WINNIEI knew something was wrong the second I walked into Phoebe’s room.“Phoebe?” I called out, checking the living room.No answer.I moved to the kitchen, then her room. Still nothing.My chest tightened. I pulled out my phone and dialed her.It rang once. Twice. Then voicemail.“Stephen,” I said quickly, running to his room. “She’s gone.”He looked up from his laptop. “What do you mean gone?”“She left after that fight with her dad and Ramon. She said she needed air. That was what Ramon told me. But she’s not answering her phone. She’s not here.”Stephen stood up. “I’ll track her phone.”I followed him back to his desk, heart pounding.He clicked a few times, typing rapidly. “Got it. Last location pinged fifteen minutes ago…an abandoned hotel down on Willow Street.”My stomach dropped. “That place is creepy.”He grabbed his keys. “Let’s go.”We drove fast. I could barely breathe. I stared out the window, praying. Please let her be okay. Please.We reached the hotel. It was exactl
PHOEBEI stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me.I didn’t even care where I was going. I just needed to walk. To breathe. To be away from Ramon and my father and all their stupid plans. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and kept walking, my boots crunching against the gravel path."Kill him," I whispered to myself bitterly. "Just like that. No court. No trial. Just end him."My chest ached. I couldn’t believe this was what it had come to. My own father. Ramon. They were okay with blood on their hands. I wasn’t. Not like that.The wind was sharp against my face, and I realized too late that I’d walked into the outskirts of the neighborhood. It was darker here. Fewer lights. Fewer people.Still, I didn’t turn back.I pulled out my phone and checked the signal. One bar. I sighed and kept walking.That’s when I heard it.A soft shuffle. Like a footstep behind me.I turned quickly, my eyes scanning the empty street. "Hello?"Silence."Ramon, if that’s you..." I didn’t
RAMONMr. Damien stood by the window, arms folded, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might snap. The silence in the room was heavy, pressing down on us. I leaned against the wall, watching him as he stared out into the darkness like he was trying to make it swallow him whole."I made the call," he finally said, voice low but sharp.I looked up. "What call?"He didn’t turn around. "Someone I know. Old contact. Not clean. Not legal. But he gets things done."My chest tightened. "You’re serious?"Mr. Damien turned then, his eyes red around the edges. "Ramon, I’m done. I’ve had enough. We’ve tried tracking Richard. We’ve tried playing it smart. What’s changed? Nothing. He’s still out there, and we’re still targets. I’m not letting him take another step toward my family."I exhaled slowly. "So you’re bringing in a hitman?""Call him whatever you want," He snapped. "He’ll make sure Richard never breathes again. That’s what matters."Just then, Phoebe walked in. She paused, instant
STEPHENI stood at the edge of the porch, phone pressed to my ear, waiting.One ring. Two. Three.“Ava.” Her voice snapped through the speaker before I could even say hello. “If you’re calling, someone’s dying.”I smirked faintly. “Nice to hear your voice, too.”“You still owe me a motorcycle, Stephen.”“And you still owe me for dragging your ass out of Yemen, so I’d say we’re even.”She chuckled. “Okay. That’s fair. What’s going on?”I exhaled slowly, glancing back at the house. “I need backup. Not just muscle. Brains, stealth, and a mean shot.”“You finally proposing?”“Not today.”She laughed. “You sound serious. Who’s the target?”“Name’s Richard. Faked his death. Blew up a prison to cover it. He’s got connections in law enforcement, weapons stockpiled, and now he’s targeting innocent people. Including someone I care about.”There was a pause.“You care?” she said in mock surprise. “Wow. Someone mark the calendar.”I smiled despite myself. “Can you come or not?”“When do you need
PHOEBEI was curled up on the couch when the door opened.The moment I heard Ramon’s footsteps, I sat up straighter. He looked tired, his shirt was slightly wrinkled, and there were shadows under his eyes I hadn’t seen earlier.He closed the door behind him and gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. Then he dropped the small black backpack he was carrying onto the coffee table.“You okay?” I asked, standing to meet him halfway.He nodded. “Yeah. I mean… as okay as I can be after what I just saw.”I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”He sat down, ran a hand through his hair, and let out a long breath. “I went to see Maddox.”I sat beside him. “The hacker guy you mentioned?”“Yeah. He owed me a favor.” Ramon opened the bag and pulled out a flash drive. “He broke into Richard’s secured server.”My stomach clenched. “And?”“There’s more going on than we thought,” he said. His voice was low now, serious. “Richard isn’t just hiding. He’s running something… big. Something called Project Resu
RAMONThe neon lights from the cybercafe flickered against the cracked pavement as I stepped out of my car. I had explained to Stephen and Mr Damien that I had someone that could help us with Richard’s whereabouts. I pulled my hoodie further over my head and glanced around. No tails. No shadows. Good.The air inside was stale, warm, full of buzz and faint typing sounds. In the far corner, behind a scratched-up booth, sat Maddox. Skinny, twitchy fingers. Eyes like a raccoon. Hoodie with holes. Same as ever.I slid into the booth. He didn’t look up."You’re late," Maddox mumbled, fingers dancing across the keys."You owe me, remember?""I remember everything. Just like your uncle still owes me thirty grand and a bullet in the foot.""You said you’d help. Don’t start playing games now."He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Alright, alright. I got into his private server. Took me two days. That thing is locked down like Fort Knox dipped in paranoia."My stomach tightened. "And?"