LOGINThen the sound came again.Grrrrrrr...The deafening roar of an engine passed overhead. This time, it was much closer. The ceiling trembled slightly. Fine dust drifted down through the cracks in the concrete.Naomi looked up. “What is that?” she whispered.The elderly woman lifted her head as well,
Darkness.Then... the sound of dripping water. It echoed slowly from somewhere, breaking the suffocating silence. Between the droplets came the sound of heavy, shallow breathing, as though every breath required a struggle.Naomi still couldn't open her eyes. Her consciousness drifted somewhere betwe
One of the team members slowed his bike. “Sir...”Brandon stared at the bridge for several seconds. Forcing the motorcycles across would be far too risky.He immediately killed the engine. “We'll continue on foot.”Without wasting any time, he got off, removed his helmet, then pushed his bike behind
“If you keep going that way,” Paula's voice came through again, “you're going to lose time. That route loops too far around.”Brandon glanced briefly at the digital map on his wrist. What Paula said was true. The main trail curved in a long arc around a hill. But his gaze stopped instead on the stee
Behind him, four other dirt bikes followed at a safe distance. They deliberately kept their spacing so that the flying dust and mud wouldn't obstruct their view.“Fork in the trail, fifty meters ahead,” Paula's voice came through again. “Take the right path.”Brandon leaned the bike into the turn wi
“We didn't find anything, Mr. Chris,” one of the Alpha Team members reported.Chris nodded in understanding. Just as he had expected, Falcon had escaped. But why had he left two of his men behind in this place? Had he done it deliberately to divert his attention?“Make sure Bravo Team brings back go
“Then I’ll see you at the house, Mr. Miller,” Selena said with a slight, polite bow. “And you—don’t forget to say your goodbyes to your grandparents. Don’t let them think you don’t want to spend time with them.”Her words made Eli turn and stare at her mother in disbelief. Even so, she did what she
“I didn’t realize you two were close,” Althea said, shifting slightly in her seat so she could speak more comfortably with Josh.The car rolled away from the restaurant at an easy pace. City lights flickered on one by one, their reflections sliding across the windows. Josh sat quietly in the passeng
“No,” she growled under her breath. “Not today.”Eli opened her eyes; her breath caught in her throat.“Tomorrow is important,” Selena continued, more to herself than to Eli. “Your face can’t look ruined.”Eli stared at her mother, confused. “Important for what?”“Go to your room,” Selena ordered. “
Oscar slowly lifted his head. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling unevenly.“If you refuse,” Cale continued—his voice calm, stripped of any overt threat, which somehow made it far more terrifying—“you never should’ve thought about refusing in the first place. You do remember your







