LOGINMichael’s POVI stood in front of the mirror longer than necessary, fingers hovering at the collar of my shirt, adjusting it, then undoing it, then adjusting it again.I wasn’t nervous about my appearance. I was nervous about what tonight would change.The bedroom was quiet, too quiet for a place that usually hummed with movement and distant voices. I smoothed my jacket and studied my reflection.My phone lay face-down on the dresser, silent now. Santiago hadn’t called again after I sent the coordinates. He had only sent a single message in return."I’ll arrive before nightfall" His text had read.My chest tightened.Everything Fernando had been hiding from me, every suspicious glance, every carefully worded answer, every time someone stopped talking when I entered a room, was about to unravel.I needed to know, even if it destroyed something.A soft knock came at the door and I froze.“Michael?” Fernando’s voice followed, familiar and grounding and dangerous all at once. “Have you s
Fernando’s POVThe door closed behind Mortis with a dull, final sound.It wasn’t loud, yet it echoed heavily. Across from me, Emilio sat perfectly still, his fingers laced together, his gaze sharp and assessing. Marlo leaned back in his chair, one ankle resting on his knee.“We need to assume Santiago is already looking,” I said finally.My voice sounded steady, even to me, but beneath it, something coiled tight and angry twisted in my chest. Don Santiago was not the type of man who waited for certainty. Suspicion alone was enough for him to begin cutting throats.“If he suspects anything,” I continued, straightening slowly, “he won’t wait for an invitation.”Emilio inclined his head. “Agreed.”Marlo’s mouth curved into a humorless smile. “He never does.”Mortis had already left, moving through the compound, barking orders to Fernando’s men who were free.“The location is secure,” Emilio said, leaning forward now. His voice was low and controlled. “No digital signals leaving the c
Michael's POVAgreeing to listen to Fernando felt less like a decision and more like surrender.Not because I suddenly trusted him again, not because my doubts had magically dissolved, but because every path I had taken to find the truth had ended the same way with doors closing, eyes averting, silence stretching thicker than lies.So when Fernando said we should resume planning the wedding, I had no other choice than to just nod.This wasn’t what i would have wanted for myself, especially with how crazy the past few days has been, but there was nothing i could do about it.I told myself it was temporary. That going along with it didn’t mean I was done questioning. It only meant I was exhausted from carrying suspicion alone. I was totally exhausted from feeling like the only one not allowed to see the full picture of my own life and no matter how much I tried to change things up, they ended up being the same way in my head.The safe house no longer felt like a hiding place that morni
Fernando's POVI watched Emilio disappear down the corridor before I allowed myself to breathe again.Only once he was completely gone did I turn my full attention back to Michael.He stood there, silent, rigid, his jaw clenched so tightly I could almost hear his teeth grind. That look on his face, the restrained fury, the hurt barely leashed, was one I knew too well.It was the same look he used to wear before everything went wrong.“Come inside,” I said calmly.Michael didn’t move.“I said come inside,” I repeated, my voice colder now.After a moment, he obeyed. Not because he wanted to but because some part of him still responded to my authority and to the bond we shared whether he liked it or not.The door closed behind us with a quiet finality.I folded my hands behind my back, keeping my posture relaxed even as dread curled viciously in my chest. “You were questioning Emilio,” I said evenly.Michael laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That’s what you call it?”“You had no
Michael's POVA few days had passed since the argument with Ashley, but the weight of it still sat heavy in my chest like a stone and it followed me everywhere.Even now, as I sat on the rug of the safe house living room, building a crooked tower of wooden blocks with Henry, my mind was nowhere near the colorful pieces in my hands.“Michael,” Henry said, squinting at the structure. “You’re putting it wrong. The big one goes under.”I blinked and looked down. He was right. I had stacked the smallest block at the base, and the whole thing was leaning dangerously.“Ah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Master builder has spoken.”Henry grinned proudly. At six years old, he had that rare combination of innocence and sharp awareness that made him both comforting and terrifying to be around. He noticed things, too many things.I fixed the tower, careful this time, while Henry hummed under his breath.But even with him right beside me, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ashley, Nick and Fernando.Ashle
Michael's POV The next morning dragged like a weight tied to my ankle.Ashley had been locked away in one of the guest rooms all day, her door closed, her curtains drawn, her voice silent. Every time I passed the hallway, I found myself slowing down, hoping I would hear movement or even the faintest sign of her but nothing ever came.I kept telling myself that it made sense. She had been kidnapped and traumatized so she needed space to rest, but knowing that didn’t stop the frustration burning under my skin.I wanted to be there for her, but instead, she hid away from all of us and somehow, that hurt more than I wanted to admit.By late afternoon, I couldn’t stand it anymore.I stopped pacing my room, grabbed the door handle, and walked straight to her room. My heartbeat thudded viciously in my chest the moment I reached her door.I paused.I hadn’t planned what I would say. I just knew I needed to see her.I knocked twice but there was silence then shuffling.The door opened slight







