LOGINARIANA’S POVThe gunshot split the air. For a fraction of a second, I felt nothing but pain.Just the violent echo ricocheting off the office walls and the deafening ring in my ears. Then something warm grazed my side.I stumbled backward, slamming into the edge of Alex’s desk. My hand flew instinctively to my abdomen. There was no blood.The bullet had missed or….. Jerry’s body jerked.His expression shifted from triumph to confusion.A second gunshot cracked through the room.Jerry staggered forward this time, the black bag slipping from his shoulder and crashing onto the floor. Papers spilled across the polished wood like white feathers.And then I saw him……Alex.He was standing in the doorway behind Jerry, arm extended, gun steady, eyes colder than I had ever seen them.“You really should have aimed better,” Alex said quietly.Jerry tried to turn fully, but another guard burst in from behind Alex, tackling him before he could recover. The gun flew from Jerry’s hand and skidded acr
ARIANA’S POVThree hours……It had been three hours since Alex left.I stood by the bedroom window, staring at the front gates even though I knew I wouldn’t see anything from this distance. The security lights glowed white against the darkness, illuminating the driveway like a stage.He should have called or even texted, even if it was just a two-word message. But my phone remained silent in my hand.I tried to steady my breathing. Alex was careful. He didn’t make impulsive mistakes.Still… Jerry was a different kind of enemy.I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed my palm gently over my stomach. “We’re fine,” I whispered. “Your father always comes back.”The words felt fragile.Downstairs, I could hear faint movement from the guards, like footsteps and murmured voices. The house was heavily secured now with more men, more cameras, more locked access points.It should have felt safe but it didn't.I checked the time again. It was three hours and twelve minutes.A small chill ran thr
ALEX’S POVThe police lights faded behind us as we drove away. I kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting over Ariana’s hand. I needed to feel her there, to know she is alive.She leaned her head back against the seat, eyes closed, but she wasn’t asleep. I could tell by the way her fingers tightened around mine every few seconds.“You’re quiet,” she said softly.“Ya, I’m just thinking.”“That’s what worries me.”I almost smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes.Tonight could have ended differently. If we had been five minutes late… if Victoria had pressed that syringe…and Jerry had decided to stay and finish what he started.I pushed the thoughts away. “I’m not letting him disappear,” I said.“I know you won't,” she replied. I smiled, she knew me too well.When we got home, security had already doubled. There were more men at the gate and more cameras activated. I helped Ariana inside.The house felt different. She paused in the living room and looked around like she w
ALEX’S POVI knew the second the location pinged that it was real. It was not another decoy, or empty dockyard, or abandoned lot meant to waste my time while Jerry tightened his grip.This was it.The warehouse sat on the edge of the industrial district like a rusted carcass. The kind of place criminals believed swallowed screams.They didn’t know me.“They’re inside,” Ethan muttered beside me, lowering the binoculars.Ethan had landed less than four hours ago. He didn’t ask questions when I called. He just said, “Send me the coordinates.”Some men were friends and some were brothers forged in fire.Ethan was the second kind.I adjusted the comm in my ear, keeping my eyes on the building. “Thermal?”“Multiple heat signatures,” one of my men responded. “Ground level and deeper inside. At least eight armed.”I exhaled slowly.“Jerry?” Ethan asked.“Inside,” I said. “He wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave her alone.”But even as I said it, something felt off. I shoved the thought aside an
ARIANA’S POVThe warehouse door slammed shut behind Jerry. The echo rolled through the space as a gunshot and silence followed.I didn’t look at Victoria immediately, but I felt the shift in her the second Jerry left. The restraint he barely maintained was gone. What remained was something raw.“Well,” she said lightly, dusting imaginary lint from her coat. “It’s just us now.”I lifted my head slowly. “How intimate.”Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.The overhead lights hummed. Somewhere in the distance, metal clanged; it was probably one of the guards shifting position, but they weren’t inside the room.Jerry had taken most of them when he left.He trusted her with me and was his second mistake.Victoria walked in a slow circle around me, heels clicking rhythmically against concrete.“You’re very confident for someone tied to a chair,” she said.“You’re very insecure for someone holding the power,” I replied evenly.She stopped in front of me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then
ARIANA’S POVThe first thing I felt was the cold. It seeped through the thin fabric of my dress and into my skin, rising from the concrete floor beneath the metal chair they’d tied me to. My wrists were bound tightly behind me. My mouth had been uncovered an hour ago; apparently, Jerry preferred conversation.How generous.Industrial lights buzzed overhead with no windows. The air smelled like rust, oil, and old dust.It was a warehouse. How original.I rolled my shoulders slightly, testing the rope again. It was tight. This was planned. I could hear footsteps echoing. I didn’t look up immediately.“Comfortable?” Jerry’s voice carried through the open space.I lifted my head slowly and smiled. “You’ve always had a flair for drama, Jerry. Kidnapping me instead of scheduling therapy is not even surprising.”His mouth twitched. He stood a few feet away, hands in his coat pockets like this was a gallery viewing and I was the exhibit.And then I saw her…Victoria.She stepped from behind







