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 POV The night air hung heavy with stillness, broken only by the buzzing neon sign at the edge of the roadside motel. Everything around us was bathed in hush—muffled by the thick veil of darkness and the shallow breaths of sleeping bodies behind thin motel walls. I could still hear th
Michael’s POV The motel’s neon sign flickered overhead like a tired heartbeat as I guided Henry toward our room. His small hand clutched mine with a quiet trust. Henry yawned beside me, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “You okay, bud?” I asked, unlocking the door to our room. He nodd
Michael’s POV The sun was still high up in the sky, pouring it's golden streeks outside Ashley’s apartment window. The street was still, save for the two stone-faced bodyguards loitering outside the building entrance like shadows glued to the sidewalk. Their presence was a constant reminder th
Archer’s POV I sat behind my desk, staring blankly at the documents that had been piling up like bricks of guilt. Contracts, acquisition reports, and memos that required my signature. Important things, by any definition. But in the grand scheme of things, they meant nothing. Not when the one per







