LOGINTheo’s POVEverything inside me went cold the moment I heard Kim’s voice through that phone, the kind of terror only a parent could understand.The warehouse suddenly felt suffocating.The broken lights overhead blurred faintly as rage crashed through my chest so violently that for a second I genuinely couldn’t think straight.Kim was terrified and Marlo was smiling.That was the part that shattered whatever control I had left.I moved before I could stop myself.I grabbed the front of Marlo’s expensive coat violently and slammed him backward hard enough to make the chair behind him scrape loudly across the concrete.“You touch my daughter and I swear to God I will kill you" I said, my voice rough. The entire warehouse erupted into movement instantly.Mortis stepped forward sharply, several men raised their guns but Marlo laughed.The sound echoed through the warehouse and made my skin crawl. His hands remained calm at his sides while I held him by the collar.“No, you won’t" he said
Michael’s POVFor one terrifying second after I stepped out of the shadows, all I could focus on was Henry.The sight of him standing there sent such overwhelming relief crashing through me that my knees almost weakened.I tightened my grip slightly around the gun in my hand and forced myself to stay sharp.Marlo stood several feet away from us, staring at Theo with an expression so full of betrayal and rage that the entire warehouse seemed colder because of it.Anabelle looked equally furious. Her perfect composure had finally cracked completely.“This is your fault,” she hissed at Theo.Theo ignored her while Mortis remained eerily calm.Marlo finally laughed softly. The sound echoed unpleasantly through the warehouse.“You fooled me.”Theo’s jaw tightened.“That must be unfamiliar for you.”Marlo’s eyes darkened instantly. I stepped slightly closer while keeping the gun pointed steadily on him.“Enough games” I said and every pair of eyes shifted toward me immediately.“Tell your m
Theo’s POVMarlo stood near the center of the warehouse looking entirely too relaxed for a man about to kidnap a child.Anabelle remained beside him, elegant even in tension, though the irritation on her face was impossible to miss.Mortis was the real problem. The man stood silently near Marlo with his hands behind his back, watching everything with those cold, unreadable eyes.Nothing about him felt careless or easy to fool, which meant if this plan failed, we were dead.Henry stood several feet away from them with his wrists restrained, trying hard to look braver than he probably felt but I noticed the slight trembling in his shoulders.The kid had just watched Ashley and Nick die and somehow, that guilt kept digging deeper into my chest.Marlo looked pleased with himself.“Well, I must admit, Theo, I underestimated you” he said smoothly while adjusting the sleeve of his expensive coat, I forced myself to give a small shrug.“You’re not the only one.”Anabelle scoffed immediately.
Michael’s POVThe warehouse remained cold and dim around us, the weak overhead light flickering every few seconds.Theo crouched in front of me, his face tense, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that made my chest feel strange.“I’m serious,” he said quietly.I stared at him bitterly.“You expect me to believe you after all this?” I asked.His expression hardened slightly.“You don’t have a choice.”That only made me angrier and I jerked against the ropes around my wrists.“Don't you dare sound arrogant!”“I know,I'm sorry” he said, quieter this time.Something about how broken his voice sounded almost annoyed me more because it didn’t change anything.Nothing would bring Ashley and Nick back.I swallowed hard as their faces flashed through my mind again.Theo noticed the look on my face and lowered his eyes briefly.“I never wanted any of this to happen" he said and I laughed coldly.Theo slowly stood to his feet and dragged a hand through his hair.“You think I
Michael's POV The warehouse had become too quiet. The flickering light above us buzzed faintly, throwing uneven shadows across the concrete floor while cold air drifted through the broken windows high above.In front of me, Theo stood silently, watching me and somehow, that made everything feel worse, because now there was nothing distracting me from the hatred burning inside my chest.I stared at him coldly.“You happy now?”Theo’s jaw tightened immediately and I laughed bitterly.“Was this satisfying for you?” I asked.“Michael—”“No. Don’t say my name like you care" my voice cracked harsher than intended.Theo visibly stiffened then he took a slow breath.“I didn’t know he was going to kill them" he said.I looked at him with disbelief.“You brought Marlo Ramirez into our home.”“I was angry.”“And now they’re dead.”The words echoed sharply through the warehouse and Theo looked away briefly. For once, he actually seemed affected by what he’d done but I didn’t care anymore.“You b
Michael’s POVCold air drifted through the massive abandoned structure from broken windows high above us, carrying the distant sound of traffic somewhere far beyond the industrial district. Henry and I sat tied to metal chairs beneath a flickering overhead light. My wrists burned painfully against the rough restraints every time I moved.Henry looked worse. His face was pale from shock, his eyes red from crying, and there was dried blood near his lip from when one of Marlo’s men had struck him earlier.But what hurt most was the silence between us.Ashley and Nick were dead and neither of us knew how to survive that reality yet.Footsteps echoed through the warehouse and several men entered first then Marlo came through. Anabelle followed beside him elegantly dressed despite the filth of the place, her heels clicking sharply against the concrete floor.Mortis walked behind them quietly and Henry glared at him immediately.“You fucking bastard” he spat out.Marlo studied him quietly.
Marlo’s POVThe kitchen had always been my favorite room in the house — not because I enjoyed cooking, far from it — but because it was the one place I could find temporary peace from the exhausting madness swirling around this godforsaken mansion. And also was surprisingly a great place for spont
Michael's POV I didn’t have time to waste.My mind raced as the full weight of the situation sank in—Fernando was being played. Someone had orchestrated the FBI attack, purposefully baiting him into a war he wasn’t supposed to be fighting. And knowing Fernando, if I didn’t stop him now, it would
Michael's POV Who the hell were these guys?Kidnappers?But not just any kidnappers. These weren’t some random thugs off the street. The way they handled themselves, the way they executed the grab—it was professional. Efficient.Which meant this wasn’t about money.No, this was about me.And ther
Fernando’s POVThe second I saw that man put his hands on Michael, my vision turned red.I was standing in the middle of the supermarket aisle, my body still, my hands relaxed at my sides, but inside?I was boiling with complete rage.The man had him pinned against the shelves, gripping his shirt,







