LOGINThe penthouse was on full lockdown. Every door was bolted shut. Every window was secured with reinforced locks. The security system was activated to its highest setting, the cameras were monitoring every angle.Lennon stood in the living room. He was watching the monitors closely. The screens showed every angle of the building. The corridors were empty, the elevators were still and the stairwells were quiet.Damien was beside him. His leg was still in a cast, his face was tight with tension. He was leaning heavily on his crutches."We're not safe here."Lennon looked at him. "I know.""We need to leave. We need to go somewhere else, somewhere he can't find us."Lennon shook his head. "No. We stay and fight. We can't keep running."Damien was quiet for a moment. "You're not trained for this.""I don't care."Damien grabbed his arm. "Lennon."Lennon pulled away. "He's coming for us. He's coming for our family, I'm not running anymore. I'm done running."Damien was quiet for a moment. T
The safe house was located on the outskirts of the city. It was a nondescript building that looked like any other structure in the neighborhood. The windows were dark, the doors were locked. The security was invisible but absolute, anyone passing by would have no idea what was happening inside.Lennon sat at the table in the center of the room. Damien was beside him. Roman was across from them, Archer stood near the door with his arms crossed. Evelyn and Scarlett were in the other room with Luca.The associate sat at the head of the table. His hands were still shaking. His eyes were still darting around the room, he looked like a man who had been running for a very long time. His clothes were wrinkled and his face was pale."Tell us about the file."The associate took a breath. "Kessler has been building it for years. Decades, maybe. He started collecting information when he was still in politics."Damien leaned forward. "What kind of information?"The associate met his eyes. "Everyt
The penthouse became a command center again. Maps covered every available wall surface. Phones buzzed constantly with updates and reports. People moved through the space with purpose and urgency. The energy was different this time. Lennon stood at the table. His head was still wrapped in bandages. His ribs ached with every breath but he was standing. He was leading, he wasn't going to let his injuries stop him.Damien was on the couch. His leg was propped up on a pillow. His face was tight with frustration, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides."I should be doing more."Lennon looked at him. "You're doing enough."Damien gestured at his cast. "I can't even walk.""You can coordinate, you can plan. That's more than enough."Damien was quiet for a moment. "I hate this."Lennon moved closer. "I know."Roman walked in. He was using a cane, his face was pale but determined. He had been discharged from the hospital that morning against doctor's orders."I'm back."Lennon looked
The hospital room was too bright. Lennon sat in the chair beside Damien's bed. His head was wrapped in bandages that covered the gash above his temple. His ribs were taped tightly. His body was covered in bruises that had turned purple and black overnight. The doctor had confirmed a concussion that made the world feel distant and strange. Every movement sent a jolt of pain through his body.Damien lay in the bed. His leg was in a heavy cast that reached from his ankle to his thigh. His face was bruised and swollen. His arm was bandaged where shrapnel had cut him. He was exhausted but awake, he was holding Luca against his chest.Luca was asleep. The doctors had checked him thoroughly. He was fine, a few scratches on his arms. Some dust in his lungs that they had cleared out, nothing permanent. He had been scared but he was safe. His small chest rose and fell with each peaceful breath."He's okay."Lennon looked at Damien. "Yes."Damien looked down at Luca. "He's actually okay.""Ye
The sound was everywhere. It filled every corner of his consciousness, the building shook violently. Lennon felt himself being thrown through the air. He hit the ground hard. The impact knocked the breath out of his lungs completely, his vision went dark for a moment.He opened his eyes. The room was dark, the dust was thick. The air was heavy and hard to breathe, he couldn't see anything."Damien!"No response.He tried to move. His body screamed in protest. His leg was pinned under a heavy piece of debris, the pain was intense and radiating."Damien!"Silence.He pushed against the debris. It didn't move, he pushed again, harder this time. The muscles in his arms burned.It shifted slightly.He pushed again. It moved again.He pulled his leg free. The pain was excruciating, he ignored it. He had to find his family.He stood up. The room was unrecognizable. The walls were gone, the ceiling was gone. The old machines were twisted metal."Damien!"He heard a small cry. A familiar cry
The penthouse had become a war room. Maps covered every available surface. Phones buzzed constantly with updates and reports. People moved through the space with purpose and urgency. The air was thick with tension and fear.Lennon stood at the table. He had been awake for forty-eight hours straight. His eyes were heavy and red-rimmed. His mind was sharp despite the exhaustion, he couldn't afford to rest not while his son was out there.Damien was on the phone. He was coordinating with the team. His voice was low and controlled, the calm was a mask. Everyone could see through it."The location is confirmed. An abandoned factory on the east side. Kessler has been using it as his base of operations, it’s heavily guarded."Lennon looked at the map. "How many guards?""At least a dozen. Maybe more, we have reports of additional security on the perimeter.""We need a plan."Damien set the phone down. "We have a plan, we go in hard and fast. We get Luca out. Everything else is secondary."Le
DAMIEN Damien had to admit it—he liked this new version of Lennon.The pissy moods suited him. The way his lower lip would jut out just a fraction when something grated on him, the way his dark lashes would lower like storm clouds rolling in, the sudden spark of fire behind those usually soft, wa
LENNON It was dark when Lennon's eyes cracked open.His bedroom lights were never off.Had he been–His brain finally registered the scent that enveloped him, then he realized where he was. And the reason he had come there.The penthouse bedroom was hushed except for the distant constant hum of tr
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
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







