로그인Knox stood behind Mercer’s chair with one hand resting against the edge of the desk while rows of glowing screens reflected across the dark office.Rain tapped softly against the large windows overlooking the lower levels of the agency compound, but inside the surveillance room, the only sounds came from keyboards clicking rapidly and the quiet humming of computers processing endless streams of data.Mercer adjusted his glasses slightly before enlarging one of the digital maps displayed across the main monitor.“This is the route the second team followed,” he explained while dragging several blinking markers across the screen.Knox stared at the route silently.The glowing line stretched from the agenc
Emily crouched silently at the edge of the rooftop, her black coat moving gently with the cold night wind sweeping through the warehouse district.From where she sat, the agency building stood several blocks away, glowing faintly against the darkness like a fortress hidden in plain sight. Trucks moved in and out of the underground loading bay while armed guards patrolled the perimeter with practiced precision.Everything about the building still looked familiar.Controlled. Cold. Untouchable.Emily adjusted the hood over her head slightly before lowering the binoculars in her hands.The city lights reflected faintly against the dark contact lenses covering her natural eyes. Her hair, once long, now rested shorter against her
Damien stepped out of the black SUV before the driver could even fully stop the engine.The safe house stood hidden behind high walls and heavy security gates in one of the quieter parts of the city, far from public roads and cameras. Several armed men from his private security team stood positioned around the compound, their eyes alert as Damien walked quickly toward the entrance.The peaceful warmth of the island already felt far away.Here, everything smelled like rain, concrete, medicine, and tension.The front door opened before Damien reached it.Zane stood there waiting.For a second, neither of them spoke.Then Zane looked behind Damien briefly.When he realized Emily was not there, his expression shifted slightly.“Where is she?”Damien tightened his grip on the travel bag in his hand before brushing past him into the house.“I’ll explain later.”Zane frowned immediately.“Damien….”“I need to see father first.”Something in Damien’s voice stopped further questions.Zane nodd
Damien shoved another shirt into the travel bag before zipping it halfway closed with more force than necessary.His phone rested on the kitchen counter beside him, screen lighting up every few seconds as another unanswered call to Emily failed.The automated message had already repeated itself so many times that he no longer waited to hear the full thing before ending the call.Unavailable.Every single time.Damien dragged a hand through his hair before grabbing his car keys from the counter.His mind refused to stay in one place.One second he was thinking about Emily alone somewhere in the city trying to take on the agency by herse
Zane adjusted the blanket carefully over Rafael before stepping back slightly to study him again.“You’re supposed to be resting,” he said quietly.Rafael gave a tired smile from the bed.“That sounds very familiar.”Zane folded his arms across his chest.“That’s because you used to say the same thing to us every time we got injured.”The older man chuckled softly before the movement pulled slightly at the bandage wrapped around his ribs. His hand moved instinctively toward the wound, and Zane immediately stepped closer again.“Easy.”
Damien reached across the bed with his eyes still half closed, searching instinctively for Emily’s warmth beside him.His hand met cold sheets instead.Slowly, his eyes opened.Morning sunlight filtered softly through the open curtains while ocean breeze drifted lazily into the bedroom carrying the scent of saltwater and flowers from outside. Somewhere far off, waves rolled calmly against the shore.Damien blinked once before lifting his head slightly.“Emily?”His voice sounded rough with sleep.No answer came.At first, he smiled faintly to himself.
Emily sat on the edge of her bed, still wearing the same clothes she had worn to the lunch meeting earlier that afternoon. The evening had already settled over Damien’s estate, and the quiet inside the house felt almost unnatural after the events of the day. From somewhere outside, she could hear t
The taxi ride through the city was quiet.Streetlights passed over the windshield one after another, throwing brief flashes of pale light across Emily’s face as the car moved through the nearly empty roads. The driver didn’t ask questions, and Emily was grateful for that. She leaned her head lightl
The penthouse was too quiet.Emily had never noticed how loud silence could be until she was forced to sit inside it.She had tried the television first. The screen glowed, channels flicking past in a blur of news anchors, cooking shows, market reports, but none of it held her attention. She muted i
(The night of the attack.)The bar was warm and crowded, filled with the low hum of conversations and the steady rhythm of background music that made people feel safe. Glasses clinked, chairs scraped softly against the floor, and the scent of alcohol and fried food hung heavy in the air. Damien sat







