CHAPTER 5 THE WAREHOUSE

Angelo ’s face goes pale as he stares at his phone.

I’ve never seen him this frightened before. Angry, yes. Cold, absolutely. But this raw terror that flashes across his features makes my stomach drop.

“What is it?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer. Just gave me the phone.

The photo shows two people, a man and woman in their sixties, both bound to chairs, tape over their mouths.

“Your parents?” I whisper. “But they’re supposed to be”

“Dead. I know.” Angelo’s voice is hollow. “Max found them. I don’t know how, but he found them.”

Derek reads the message over my shoulder. “It’s a trap. Obviously.”

“I know that too.”

“You’re not to make any move. The moment you show up, he’ll kill all three of you.” Derek crosses his arms. “This is what he wants. You, emotional and reckless.”

Angelo’s quiet for a long moment. Then: “Call backup. Everyone we have. I want that warehouse surrounded.”

“And if Max sees them? If he kills your parents before we can get inside?”

“Then we improvise.” Angelo took his phone back while staring at the photo like he’s memorizing every detail. “But I’m not letting him murder my parents. Not again.”

I clear my throat. “The message says to bring me.”

Both men turn to look at me.

“Absolutely not,” Angelo says.“He wants me there. If I don’t show up, he might hurt them.”

“If you do show up, he’ll definitely hurt you.”

Angelo moves closer. “You’re pregnant, Mia. Or you will be after the IVF next week. Either way, you’re not walking into a death trap.”

“But your parents..”

“Are trained agents who faked their own deaths. You’re a twenty-four year old coder with no combat experience.” His voice softens a bit. “I appreciate the offer. But no.”

Derek’s phone buzzes. He reads the message, expression changing. “We might have a serious problem. Austin just filed a missing persons report. Says Mia’s been kidnapped, might be in danger, pregnancy complications possible. He’s playing this perfectly.”

“Of course he is. He learned from the best.” Angelo checks his watch. “We have four hours until midnight. Derek, get me everything on that warehouse blueprints, security, entry points. I want to know every way in and out.”

“And the girl?”Angelo looks at me. “She stays here. Locked down. Protected.”

“I’m right here”. “Stop talking about me like I’m a lamp.”

“Fine. You stay here, locked down, protected. Better?”

“No.” I stand, meeting his glare. “I’m the reason you’re in this mess. Austin hired me to betray you. If I hadn’t been desperate and stupid, none of this would be happening.”

“You’re not responsible for my uncle being a psychopath.”

“But I am responsible for giving Austin access to your files. For texting him your codes.” Guilt chokes me. “What if he used that information to find your parents? What if this is my fault?”

Angelo’s expression shifts, something almost gentle breaking through the ice.

“Austin’s been trying to kill my family for seven years. This isn’t about you. It’s about him wanting what I have and being willing to murder for it.”

“Then let me help you fix it.”

“How?”

I don’t have an answer. I’m not trained for this. I can code, I can solve logic puzzles, not fight trained killers.

Derek’s phone rings. He steps away to answer it.

Angelo and I stand in tense silence.

“Why did you really hire me?” I ask quietly. “You said I saved your life seven years ago. That you’ve been searching for me. But you could have just… thanked me. Paid me a reward. Why the surrogate contract? Why bring me into your world like this?”

His jaw tightens. “Because I wanted to see if the woman who saved me was real. If she was as good as I remembered. Or if desperation had turned her into someone else.”

“And what’s your verdict?”

“Still deciding.” He steps closer. “You took Austin’s money. Agreed to betray me. But you also donated blood to save a stranger’s life. Spent three years bankrupting yourself for your mother. There’s good in you, Mia.

The question is whether it’s enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“To survive what’s coming.”

Derek returns, face grim. “That was hospital security. Someone tried to access Linda Lawrence’s room twenty minutes ago. Claimed to be family. Security stopped him, but he got away.”

My heart stops. “They’re going after my mother?”

“Austin’s playing from every angle. He can’t find you, so he’s applying pressure.”

Derek shows me a photo from the security footage.

The man trying to enter Mom’s room isn’t Austin.

It’s one of the men from the penthouse. One of Max’s people.

“They’re working together,” I breathe. “Austin and Max. This whole time.”

“Of course they are.” Angelo’s voice is ice. “Austin wants my company. Max wants revenge for being overlooked his whole life. They’re using each other.”

“And me.” Nausea rolls through me. “Austin never cared about me or my mother. We were just tools.”

“Yes.”

The blunt honesty hurts worse than a lie would have.

“I need to see her. My mom. I need to make sure she’s safe.”

“Too risky. Max’s people are watching the hospital.”

“I don’t care. She’s alone and scared and sick. If something happens to her because of me—” My voice breaks.

Angelo studies me for a long moment. Then: “Derek, arrange a secure transport to the hospital. Full team. We go in, verify Linda’s safety, and leave. Thirty minutes, no more.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Derek says.“I’m aware. Do it anyway.”

_ _ _ _ _

ANGELO POV

The hospital transport is a disaster waiting to happen, but Mia’s right we can’t leave her mother unprotected.

Derek drives. Mia sits in the back, practically shaking with anxiety. I’m beside her, a gun is hidden under my jacket because I don’t go anywhere unarmed anymore.

“Thank you,” she says quietly. “For this.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We might all die.”

She almost smiles. “You’re not great at reassurance.”

“No. I’m great at honesty.”

We arrived at the hospital through the service entrance. Derek’s team of four armed guards disguised as orderlies sweep Linda’s floor before we go up.

“Clear,” Derek reports. “But move fast. We’ve got maybe twenty minutes before someone notices the extra security.”

Mia practically runs to her mother’s room.

Linda Lawrence looks exactly like Mia will in thirty years: same brown eyes, same stubborn chin, but hollowed out by illness. She’s asleep, hooked to machines that beep steadily.

Mia takes her mother’s hand, careful not to disturb the IV.

“Mom?” she whispers. “It’s me.”

Linda’s eyes flutter open. “Mia? Baby, what are you doing here? I thought you were working.”

“I am. I just… I needed to see you.”

Linda’s gaze shifts to me. “And who’s this?”

“This is Angelo. My..” Mia hesitates. “My boss. He drove me.”

“Your boss brought you to the hospital at ten p.m.?” Linda’s no fool. “What’s really going on?”

“Nothing, Mom. Everything’s fine.”

“Mia Katherine Lawrence, don’t lie to your dying mother.”

The name Katherine hits me like a punch. My mother’s name is Catherine. Similar enough to make my chest tight.

“I’m working for him as a surrogate,” Mia admits. “Carrying his baby. The money is paying for your treatment.”

Linda’s eyes widened. Then narrow.

“And you didn’t think to discuss this with me first?”

“You would have said no.”

“You’re damn right I would have said no. Baby, you don’t sell your body—”

“I’m not selling anything. I’m helping someone start a family while saving yours.” Mia’s voice cracks. “Please don’t be angry. I’m doing this for you.”

Linda looks at me. Really looks. “Are you taking advantage of my daughter’s desperation?”

“Yes,” I say honestly. “But I’m also keeping her alive. There are people who want to hurt her. I won’t let that happen.”

“Why would anyone want to hurt her?”

“Because I have enemies. And she’s become important to me.”

Mia’s head snaps toward me. I don’t look at her.

Linda’s quiet for a moment. Then: “You hurt my baby, and dying of cancer won’t stop me from haunting you. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She squeezes Mia’s hand. “Now get out of here before you get caught breaking visiting hours.”

Mia kisses her mother’s forehead. “I love you.”

“Love you too, baby. Be careful.”

We’re halfway to the elevator when Derek’s voice crackles through my earpiece: “We’ve got company.

Three vehicles. Armed men. They’re coming in fast.”

“How long?”

“Two minutes. Maybe less.”

I grab Mia’s arm. “Run. Now.”

We sprint down the hallway. Behind us, I hear shouting. Gunfire.

Derek and his team engage, buying us time

.We reach the service stairs. Start descending.

That’s when the lights go out.

Again.

And I realized this wasn’t about finding Mia.

It was about trapping us.

The stairwell door above us opens. Flashlights sweep down.

“There!” A voice shouts.

Bullets ricochet off concrete. Mia screams.

I pull her down the stairs, taking them three at a time.

We burst out onto the ground floor.

The parking garage.

A black van screeches to a stop in front of us.

The door opens.

Austin steps out, gun pointed directly at Mia’s head.

“Hello, brother,” he says. “Thanks for bringing her to me.”