What happened? Did he miss?" he shouted."I don't know" I replied. Mortis frowned."An assassin like that doesn't miss."I agreed.The man who had called me earlier didn't sound like someone who relied on luck. He sounded preci
Marlo’s POVThe sound Michael made when I pressed his leg did something to me.It was not satisfaction or relief. It was frustration because even through that level of pain, he still didn’t break.He screamed, he cried, but he did not talk and that made me angrier than if he had insulted me.He lay
Michael’s POVThe forest didn’t feel like a forest anymore. It felt like a maze built to swallow us whole and stretch so far we wouldn’t be able to get to our destination.Branches clawed at my arms as we pushed through the trees. Every step I took sent a violent pulse of pain through my leg, hot a
Fernando's POVThe night felt wrong. I knew it the moment we killed the engines and let silence swallow us whole.The engines clicked as they went cool, the faint smell of hot metal and oil lingering in the air. My ears registered the sound of gravel crunching softly under our shoes as my men melt
Michael's POVThe gunfire doesn’t stop, it only grew louder and closer as if it was slowly advancing towards the small hall where we had gathered. Sharp cracks tore through the night air outside the safe house, and whatever illusion of safety this place once had was completely gone.The walls felt







