Masuk~Sara~I wince as my eyes flicker open. A pounding ache rings through my head. My vision blurs, and everything is a hazy mess.I hear distant voices like people arguing, but it is just a distant echo. My eyes keep fluttering open and close, and in the midst of it, I see hazy figures gathered, talking like they are about to tear each other apart. I sniff slightly as I slowly start making meaning of my environment. The place smells like damp concrete and rust. Water drops rhythmically from somewhere down the corner. A dim bulb hangs directly over me, and slowly, the environment starts making sense.I turn my gaze toward the figures arguing and recognize them.Celine is yelling furiously at Jason. Khlan leans against the wall, arms crossed like he is enjoying the chaos. Jason just stands there, staring at Celine, while Mira stands behind him, arguing with her.“I fucking told you not to listen to the Black Wolf.” Celine snaps, throwing her arms wide.My mind stutters. Black Wolf?“What
~Sara~I pace around the sitting room again, my feet padding softly against the floor as I circle between the couch and the window. My nails are half-broken from how often I bite them, and I can feel the sting in my fingertips every time I clench my hands.Alex said they wouldn’t be gone long, but they’ve been gone for five hours.Shit.Could something have gone wrong?I pause near the couch, trying to steady myself, when the lights flicker overhead.My body reacts before my thoughts do. I move to the window and pull the curtain aside so fast it almost tears. Relief hits me immediately when I see Alex and Boaz stepping out of the car, but it doesn’t last. It dies the second I focus properly.Alex doesn’t look like himself. He keeps running a hand through his hair like he’s trying to pull himself apart, talking rapidly to Boaz. Boaz is right beside him, gripping him, trying to steady him, but Alex looks like he’s barely holding himself together.Something is wrong.Boaz starts guiding
~Jason~ Dad glares at me, confused. “What in God’s name is wrong with you, Jason?” he asks, jaw locked in a stiff frown. “Dad…” I glance toward the door, then back at him. “You have to run. Like… now.” He raises an eyebrow. “Run? From who?” “They… the black wolf. He wants you dead. You need to go. I’m not joking.” He scoffs. “What nonsense! Have you started drinking like your brother?” “No, Dad, I’m not lying!” I yell, running a hand over my hair frantically. “I’m telling the truth! They’re coming for you—if you don’t leave, you’re dead!” “Bullshit!” “I’m not bullshitting!” I throw my hands up in frustration. “I swear, I’m telling the truth!” He crosses his arms over his walking stick, staring me down. “Okay… so you say this is true?” I nod. “Yes! Every word!” “Then…” he leans back in his seat. “How did you know this… ‘black wolf mister’ wants me dead?” I pause. “Jason?” “Y… yes,” I stammer. “I said—how did you know?” He pushes off his seat, now looking at me suspiciou
~Alex~ I sit on the couch, rubbing my fingers on my forehead. Sara’s grip on her skirt tightens like she’s bracing for a storm, and Boaz… well, he’s already in full hurricane mode. “It… it’s…” Sara stutters, her breath catching. “It’s not like we wouldn’t do anything. We just need the night shifters first.” Boaz throws his arms out like the world owes him sense. “And when we get them, what happens? We gonna throw a party? Dance around the sitting room and wait for the cops to burst through the door and drag us to jail?” Sara squeezes the fabric of her skirt even harder. “Well… the night shifters are one of the most formidable security teams we can get. With them guarding us, the cops would have a hard time following our trail.” Boaz leans back, throws his head, and laughs. “You say it like we’re playing hide and seek. Yeah, sure, the night shifters will protect us. But here’s what you’re forgetting: they don’t sit around playing house. If you want them, you have to be proactive. Y
~Alex~The basement smells of damp concrete and rust. A single dim bulb hangs overhead, and its light bounces faintly off the puddles that glisten across the floor.Water leaks in from somewhere near the corner. I stand at the table, scrubbing a wrench, checked shirt rolled at the sleeves, white singlet clinging to every line of muscle. My baggy jeans sag at my hips as I bend. Sweat drips along my arms and chest, catching the light.The sink has a problem. Hasn’t worked right in years. Twelve? Fifteen? Twenty? I haven’t been down here in forever.I drag a hand across the surface, pick up a pipe wrench, and head toward the sink. My eyes slide past the cracked clock on the far wall. Midnight. Twelve a.m. I let out a breath and crouch under the sink. The pipes are corroded, one joint leaking. I twist the wrench against stubborn metal.When—Flick.The light flickers. I jerk back.What. The. Hell?It flickers again. Three times.Shit.The wrench clatters to the floor as I straighten, shou
~Alex~I step outside just as the police drag Sara down the front steps.The entire place has turned into a circus.Cameras flash nonstop. Reporters shove microphones over each other while screaming questions loud enough to make my head pound.“Miss Sara Jane! Did you attempt to murder Linda Frothmoth?”“Are the allegations true?”“Did your company help cover up the crime?”“Did you hide the body?”Officers bark at them to move back, but they keep pushing through. I stay farther away from the chaos, both hands shoved into my pockets as I watch them push Sara toward the patrol car.Her last words keep replaying in my head.You’ve got twelve hours, Alex.If you don’t act… I’ll take your silence as an answer.Sara keeps walking without looking at anybody.But I know her.I know the stiffness in her shoulders.The tightness in her jaw.The way her cuffed hands clench slightly when she’s trying not to lose control.She is cooking something in that head of hers and whatever it is. It is go
~SARA~The dining room behind me—at the other section of the hall—buzzes with activity as the servants set the cutlery on the table.I sit on the edge of a velvet couch, hands folded in my lap, eyes drifting aimlessly around the room.The whole place screams money. Velvet couches, a chandelier over
~SARA~I couldn't believe my eyes. "M… Mira?” I stutter.“Yes!” She squeals, swinging from side to side like a child handed candy, eyes bouncing between Alex and me. "It's me. In the flesh."I blink. “Wh–What are you doing here?” She waves a hand at me dismissively, squealing. “Oh, don’t be a dum
~SARA~I stare at him, blinking. "Sir, I think," Sandra says to him, glancing at me. "The creative marketing department is doing just fine. Miss Jane is the best marketing agent I have. I don't think Mira and Kayla would be of much help.""Both my daughters have degrees in marketing." Mrs Catherin
~SARA~Kraa.A bone cracks.Thud.My back slams against the railings.Snap.My head jerks sideways. Breath rips out of my lungs in sharp, brutal force, and my vision turns into a black, hazy mess.Alex’s arms wraps around me, tight.“Fuck, Sara!” he curses as we roll, thudding down the stairs in qu







