Chapter Twenty-One: Lines We Cannot Cross

The city never looked the same after that night.

Lights seemed harsher, shadows deeper, and every crowded street carried a weight I hadn’t noticed before. My world had shifted irreversibly, and nothing would ever feel normal again.

Dominic had returned to the apartment after Selene’s arrest, but the look in his eyes wasn’t relief. It was tension, tight and taut, like a wire ready to snap. Every movement he made seemed measured, careful, as though the smallest wrong step could unravel everything we had fought for.

I sat at the edge of the sofa, my hands trembling slightly as I cradled a cup of tea that had long gone cold. The pregnancy test I had taken hours earlier rested beside me, its positive result like a stone lodged deep in my chest.

“Mary,” Dominic said softly, stepping into the room. His voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. “We need to talk.”

I looked at him, trying to find the man I knew beneath the exhaustion and the blood, beneath the shadow of fear and danger. “About what?”

He paused, hesitating, and I knew he was weighing his words, measuring how much of the truth I could handle. “About… us. About what’s coming.”

I swallowed hard. “What’s coming?”

Dominic sighed and ran a hand through his hair, the way he did when the weight of responsibility pressed on him like a physical force. “Selene… she was only the beginning. Whatever she did to hurt us, to control us, it’s a prelude. There are others who will see this see you as leverage. You’re… carrying consequences I can’t shield you from entirely.”

My heart skipped. “What do you mean?”

Before he could answer, Ryan appeared from the kitchen, arms crossed, expression taut with concern. “We need a plan. She might be locked up, but her people don’t stop. They just wait.”

Alex arrived immediately after, his suit now disheveled, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up. “The media is already sniffing around. Rumors spread faster than we can contain them. If anyone connects this to you… or to Dominic… we could be dealing with a scandal that destroys more than our lives. It destroys reputations, safety, everything we’ve tried to protect.”

I felt the weight of all their gazes. Dominic’s eyes were pleading, Ryan’s was sharp, calculating, and Alex’s was steady, trying to anchor me while revealing the gravity of what lay ahead.

I took a deep breath. “So what are we going to do?”

The plan was brutal in its simplicity. We couldn’t run. We couldn’t hide. The moment we tried, we gave Selene’s network power, and that power was merciless. The only way to survive and protect the life growing inside me was to take the fight to them.

Alex outlined a strategy with military precision. Secure locations. Monitor communications. Isolate threats. Dominic provided insight into Selene’s contacts, their patterns, and weaknesses. Ryan mapped out the physical risks the men we would face if Selene’s network tried to retaliate. And I… I would be the bait.

The word burned on my tongue. I wasn’t a soldier. I wasn’t a weapon. I was just me, a young woman suddenly trapped in a war far older than I could imagine. And yet… when Dominic’s gaze met mine, I understood. My presence, my choices, my very being… mattered. And that meant I had to stand.

I clenched my fists, determination hardening in my chest. “I’ll do it,” I said. “But we need to move fast. No hesitation.”

Dominic nodded, relief flashing across his face before being replaced by that taut, calculated tension I had seen before. “You’re stronger than I imagined.”

Ryan smirked briefly. “Finally, some backbone showing.”

I glared at him. “Don’t make me regret agreeing.”

The next twenty-four hours were a whirlwind of preparation.

I trained under Ryan’s watchful eyes, learning how to handle situations I never wanted to face. Dominic coached me in reading people, spotting lies, recognizing danger before it became lethal. Alex worked tirelessly to set up a web of digital defenses, ensuring that if Selene’s network made a move, we would know instantly.

Every moment was layered with tension. Every conversation with Dominic carried an unspoken charge a magnetic pull I couldn’t ignore. He was near danger, and yet near me, his presence both comforting and torturous. Every brush of his hand as he adjusted my stance during training sent heat racing through me. Every glance from Alex reminded me of the subtle, protective intensity he wielded silently. Ryan’s smirk and teasing, though often infuriating, carried an unspoken promise: I wasn’t alone, even when fear tried to convince me otherwise.

By nightfall, we were ready to move. The first strike had to be precise. Selene’s network was predictable, but they were ruthless. One wrong move, and my sister, Dominic, Ryan, Alex, or I… any of us… could die.

The first location was a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Surveillance had spotted men moving supplies for Selene, the kind of networked operation that required coordination, planning, and brutal efficiency. We split into teams: Ryan and I would move to secure the perimeter, Alex would handle communications, and Dominic would approach the center, making himself visible enough to bait Selene’s operatives.

The night was thick, the air sharp with the smell of metal and smoke from distant fires. Shadows stretched across the ground, and every step I took felt like a step into a predator’s lair.

“You ready for this?” Ryan asked, his hand brushing mine as he adjusted my position behind a stack of crates.

I swallowed. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Dominic moved through the shadows like a specter. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was… everything. Protector. Danger. Desire all wrapped into one impossibly complicated man. And right now, he was untouchable, untouchably focused, and untouchably alive and I couldn’t help but want to be nearer, even if it was stupid.

Alex’s voice came through the earpiece. “Movement ahead. Three men. Armed.”

Ryan and I froze. I held my breath. My pulse pounded like a drum in my ears.

“Wait for my mark,” Ryan whispered.

Seconds stretched into minutes. The three men approached, unaware of us, unaware of the trap that had been set for them. And then…

Dominic stepped out, visible and commanding. His presence was a challenge.

One of the men raised a gun.

And in that instant, everything exploded.

Gunfire shattered the night.

Ryan and I moved with precision, taking cover and disarming one man after another. Alex’s voice guided us, calm, methodical. Dominic fought at the center, every movement lethal, every step calculated. I realized with a start that I wasn’t just observing, I was part of this. I was fighting for my sister, for Dominic, for everyone who depended on us.

The warehouse became a blur of shadows, shouts, and the sharp tang of fear. And then, from above, a signal Selene. She had arrived.

Time slowed.

Her presence was a knife against the air, and when her eyes locked on mine, I knew this battle was far from over.

She smirked. “You really think you can play in my world?”

I didn’t answer. I could only move forward, feeling the weight of everyone depending on me, knowing that one wrong step would cost everything.

Dominic’s voice came from beside me, steady and grounding. “Stay with me,” he said.

I nodded, determination settling over fear like armor. This was just the beginning.

And as Selene stepped fully into the warehouse, her gaze sweeping the room, I realized one terrifying truth:

We were no longer just surviving.

We were going to war.