The room emptied, but the dread didn’t. Lauren made an awkward joke and slipped away, muttering something about “retouching her mascara and charging her vibrator before the apocalypse.” Daniel stayed behind just long enough to brush his knuckles down Mia’s arm, his touch grounding but tense. Then it was just her and Axel. Alone. In a silence that didn’t feel safe anymore. “He’s not building a weapon,” Axel had said, voice hard. “He’s building a market.” Mia sat on the couch, heart pounding, her fingers twisting in the hem of her shirt. “What does that mean, Axel?” He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he disappeared into a locked room and came back with a sleek black file case. Something about it made her stomach churn. “Come with me,” he said softly. She followed him down a narrow hall, her bare feet silent on the cool tile. They stepped into a darkened office space—clean, sterile, but cold. There were security monitors blinking against the far wall, and in the cent
The moment Axel hung up the phone, the entire room shifted. The air crackled with adrenaline. Mia sat up, pulling the robe tighter around herself, eyes wide and searching. Daniel stood beside the bed, already on alert, muscles tense like a coiled spring. “They spotted him,” Axel said, his voice low and sharp. “Private jet landed outside LA. He’s meeting with one of the West Coast mafia families.” Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “He’s rallying them.” “Exactly,” Axel muttered. “Trying to build something bigger. Probably planning to strike back hard.” Mia’s breath stuttered. “Is… is he coming here?” “Maybe not yet,” Axel replied. “But if he’s making deals, Vegas is still on his list.” Silence dropped over them like a hammer. Then Daniel grabbed his hoodie and slid it on. “We keep him in LA. We don’t let this shit touch her again.” Axel’s eyes flicked to Mia, then back to Daniel. A rare moment passed—agreement without words. Something unspoken. Respect, even if it still tasted bi
The quiet hum of the city outside was a distant whisper compared to the storm inside the small apartment. Mia sat between Axel and Daniel on the edge of the bed, her heart hammering loud enough she was sure they could hear it. The soft glow of the bedside lamp painted their skin gold, turning the moment electric with anticipation and something more fragile, something close to excitement. Axel’s hand rested warm and steady on her waist, his fingers tracing lazy circles that sent shivers crawling down her spine. Daniel’s touch was lighter, a feather brushing over her arm, but the hunger in his dark eyes spoke volumes. Patience, need and fire burning all at once. The space between the three of them pulsed with an unspoken promise, a shared understanding that this was no mere fantasy. It was real. It was theirs. Mia’s breath hitched as she broke the silence. “I want this,” she whispered, voice trembling with a mix of nerves and longing. “All of it. With both of you. Forever.” Axe
The phone buzzed again as it turned on. Mia’s heart stuttered in her chest as she stared at the screen. A voicemail from her Mum glowing in front of her. Hands trembling, she pressed play, holding the phone close like it might slip from her grasp. Her mother’s voice poured through the speaker—warm, familiar, full of light. “Darling… you’re going to love Fiji. The ocean is the same blue as your favourite flowers, and the sunsets—oh, Mia, they look like someone set the whole sky on fire. Take care of yourself, okay? I miss you terribly. I love...” The message ended. But the final second crackled—distorted, warped. A metallic echo lingered, like a whisper trapped in static. Mia’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes scanned the room, heart hammering in her chest. Was it really her? Was her mum safe? Or was this a trick—Slade, playing another sick game? Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles ached. “I—I don’t know,” she whispered. “What if it’s n
The morning sun filtered through the blinds, bathing the safe house in a soft, golden glow. Mia stretched languidly, the sweet tension of last night still echoing in every nerve. She had loved how it had felt to wake up between Axel and Daniel each time felt like a blessing—impossible and fragile, but hers. But waking up without them around was a cold and empty feeling. In the living room, Lauren sipped coffee like a connoisseur, legs crossed, posture confident. The walls of the room bore traces of laughter. Board games half-played, blankets tossed aside, and a single red rose in a vase that Lauren had insisted on buying “to spruce up the safehouse.” Mia padded over in her pyjamas, curling up beside her friend. “Morning.” “Mornin’ sunshine,” Lauren replied, bumping her hip against Mia’s. “How’s the queen of pain today?” Mia grinned and rubbed her side, still tender but healing fast. “Much better, thanks to your miracle cling film job and a decent shower.” Lauren mock-bowed t
The engine growled low as the SUV tore down the isolated dirt track road, the tires eating up asphalt like hunger. Cold mist clung to the trees around them, thick and ancient. Axel sat behind the wheel, jaw clenched so tight it hurt, his eyes never leaving the road ahead. Next to him, Daniel checked the ammo in his weapon with a quiet, precise efficiency that made Axel—reluctantly—respect him. Behind them, two more SUVs kept pace, loaded with Axel’s best men: trained ex-military, loyal to him and only him. On this job, he didn’t take chances. Slade was supposed to be here. The tracker had pinged. A private plane filed under a false name had landed hours ago at a private airstrip twenty miles north of Lake Mead. Then radio silence. “Say that again,” Axel barked, breaking the silence. His comm crackled. “Confirmed heat signatures inside the compound. Small, empty structure. Infrared shows movement about thirty minutes ago. They’re either gone, or they’re waiting.” Da