LOGINThe voices drifting through the ventilation grate were calm and businesslike, and I realized the man who had protected us for months had been planning to sell my child from the very beginning.
I had been walking the long concrete corridors of the underground bunker late at night, unable to sleep as the baby grew heavier and the final days of pregnancy pressed on me. The isolation had become a living thing, wrapping around my thoughts until I needed to move just to feel like I was still
The radar screen flickered once and then painted a solid shape five miles off the coast that had not been there on any previous scan.Ava and I crouched over the portable unit in the western cave. The secondary island sat on the display like a secret that had finally decided to show itself. We had been staring at blank water for hours. Now this.Ava spoke first. "There it is. Radar shielded until now. The cloak must cycle or weaken on a timer. Five miles. That matches what Silas described."I stared at the outline on the screen. "Smaller than New Eden. No airstrip. One narrow beach. Heavy tree cover. If Madeline is there this is the place."Ava already pulled up the caretaker inventory, her fingers moving fast. "There is a high powered jet ski still listed in the lagoon storage bay. Automated maintenance says it is charged and ready. We can reach it if we move now."I checked the time on the unit. "Silas will not stay blind forever. O
The voice that came over the open island channel belonged to Silas Vance and the first words out of his mouth stopped me cold in the western cave.Ava and I had just settled into the new position after the fight. My side still hurt but I could move. The portable unit sat between us with the last of the bunker feeds flickering on the small screen. Then the speaker crackled and Silas spoke as if he were standing in the same room."Langford. I know you can hear me. The systems still leak enough for that."Ava's hand tightened on the unit. "He found an open mic. I can cut it. Shut him down."I shook my head. "Leave it. Let him talk. We need whatever he is willing to give us. He came here for a reason."Silas continued. His tone was almost amused, like he was enjoying himself. "You and your wife have made this harder than it needed to be. The grid. The blackouts. The false trails. Impressive for two people with no support."Ava answ
The rifle cracked once and Silas Vance's head snapped back like he had been punched by a ghost.I was still on my knees in the mud when I heard it. My vision swam from whatever they had pumped into me but I knew that sound. It was the same rifle Ava had practiced with on the yacht deck when she said she wanted to be ready for anything.The second shot hit the metal frame beside Silas and he dove sideways into the cover of a broken generator. His men scattered. They had been dragging me toward the landing zone. Now they were suddenly very busy staying alive.Ava's voice cut through the chaos from somewhere high in the tree line. "Let him go or I put the next one through your throat."Silas shouted back from behind the generator. "You do not have enough rounds to hold us all.""Try me," she said.And then she started firing.Not wild shots. Controlled ones. Each round hit exactly where she wanted it to. A man's boot. The ground next to
The alert from the central bunker hit my portable unit like a punch and the name that came with it made my blood run cold.Ava and I were still in the ridge cave, the dim glow of the screen the only light. My side ached under the bandage, a dull throb that reminded me of every step I had taken to get here. The night outside was quieter than before, the jungle holding its breath. Then the screen flashed red, an urgent warning cutting through the silence.Ava grabbed the unit, her fingers moving fast. "Outer doors of the main bunker just took a heavy breach. Multiple points. They're inside."I leaned in, forcing myself to focus. "Show me. I need to see."The remaining cameras fed grainy images to the small screen. Dark figures moved fast through the outer corridor, their movements precise and practiced. At the front walked a tall man in unmarked gear, his posture commanding. The system tagged him from an old watch-list file that had survived i
The small shelter felt smaller every hour and I knew we could not stay in one place until morning without the risk growing too high.Ava sat beside me on the floor with the portable unit open between us. My side still burned under the bandage but the bleeding had stopped. The jungle outside stayed noisy with night insects and distant movement.Ava spoke first. “The caretaker maps show an old emergency beacon network. Low power. Long range. It was meant for the rotation teams if they ever needed quiet contact with the outside.”I shifted carefully. “Can you reach it from here?”“I think so. The shelter has a hard line into the low-level systems. If I can wake the beacon without lighting up the whole grid I can send a short coded burst. Jax was monitoring the last frequency we agreed on before the yacht went down.”I watched her work. “Do it. Even if no one answers right away the signal might si
The pain hit me so hard I dropped to one knee in the mud and I knew at once that I could not keep moving the way I had been all night.I pressed my hand against my side and felt the warm wetness through the torn shirt. The fall down the hidden drop had been fast and ugly. Sharp rock and thick roots had done the rest. My breathing came short. The radio still worked.I keyed it. “Ava. I am hurt.”Her voice came back instantly. “How bad? Talk to me.”“Deep cut on my side. Hit my head when I fell. Vision is swimming. I cannot make the next ridge like this.”Ava stayed calm but I heard the fear underneath. “Where are you exactly? I still have your last marker from before the grid trap.”“South of the water collection point. About two hundred meters into the denser growth. I crawled under a fallen trunk. Decent cover for now.”“Stay there. Do not move unless you
Victor’s question hung in the air like a loaded gun.“Damien,” Victor repeated in that dangerously calm voice. “Did you touch my wife while I was gone?”My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought I might faint. I stood frozen between the two men. The mark on my neck suddenly felt like a bri
Victor was coming home early and I was still covered in his son’s marks.My eyes flew open. Damien’s strong arm lay heavy across my waist. The master bedroom smelled like sex and his skin. The sheets were twisted around our naked bodies. I felt sore in places I should not. Shame washed over me like
Victor’s announcement made my heart race with fear and excitement at the same time.“I am leaving for London tonight for three days,” Victor said during breakfast. “Important meetings. Behave yourself while I am gone, Ava.”“Yes, Victor,” I replied quietly, keeping my eyes down.The moment his priv
Damien’s words from last night still burned in my ears.I barely slept. When morning came, I forced myself to get dressed in a simple white blouse and black skirt. My hands shook as I looked in the mirror. I felt dirty knowing Victor could come to me at any moment. I sold my body to a man old enoug







