เข้าสู่ระบบPOV: Xavier“Fuck I'm finished” I proclaimed leaning hard against the wall.The heavy wooden door of Room 412 clicked shut, and the sound felt like a prison lock.I stood in the sterile, white corridor of the hospital wing, my back pressed against the cold plaster wall as my shoulder blades burned where Mira’s iron bar had struck me, but that physical ache was nothing compared to the hollow pain freezing in my chest.‘I’d lost her,’ I thought, staring down at my hands. My knuckles were still split from the warehouse fight, stained with dirt and old oil from the docks. ‘I killed the only clean thing in my life because I was too weak to tell her the truth before my enemies did.’"Xavier," a voice called me from the end of the hallway. I looked up and it was my mother who was walking toward me, her left arm wrapped tightly in a white surgical sling. Rex walked a step behind her, holding a thick leather folder under his arm and their faces were both tense, but still carrying the adrenal
POV: NicholeThe blue and red lights of the police cars finally faded into the dark mountain fog behind us. Xavier swerved the SUV into the private emergency bay of the Vance Memorial Hospital, his tires screeching on the wet pavement."Get a doctor out here now!" Xavier shouted, throwing his door open before the engine even stopped.Three doctors and two nurses ran through the sliding glass doors, pushing a white rolling bed and Xavier lifted me out of the passenger seat. His arms were shaking, and I could feel the heat of his blood soaking through his torn black coat where Mira had hit him with the iron bar. He laid me gently on the cold white sheets."The patient is thirty-four weeks pregnant," Xavier told the head doctor with his voice tight and breathless as he walked fast alongside the doctor. "She was held in an abandoned warehouse and they used a sedative on her four hours ago.""We have her, Mr. Vance," the doctor said, pushing the double doors open into a bright, sterile cor
POV: XavierI stormed into the room and the heavy wooden side door tore off its hinges with a loud, splintering crash under the weight of my boot. The rain and wind rushed into the dark, hollow belly of the abandoned fish warehouse, but the storm outside was nothing compared to the whirlwind of pure rage burning in my chest."Find her!" I roared into the dark as my voice echoed off the high tin ceiling.Immediately my eyes scanned through the shadows, cutting through the smell of rust and wet dirt until they locked onto the single bright light bulb hanging in the center of the hall. Behold, Nichole was there and she was tied tightly to a heavy wooden chair, with her clothes torn and her face pale under the harsh light."Get him!" Mira’s voice shrieked from the darkness near the loading dock. "Do not let him near the chair!"Three of her hired thugs lunged out from behind the rusted shipping crates. The first man was huge, his boots pounding against the concrete as he swung a thick ir
POV: NicholeA heavy black cloth slammed over my face. I gasped, but the rough fabric cut off my breathing instantly.I kicked my legs out hard, my boot striking a solid metal door panel."Hold her arms and tie the straps around her ankles!" a man shouted. His voice was completely different from the guards at Rex’s estate.I twisted my body, trying to shake off the thick grip on my wrists. My fingers clawed at the air, ripping a loose thread from someone’s jacket and I felt a sharp pinch in my shoulder, the cold bite of a needle. The garage floor spun beneath my feet, and my knees buckled into the dirt.Mira leaned over the back seat of the getaway van, her face twisted with a crazy smile. "I warned you bitch. Now you will know what I'm made of.” She smirked. “Before the board meeting ends and Xavier realizes that his little angel is gone."The tires screeched against the gravel road, throwing my limp body against the metal floorboards. My mind fought against the heavy darkness of th
POV: Nichole"I am not giving you the entire company, Rex," Xavier said with his voice loud enough for Rex to know that he is serious. "We agreed to share the ports and we did not agree to let you run the firm like a dictatorship."Rex did not back down but rather he stood with his boots planted firmly on the floor. "The board will not listen to you anymore, Xavier. You brought a street war to the city office. They want a strong hand, and that is me."I watched them argue from the bottom of the stairs and the heavy air of the mansion made me feel trapped. They were shouting about millions of dollars and executive power, but all I could think about was the safety of my baby. The wealth around us felt like a weight that was pulling us under.I walked over to Xavier and pulled him away from his cousin by his sleeve. We stepped into a quiet corner near the tall windows."Look at me, Xavier," I whispered as I took his hand, and his knuckles were still tight from anger. "Do not lose yourse
POV: Xavier"Do not look at the wall, Nichole," I said as I placed my hands on her face to turn her eyes away from the black writing.Her skin felt very cold. She was shaking, and she held her hands over her stomach as she looked at the broken furniture. Raymond’s men had destroyed our room to prove they could find us anywhere."We must leave right now," I said as I spoke clearly and looked directly into her eyes to make her focus on me. "Rex has a protected house in the northern hills. It has security guards, strong gates, and thick glass. You and the baby will be safe there.""It is just another prison, Xavier," she whispered and I could feel she was so cold that her teeth clicked together. "It is just another place with guards and walls.""It is only for a short time, Nichole," I promised as I leaned down and touched my forehead against hers. "I am going to fix the financial audit, put Raymond in jail, and buy us a quiet piece of land and no one will ever find us there. But tonig







