MasukI couldn't stop staring at Michael after he said those words which kept repeating inside my head, but somehow, they still didn't feel real.Anthony had come after Michael because of me.I lowered my gaze."I don't like that you had to kill him” I said.His expression immediately hardened."Fernando—“"No." I shook my head. "I mean it. I don't like the fact that Anthony came after you because of me.”Michael sighed."He came after me because of his uncle” he corrected.I looked at him."And if I wasn't in your life..." I paused. "You wouldn't have met him."Michael's eyes narrowed."You don't know that.""If I hadn't brought danger into your life—""You need to stop” he said.His voice was firmer this time then I looked at him.Michael leaned forward."You're acting as if I'm some helpless person who got dragged into your world and couldn't defend himself” he said.I opened my mouth, but he continued."I was an FBI agent, Fernando. I've dealt with dangerous people long before you came
Michael’s POVI stared at Fernando and I understood why he was saying all of this. I really did.He wasn't trying to push me away because he didn't love me. He was trying to push me away because he loved me enough to believe that I would be safer without him.I looked at him lying in that hospital bed then swallowed."Fernando..."He waited. I could see the anxiety in his eyes even though he was trying to hide it."I understand what you're trying to do. But...I don't know if I can give you an answer right now” I said. “This isn't something I can decide in five minutes."I glanced toward Henry. He was standing quietly beside me, listening to every word."I have to think about Henry and I have to think about myself” I added.Fernando’s expression softened."I know."I looked down at my hands."Part of me thinks you're right” I admitted.Fernando's eyes flickered."About leaving?""Yes."The words were difficult to say."If we were far away from you, Henry and I would probably be safer."
Fernando’s POVThe first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was pain.I stared at the white ceiling above me for several seconds, trying to remember where I was. The faint beeping of a monitor beside me eventually answered that question.I was in a hospital.Again.I let out a quiet groan and slowly turned my head toward the window.Late morning sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting pale golden lines across the room. For a moment, everything was strangely peaceful then I remembered everything that happened at the airport.My jaw tightened.I looked down at myself and carefully shifted beneath the blanket. Pain immediately shot through my side."Ah” I winced. "Okay. Definitely still alive."I closed my eyes again and sighed. At this point, I was beginning to think hospitals knew me by name.Maybe I should retire.I almost laughed at the thought.Retire from what? Being Fernando?Apparently, even when I tried to protect my family, trouble somehow found me. Maybe I should open a
Michael's POVFor several seconds, I couldn't move. Theo stood a few feet away from me, staring at Anthony's body and then at me.His expression was difficult to read.I slowly bent down and picked up the gun and Theo's eyes followed the movement."I can explain” I said.His gaze returned to mine."It’s fine" he said.I frowned."You don't know what happened.""I know you wouldn't just shoot someone for no reason” he replied.A bitter laugh escaped me."You'd be surprised."Theo's jaw tightened then I looked toward Anthony."He came after me because of Santiago. He introduced himself as Anthony Santiago. Santiago's nephew” I said.I watched Theo's expression change."You knew him?" He asked."No, but he knew me” I answered. "He said he had been looking for me for a long time. He said he wanted revenge for what happened to his uncle."Theo took a slow breath."What happened?" He asked.I stared at him."You already know what happened” I replied.His expression softened."He told me he
Michael's POVAnthony's eyes burned with hatred. He kept the gun trained on me as though simply looking at me reminded him of everything he had lost."You murdered him," he said. His voice trembled with rage. "You killed my uncle in cold blood."I stared at him."I didn’t” I said.Anthony's expression hardened."Don't lie to me. You shot him and you expect me to believe you had a reason?"I took a slow breath."I don't expect you to believe anything but I'm going to tell you the truth anyway” I said.Anthony said nothing."Your uncle kidnapped my son. Henry was a child” I continued."That doesn't matter” he said."It matters to me” I replied."You murdered Santiago!""And Santiago threatened to kill Henry!" I yelled back.My voice echoed through the empty section of the parking lot and Anthony flinched.For a second, I saw something uncertain in his expression then the anger returned."My uncle wasn't a monster” he said.I almost laughed."You weren't there” I replied."I know enough.
Michael's POVThe moment Anthony Santiago told me who he was, every instinct in my body screamed that I needed to be careful.I kept my eyes on Anthony as he stood a few feet away from me, studying me with an expression I couldn't quite understand. There was anger in his eyes, certainly, but there was something else underneath it.Hatred.My gaze briefly shifted past him. Henry was there, Kim was sitting beside him. They weren't far enough away. That was the problem.If Anthony was here because of Santiago, then I couldn't afford to let this become a confrontation in front of Henry.My son had already seen too much.He had been dragged from one dangerous situation into another, and the last thing I wanted was for him to watch someone threaten me with a weapon.I couldn't put him through that again.I forced myself to breathe then I forced my expression to remain calm.I looked at Henry."Hey."Henry turned toward me."Yeah?"I gave him what I hoped looked like a reassuring smile."I n
Michael’s POVI watched Eliot’s car drive away, the tires humming low against the dark pavement as the red tail lights faded into the night. That was one if the most awkward rides I've taken and I have been in Fernando’s car before. My arms were crossed, body leaning against the brick wall beside
Michael’s POV The night air was crisp as Ivy and I stepped out of the café, the heavy door swinging shut behind us with a satisfying thud. I glanced over at Ivy. She looked exhausted but content. I couldn’t help the question that had been gnawing at me all day.“Did you know?” I asked, shoving m
Fernando’s POVMy eyelids fluttered open to a world that, for once, felt still and peaceful—rare for a man like me. My mind, usually sharp and filled with calculation, was slow this morning, reluctant to chase shadows or obligations. And the first thing I saw wasn’t the ceiling or the sunlight.I
Ashley’s POVThe elevator doors slid open with a quiet ding, but the moment I stepped into the corridor of the FBI field office, something was off. I couldn’t quite place it at first.The building sounded the same but the energy was wrong.As I moved toward my desk, I noticed the clusters of agent







