LOGINFernando'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
Michael's POVFor several long seconds, nobody moved. The basement suddenly felt much smaller.The cold concrete walls seemed to close in around me as I stared at Theo and Roberto standing in the doorway.Theo leaned lightly against the doorframe, his complexion still pale from his injuries, but there was nothing weak about the expression on his face.Beside him, Roberto stood with his arms folded, his posture calm and unreadable.Carlos sighed dramatically from behind me."Well...I suppose this is awkward."He looked from me to Theo but nobody answered him.I slowly turned toward Theo and his eyes never left mine."You knew I was here.""I suspected" he replied. I frowned and Roberto spoke instead."I noticed something. When you supposedly left the house, Kim was acting strangely" he said.My stomach tightened."What do you mean?"Roberto glanced briefly toward Theo before looking back at me."She almost never lies. But today, she wouldn't look me in the eye" he said.He spoke calml
Michael’s POVFor a full thirty seconds after Theo told me he had cameras, I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my own heartbeat but I refused to let him see that.Shock is weakness and Theo thrived on that so I straightened, lifted my chin and lied.“I wasn’t in your house.”Theo’s expr
Michael's POVFor a moment, the entire room felt like it had gone silent.Henry stood a few feet away from me in the hallway, his arms crossed tightly over his chest like a shield. His shoulders were tense, his chin slightly raised in that stubborn way he had inherited from Fernando.Behind him, Ki
Michael’s POVThe gun was still pressed firmly against the back of my helmet. The man holding it watched me with narrowed eyes, like a predator that had finally cornered its prey."How do you know that name?" I asked him but he ignored me.“Take the helmet off” he said calmly, My hands were now ra
Michael’s POV The car tore through the night like it was trying to outrun the past. Ashley drove with both hands locked tight on the steering wheel, her knuckles white, her jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack. Every bump sent fresh agony through my leg. I bit down on my lip, refusing







