LOGINKADE'S POVVincent’s contacts came through quicker than I anticipated. Within 10 hours we had pledges of help from CIA, MI6 and Interpol. They wanted the coalition every bit as much as we needed Cameron safe.The deal was straightforward. We had equipped him with intelligence on the meeting location and participant list. We wore wires and worked with the operation. In return we received immunity for previous offenses, witness protection if we chose, and assurances of safety for our family.The catch was exposure. The moment we cooperated with intelligence agencies we could never go back. Every government would know we’re here. Know where we were. Know who we were linked to.But it was better than dying in Prague.“The coalition is gathered at a private estate twenty clicks outside the city.” I shared the satellite images Nikolai had sent with Vincent. "High walls. Single entrance. Guards at every access point. They picked it precisely because he can defend it.”“That makes it a perfec
RAVEN'S POVWith trembling hands, I picked up my phone and called Cameron. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Then straight to voicemail."Cameron, it is Raven. Call me immediately. Do not go anywhere alone. If you do not know them, do not trust them. Please call me back."I hung up and picked up Erics. On the second ring, he answered."Raven?" His voice was surprised. “I thought you were in Norway. Is everything okay?""Where is Cameron?" I asked. No time for explanations. "Is she with you right now?"“No, she left for physical therapy a couple of hours ago. For her shoulder. She said she’d be home by four.” He paused. "Why? What is wrong?"I looked at the clock. It was almost six.“Eric, I want you to call the physical therapy place. Right now. Learn whether Cameron made it to her appointment. Then call me back immediately.""Raven, you are scaring me. What is happening?""Just do it. Please. “I’ll explain everything but I need to know if Cameron is safe.”Before he could ask any mor
KADE'S POVI’d gotten Raven in to see a private doctor Vincent had on retainer for emergencies that could not involve hospitals or police reports. The bullet had merely grazed her arm. Painful but not serious. She would heal.The entire time the doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound, I held her hand. Could not let go. Couldn’t stop writing about that moment in which Nikolai’s bullet hit her."I am fine." She said for the third time. “Quit staring at me like I’m dying.”“You got shot because I left you alone.” My voice was rough. “You are shot because I thought that I could do this on my own.”“I got shot because I decided to come after you.” She corrected me. "I made that choice. You do not get to take accountability for my decisions.”When the doctor finished up, she gave Raven antibiotics and pain medication. Told her to be on the lookout for signs of infection. Then left us alone at the private clinic.“We have to return to Nikolai.” I said. “See what he knows before he has a chang
RAVEN'S POVI watched Kade’s taillights fade through the window until they were gone, and rage flared up in place of fear. He left me. Went off to face a pro killer alone because he thought he was protecting me."Vincent." I turned from the window. "We need to go after him. Right now."“No.” Vincent had begun to walk away, toward the twins’ room. “Our orders are to get you and the children to the secondary location. That is what Kade wanted. That is what keeps you safe."“I don’t care what Kade wanted. I followed him. “He is marching into a trap by himself. He needs help whether he thinks he does or not.”"Raven." Vincent turned to face me. "I understand you are angry. But pursuing him is a risk for yourself. Puts the pregnancy at risk. Raises the stakes for the twins if something were to happen to both of you. We need to follow the plan."Everything was different when Kade chose to be a martyr.” I spoke in a level voice but was firm. "I am going after my husband. You can accompany me
KADE'S POVAs the sun peeked over the volcanic landscape, I drove to Reykjavik. It was heavy guilt to leave Raven asleep, but it had to be done. She would have prevented me from doing so or insisted on accompanying me. Either choice would have placed her in a peril I could not abide.This way she was safe. Vincent would bring her to the secondary location. She would hate me for it, yet she’d be alive.I could live with her anger, so long as it kept her alive.Things in Reykjavik looked different bathed in the early morning light. Quiet. Peaceful. Nothing like the city I needed it to be. I needed crowds and visibility and places where Nikolai would see me.I started at the harbor. Used a car that could be seen from multiple angles. Got coffee at a café I knew to have cameras. Made myself seen.Next I walked through the city slowly. Targets identified by Summer as Kozlov surveillance points. Bars frequented by Russian expats. Hotels where local criminals tended to stay. Places where inf
RAVEN'S POVWhen I heard all that Summer had disclosed, I felt something change within me. A shift in something basic from passive fear to active resolve.Twelve families working together to murder my kids. A tracker with an unblemished record tracking us. All these threats closing in around us while we sat here in this remote house pretending we could be hidden forever.I was done with it. Done running. Tired of living my life based on hate from others."I want to help." I said. Leaning through the tactical talk that Kade and Vincent are having. “I want to be in whatever plan you make.”"No." Kade's response was immediate. "You are pregnant. You have two babies who need you. You are not endangering yourself.”"I am already in danger." I stood up. Faced him directly. "We all are. Hiding does not change that. Whether I join or not, this Nikolai guy is going to find us. “At least this way I can control the circumstances.”"Raven." His voice carried a warning. “This is not negotiable.”"
RAVEN'S POVThe morning sun poured in from the windows of Bird’s and Bread, setting the flour dust gyrating as zillions of diamond dancers. I wiped the counter down as Cameron sat at a small table, notebook open and bridal magazines fanning all over it.“Right, so late spring for the wedding.” Came
KADE'S POVI lay her down gently on the bed and tugged off her shoes. She was in the same attire as when we left the warehouse, exiting directly from there. Blood stained and torn. Signs of a night that had altered everything. Her eyes opened when I attempted to help her shift."I can do it." She w
KADE'S POVThe courthouse steps were chaos. Reporters jostled behind barriers, snapping cameras like strobes. Protesters carried signs that were both in favor of us and against us. Police made a human wall to keep the path free and clear. I held Raven tight, pressing my hand into her back as I stee
RAVEN'S POV“I have told you,” Agent Torres said as I stood paralyzed in the parking lot, his words taunting me like a nightmare from which I couldn’t wake. My mother. The woman who raised me, who comforted me as I cried when my father died, who taught me how to braid my hair. That woman had paid V







