LOGINThe hospital waiting room was cold. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead with a constant buzzing sound. The plastic chairs were uncomfortable and hard and the air smelled like antiseptic, fear and desperation.Lennon sat in the corner. He had been there for hours, he hadn't moved from that spot. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. He just waited.Damien was beside him. His hand was on Lennon's knee. His face was pale, his eyes were red-rimmed from exhaustion."They've been in surgery for three hours."Lennon looked at him. "I know.""They said he lost a lot of blood. They said it was touch and go for a while.""I know."Damien was quiet for a moment. "He's going to be okay.""How do you know?""Because he has to be. He can't die, not after everything we've been through."Lennon was quiet for a moment. "He's strong.""Yes. He's the strongest person I know."The doors swung open. The doctor walked out. His scrubs were stained with blood, his face was tired. He had been in surgery for hour
The search began immediately. Lennon and Damien coordinated with the team. They tracked the woman, they followed the leads. They worked through the night without stopping.By morning, they had a location."She's in the city." Roman's voice came through the speaker. He was still recovering from his surgery. "She's staying at a hotel on the east side."Lennon grabbed his jacket. "Let's go.""We can't just rush in.""We don't have a choice."Damien grabbed his arm. "We need a plan."Lennon looked at him. "Then make one."The hotel was small, tucked between two larger buildings. The lobby was dim, the carpet was worn. The receptionist looked bored.Lennon stood by the elevator. Damien was beside him, the team was positioned around the building."Third floor. Room 312."Damien nodded. "Let's go."They took the stairs. The corridors were quiet, the doors were closed. The carpet was stained.Room 312.Lennon knocked. The door opened, The woman from the photo stood there. She was tall with a
The penthouse was under siege. Not by armed men. The footage of Lennon from his kidnapping was everywhere. Every news channel played it, every social media feeds shared it. Every conversation was about it.Lennon stood in the living room. The television was off. He couldn't watch it anymore. He had seen enough, the footage showed him in the warehouse. It showed him talking to his captors. It made him look like he was working with them.Damien was at the window. His back was to the room. His shoulders were tight, he hadn't spoken in an hour."Damien. Look at me."Damien turned. His face was hard. His eyes were cold, the warmth that usually lived there was gone."The footage.”Lennon moved closer. "It's not real. You know that."Damien shook his head. "I know what I saw.""What you saw was edited. They took pieces of the truth and twisted them, they made it look like something it wasn't."Damien was quiet for a moment. "They made it look like you were working with them."Lennon felt the
The morning came too quickly. The sun rose over the city. The streets filled with people going about their ordinary lives, the world continued turning while his world was falling apart.Lennon hadn't slept. He couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Luca's face. The terror in his eyes. The tears streamed down his cheeks, the way his small body had been shaking in that video.Damien was in the study. He had been on the phone since dawn. His voice was low and steady. He was holding himself together by sheer force of will.Lennon walked into the study. "What's happening?"Damien looked up from the phone. His face was pale. His eyes were red-rimmed. "I've arranged a press conference at noon, at the courthouse steps."Lennon felt the air leave his lungs. "A press conference.""I'm going to confess publicly to everything."Lennon moved closer. "Damien. No.""I have to.""No. You don't. There has to be another way."Damien set the phone down. He looked at Lennon. His expression was t
Damien was on the phone. He had been on the phone for the past twenty minutes since Lennon hung up. His voice was sharp and his jaw was tight. His knuckles were white around the device."I need everyone now. I need every contact, resource. I don't care what it costs."Lennon turned from the doorway. "The nanny. What did she say?"Damien lowered the phone. His face was pale. "She didn't see anything. Someone came in through the service entrance, they knocked her out before she could react.""She's in the hospital?""Yes. She's going to be okay, but she couldn't identify anyone. She didn't see their faces."Damien moved closer. He put his hand on Lennon's shoulder, the touch was meant to be comforting. It wasn't."We're going to find him.""How? We don't know where he is. We don't know who he's working with, we don't know anything."Damien held his gaze. "We're going to find him because we have to. There's no other option, we can't stop."Lennon pulled away. "I need to do something. I c
The penthouse was dark when they returned. The city lights filtered through the windows. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.Lennon stood in the living room. His mind was racing. Sarah's words echoed in his head."Kessler is alive."Damien moved beside him. "Are you okay?""I don't know." Lennon turned to him. "Kessler is alive. He's been alive this whole time. He's been watching us. He's been planning everything."Damien was quiet for a moment. "How is that possible?""I don't know. But we need to find out."The attorney arrived at nine AM. She had been working through the night."The bomb threat was staged. There was no bomb. It was a distraction."Lennon looked at her. "We know.""What else do you know?"Lennon moved to the table. "We know that Kessler is alive. We know he's been orchestrating everything from behind the scenes."The attorney stared at him. "Kessler is dead."Lennon shook his head. "No. He's not. He faked his death. He's been hiding for years."The attorney was quie
Damien's POVDamien paced the hallway outside his bedroom like a caged animal.The corridor was too narrow for the energy boiling under his skin; each turn felt clipped, boots scuffing the dark oak with sharp, frustrated sounds. The door stayed shut. Locked from the inside. Lennon had slammed it ha
LENNON'S POVLennon stood frozen in the foyer after his father walked away.The photo replayed in his mind. Over and over and over.Lennon felt dizzy.There was nothing wrong in that picture, Lennon knew. Infact, that picture would have done more good than harm if his dad wasn't thinking through hi
Chapter 39Saturday morning arrived just like every other—with excitement.There was no stupid alarm to wake Lennon up. No lecture to rush to.He finally cracked his eyes open when his phone buzzed against the nightstand wood: gentle but insistent, like someone tapping on a window.He rolled over
Chapter 38Damien shut the door behind Roman with more force than necessary. The heavy slab of black walnut slammed home; the deadbolt engaged with a metallic 'snick' that cracked through the penthouse like a suppressed gunshot. The sound echoed off the exposed concrete walls and high ceilings, lin







