INICIAR SESIÓNKIERAN POV The red taillights of my father’s sedan disappeared around the corner of the pier entrance, cutting through the heavy rain before vanishing entirely into the dark. "Kieran! Get down!" Dominic slammed his body into my side, shoving me hard against the car A gunshot cracked across the pavement as a bullet hit the hood, sending sparks flying inches from my face. Russo's men were still firing through the broken windows, trying to escape before the federal agents closed in. But i didn't care. I didn't even draw my gun. I stood there in the pouring rain, staring at the empty stretch of road where Father's car had been seconds ago. My chest heaved, every breath burning like acid in my lungs. My hands were shaking, not from cold, not from adrenaline, but from a raw, suffocating rage that made my vision blur. ”Don't look for me, Kieran. It's over.” Her voice repeated in my head, a sharp blade twisting directly into my chest... She had walked straight into the car withou
YARA POV The cold rain stung my skin, but I barely felt it. Kieran held me so tightly against him that I could feel the sharp pounding of his heart. few feet away, Mikhail stood under his black umbrella, his arm still outstretched, waiting for the flash drive to be claimed. Behind him, at the pier gate, the federal agents were still there "Yara," Kieran whispered again. His voice lacked its usual smooth authority. It was strained and raw. "Tell me what to do. Did my father force you out of the house?" I stared at the federal agents closing in on us, If I told Kieran the truth…that Mikhail had put me on an ultimatum twenty four hours to disappear, Kieran would fight his father right here. And by morning, he would be in handcuffs, charged as an accessory to murder based on the altered parking lot footage. His career would end in a public scandal, I couldn't let that happen. My chest felt tight, my throat dry, but I knew what I had to do. "Kieran," I rasped, my hands sh
YARA POV "Kieran!" I sobbed, relief crashing over me so hard my entire body shook. He didn't look at me. His complete focus was locked onto the scarred guard standing three feet away from my chair. "Drop it," Kieran commanded, his voice cold… The scarred guard panicked. Instead of dropping his weapon, he made a desperate, stupid decision, he swung his gun toward my head, intending to use me as a shield. He never got the chance to pull the trigger. Kieran fired twice in rapid succession. The soft pops echoed through the basement. The scarred guard's eyes went wide with shock as two red spots bloomed across his chest. He staggered backward, hit the wall, and slid down to the floor, motionless. Silence settled over the basement again, thick and heavy..Kieran dropped his arm, stepping over the fallen guard on the stairs, and walked quickly toward me. "Yara," he breathed out, his cold composure instantly shattering the moment he reached my chair. He dropped to one knee i
KIERAN POV I stood frozen beside the vanity table in the walk in closet, staring down at the diamond ring rested in the center. Beside it lay a small piece of paper with few words written in Yara's handwriting Don't look for me, Kieran. A sharp, dangerous heat flared in my chest. My jaw clenched so hard my teeth hurt. I shoved my hand into my hair, gripping it tightly as my gaze tracked every part of the closet. Her dark coat was gone. Her law textbooks were gone. "Dominic! Alaric!" I roared, my voice tearing through the quiet room. Footsteps thundered down the hallway a second later. Dominic skidded into the bedroom doorway with Alaric right behind… "What's wrong?" Dominic snapped, scanning the room for a threat. "She's gone," I muttered, stepping out of the closet and shoving the folded paper into Dominic’s chest. "She left during the night. How the hell did she get out of this building without either of us noticing?" Dominic read the note, his face draining of colo
YARA POV When I finally opened my eyes, my head felt like it was splitting in two. A dull, throbbing pain echoed behind my temples, and my mouth tasted like dust. I groaned softly, trying to raise my hand to rub my face, but my arms wouldn't move. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the heavy fog from my vision. I wasn't in a car anymore. I wasn't in a cheap motel, and I certainly wasn't at the bus terminal. I was tied to a heavy wooden chair in the middle of a large, dimly lit room. The walls were made of old, unpainted brick, and the floor was cold, bare concrete. High above, a single bare light bulb hung from a frayed wire, casting long, eerie shadows across the space. The air was cold, damp, and smelled strongly of rust. It looked like a basement near the docks. "She's awake," a voice called out from the shadows near the corner of the room. I froze, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs as I pulled frantically against the thick ropes binding my wrists behind the
YARA POV The silence inside the house was painful, but inside my head, Mikhail words were repeating on an endless, brutal loop. Twenty four hours, Miss Quinn. Make your choice. My knees gave out. I sank down onto the floor my body shaking so hard I had to wrap my arms tightly around my knees just to keep from falling completely apart. Tears streamed hot and fast down my face. If I stayed, Mikhail would send the raw parking lot video directly to the feds Kieran would be arrested for murder and I would be dragged right alongside him on felony charges. My life, my career, my future…everything would burn. But worse than that, Kieran’s life would be ruined forever. His father would destroy him just to keep the Volkov name looking pure. If I left, Kieran’s heart would break. He would think I gave up on him. He would think I ran away the moment things got hard. "Yara?" I flinched hard, snapping my head up. Dominic was standing at the entrance of the room, holding a paper ba
Kieran’s POVThe second the hotel girl disappeared around the corner, I stepped out from behind the wall.Yara Quinn startled so hard she nearly stumbled backward.Interesting.She hadn’t screamed.Most witnesses definitely would have, but she just stood there in that ruined dress, fists clenched a
Yara’s POVThe sound cracked through the night so sharply my entire body jerked.A gunshot? An actual one.My fingers loosened around the trash bag handles. One of the bags slumped sideways against my leg as cold swept through me all at once.No, no, no.This had to be a car backfiring.A firecrack
Yara’s POVI stood there staring at the apartment door like if I looked hard enough, it would unlock itself.It didn’t.The brass knob had been changed.The deadbolt too.I noticed the black trash bags were stuffed with everything I owned.For a second, I just stood there.My ripped gown clung to m
Yara’s POVDid he really just say that to me?Whispers started in the crowd, then widespread laughter.Talia’s poisonous smile was the worst of it. Perfect red lips curved up like she’d just won a prize. She had. Me. My life. My man.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink. I just stood there while three h







