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Michael’s POVI twisted around in my seat and looked through the rear window again to check if Ashley's car was there.Thankfully it was still following, still close enough for me to recognize Ashley behind the wheel.My chest tightened and I immediately turned back around.Henry frowned."Dad, are you okay?" He asked. I forced a smile."I'm fine."Henry didn't look convinced. He had never been easy to fool, especially when something involved me."Is Ashley following us?"I hesitated."Yes" I said."Then why didn't she just come with us?" He asked.I didn't have an answer because I couldn't tell him the truth.I couldn't tell him that the men surrounding our vehicle weren't behaving like rescuers. I couldn't tell him that one of them had pressed a gun against my back..I couldn't tell him that I didn't know where they were taking us and I certainly couldn't tell him that Theo had arranged everything."It's complicated," I finally said.Henry's eyebrows pulled together."Everything has
Fernando's POVMarlo stared at me as though he still couldn't believe the situation had turned against him. Only minutes ago, he had been sitting comfortably in this vehicle, convinced he was taking me to my death.Now he was staring through the shattered windshield at the men surrounding us.His men were gone, every single one of them.Bodies lay scattered across the road, weapons abandoned beside them. My men stood in a wide circle around the vehicle, their guns raised and their eyes fixed on Marlo.Anabelle looked terrified and I couldn't blame her.I was breathing heavily, my wrists still painfully restrained in front of me."Untie me" I ordered him.Marlo didn't move."You think this changes anything?"I almost laughed."Look outside. Your men are dead and you're surrounded" I said.Marlo looked at the men again then at me and he slowly shook his head."I could still kill you" he said.I stared at him."With what?"His eyes flickered toward the weapon lying near his feet and I sm
Michael’s POVMy wrists were beginning to hurt.I had been pulling against the restraints for what felt like an eternity, twisting my hands this way and that, searching desperately for even the smallest weakness in the knots but there was nothing.Whoever had tied me had known exactly what they were doing.I pulled against the restraints again and Carlos shook his head."You know, Michael, I'm starting to understand why Fernando—"A gunshot exploded somewhere outside and we both froze. Another followed then another until my entire body went rigid."What the hell was that?"Carlos stared toward the basement ceiling."I don't know."More gunshots rang out one after another and my heart began hammering.I immediately thought of my house and my stomach twisted. The thought of bullets flying around my house made panic rush through me.I pulled against the restraints again."I need to get out of here.""Michael—""I need to know what's happening!" I said urgently. "What if Ashley is in trou
Fernando's POVThe road seemed endless. I sat in the back of the black car with my hands restrained in front of me, listening to the low hum of the engine as we drove farther away from the city.Every few seconds, the tires rolled over uneven pavement, making the vehicle rock gently from side to side.I kept my face expressionless. I refused to give Marlo the satisfaction of seeing fear.Across from me, he sat comfortably, one arm resting against the door as though this were nothing more than an ordinary afternoon drive.Anabelle sat beside him.Two armed men occupied the seats beside me, their weapons visible beneath their jackets.Another vehicle followed behind us.I looked at him."Where exactly are you taking me?" I asked.Marlo smiled."You'll find out soon enough" he replied. I frowned. "That's not an answer.""It's the only one you're getting" he said.I leaned back against the seat."You know, Marlo, I never imagined you'd be the one sitting beside me while taking me to my
Ashley’s POVSomething was wrong. I had been trying to ignore the feeling for the last several minutes, but it had become impossible.Michael should have been back by now. He had said he was going to Theo's house to check on what happened Henry and talk to Theo, but too much time had passed.Far too much.I stood near the living-room window, staring through the curtains toward Theo's house."He's taking too long," I muttered.Nick, who was sitting on the couch, looked up from his phone then slipped it into his pocket."Maybe Theo has a lot to explain" he said."That's exactly what worries me" I replied. Henry was sitting in the armchair nearby, his attention fixed on the television even though I could tell he wasn't watching it.Nick stood."Should we go over there?" He asked."That's what I'm thinking" I replied. Henry immediately shook his head."No."I frowned."I'm not going" he added."Henry—""I don't want to go back there" he said.His voice was sharper than usual and I excha
Michael'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 POV The sound of the waves still clung to my ears, even as Marlo steered us away from the beach.It wasn’t the kind of sound that fades easily—it burrowed into my skull, weaving itself into the rhythm of my heartbeat. Even with the scent of salt air giving way to the smell of the road,
Michael’s POV I don’t think I had ever seen anyone look so completely, utterly amazed by a single sight. Not even when I was a kid myself, staring at something for the first time, did I have the kind of wide-eyed wonder Henry had the second the ocean came into view. It was like the entire world
Michael’s POV Ashley’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white as well the beach with deep anger rooted in our chests.The hum of the tires against the road was the only sound for a while, and even that seemed muted, like the world had muffled itself. I sat
Fernando’s POV The coldness of the grand dining hall seemed to fade the moment Michael’s hand was trapped in mine. My back pressed against the polished wood of the massive table, but I barely felt it. All I could feel was him—his presence, his warmth, his resistance, his trembling. Our eyes locke







