Chapter 6

The world turned into slow motion.

Through the thick, bulletproof glass of the armored SUV, Mira watched the nurse's thumb press down on the red button of that little black remote. Her heart stopped beating. Her brain forgot how to think.

"Mama!" Mira screamed, pressing her hands flat against the window.

*BOOM.*

A massive fireball erupted right beside the black van.

Mira squeezed her eyes shut, a jagged cry tearing out of her throat. She thought the van had blown up. She thought her mother was gone. The heat of the blast hit the SUV, making the heavy vehicle rock violently on its tires.

"Axel! Drive through the smoke!" Daniel shouted, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.

Axel didn't hesitate. He slammed his foot all the way down on the gas pedal. The SUV roared, its heavy steel bumper smashing straight through the burning wreckage of the front gates, crushing iron bars like toothpicks.

The smoke cleared in a second, and Mira blinked hard against the stinging air.

The black van wasn't destroyed. The explosion had actually blown the van's side doors completely off their hinges, sending the two fake nurses and the hired thugs flying backward into the bushes.

And right there, sitting safely in her wheelchair in the middle of the chaos, was Mira’s mother. She looked shocked and her hair was a little messy from the wind, but she was alive.

"My mom!" Mira cried, practically jumping over the center console to get to the door handle.

Daniel grabbed her jacket collar and pulled her back down safely beside him. "Wait. Not yet. Check the perimeter."

Jace already had his rifle pointed out the back window. "Clear on the left! Axel, pull up right beside her!"

The SUV screeched to a halt right next to the wheelchair. Before the tires had even finished spinning, Daniel shoved his door open and stepped out, gun ready. But he didn't need it. The thugs were already scrambling away into the trees, completely terrified of a billionaire who drove an armored tank through his own gate.

Daniel crouched down beside the wheelchair. For a second, Mira thought the cold, scary boss would freeze up. Instead, he gently checked her mother's pulse, untied a loose strap holding her blanket, and spoke to her in a calm, steady voice.

"Mrs. Alade? Can you hear me? We're going to get you inside right now."

Mira’s mother blinked, looking up at the towering, scary man in the black suit. Then she looked past him and saw Mira jumping out of the SUV.

"Mira!" her mother gasped. "My pikin! Who is this fine gentleman? Why are we breaking gates?"

"Mama!" Mira sobbed, running over and throwing her arms around her mother's neck, crying so hard her whole body shook. "I thought they killed you! I thought I lost you!"

"Hush, my love, I am right here," her mother patted her back, still looking completely confused. "One minute I am drinking my morning tea in the hospital bed, and the next minute these nurses say we are going on a free road trip. My head is still spinning!"

Daniel stood up, watching them with a soft, complicated look in his grey eyes—something like relief mixed with heavy, old pain. He signaled to Jace. "Get her into the back of the SUV. Carefully."

Minutes later, they were back inside the Hudson Mansion.

The big front gates were broken and smoking, but the house was secure. Mrs. Benson rushed out with a cup of warm tea and a soft blanket for Mrs. Alade, clucking her tongue like a mother hen while settling her into a comfortable chair in the warm, safe living room.

Arthur Harrison and Sienna were still locked inside the foyer behind the heavy steel shutters, banging on the metal and shouting threats that nobody cared to listen to.

Mira sat on a footstool right beside her mother's chair, holding her hand tightly, still sniffling a little bit. Her yellow-and-black bee socks looked a bit dusty from the grass, but she didn't care. Her mom was safe.

Daniel walked into the living room, his suit jacket off, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing those tattooed arms. He looked tired, but the deadly ice in his eyes was gone. He walked over to Mrs. Alade with a small, respectful nod.

"I am Daniel Hudson, ma'am," he said, his voice actually gentle. "I am sorry your daughter was dragged into this mess. Your hospital bills are completely paid off, effective immediately. And I am doubling her monthly salary for putting up with my security issues."

Mrs. Alade’s eyes widened like saucers. She looked at Daniel, then looked at Mira, and a massive, knowing smile spread across her face.

"Ah," Mrs. Alade nodded wisely. "So you are the rich young man keeping my daughter awake at night? God bless you, my son. Just don't let her near the kitchen stove, she burns water."

Mira’s face turned bright red. "Mama! Please!"

Daniel actually laughed—a real, deep, rich laugh that made the whole room feel warmer. It was the first time Mira had ever heard him laugh, and it did something very funny and dangerous to her stomach.

"Noted, ma'am," Daniel smiled, looking right at Mira. "I'll keep her out of the kitchen."

For about five minutes, everything felt peaceful. The nightmare was over. The bad guys were locked outside or trapped in the foyer. Her mom was safe and sipping tea.

Then, Axel kicked open the heavy double doors leading from the basement garage, holding a ringing tablet in his hand. His face wasn't angry anymore—it looked pale. Really pale.

"Boss," Axel said, his voice dropping low as he walked straight up to Daniel. "You need to see this right now. The security feed from the back perimeter just pinged an old offline camera."

Daniel’s smile vanished. "What is it?"

"It's not Arthur Harrison's men," Axel swallowed hard, handing over the tablet. "Look at the symbol on the side of that truck coming up the back service road."

Daniel looked down at the screen. The color drained from his face a second time today, leaving him looking whiter than a sheet of paper. His grip on the tablet became so tight his knuckles turned completely white, and the glass screen gave a sharp *crack* under his fingers.

Mira saw the look on his face and her blood ran cold.

"Daniel?" Mira whispered, standing up slowly. "Who is that? Whose truck is that?"

Daniel didn't answer right away. He slowly raised his head, his grey eyes wide with a cold, absolute terror that Mira had never seen in him before—not when guns were pointed at him, not when Arthur threatened him.

"It's not a truck," Daniel whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "It's my uncle."

Before anyone could even ask what that meant, the whole house suddenly went pitch black. All the lights flickered and died. The backup generator outside made a strange, metallic grinding noise, and then... completely went dead.

Silence swallowed the mansion.

And then, from deep inside the house, coming straight from the forbidden hallway of the East Wing, came the slow, heavy sound of a door unlocking.

*Click.*