登入Then came the beep.The sharp sound echoed across the depot, and every muscle in my body locked.It had begun.Marco slowly lowered the binoculars and exhaled."It's time."Out in the open, Renz reacted exactly as we'd planned. He bolted toward the black SUV without hesitation. His hand grabbed the handle and pulled. He knew it was locked, but he kept pulling.His fist slammed hard against the reinforced window a couple times but the glass refused to give way."Damn..." I muttered under my breath. For a split second...Even I forgot it was an act. Renz looked completely broken. He leaned close to the window, resting one hand against the glass as his lips moved. Whatever he whispered was clearly meant only for her.We both couldn't hear a word. But somehow... It didn't feel rehearsed. Marco shook his head with the faintest grin."Someone give that man an Oscar." A quiet chuckle escaped me. "He deserves two."We couldn't move yet. Not while Malachi was still scanning the yard. Renz sud
Roman's PovLast night had been long. Sleep never came.Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself back in that dining hall, watching Luis Renz quietly listen while I explained the only weakness I believed Malachi still had.His pride.It had been years since I'd last stood before Renz.Back then, he was already a dangerous man. Now...He felt different. Broad shoulders, more tattoos...he looked larger than I remembered with the same terrifying calm...Only heavier now.Like a man who had buried too much of himself and learned to live with what remained.. I walked straight into the Shadow King's hideout and he listened to what I had to say, A few questions were past, doubt, Renz tested every word I'd said......then accepted my suggestion. He was risking everything on information coming from a former enemy.That...That was something Malachi could never do. Malachi rules with fear. Renz rules with trust and maybe that is why men kept choosing him. I owed Renz nothing. He didn't even
The drive back to the estate was painfully quiet.The engine hummed through the empty road while none of us found the strength to speak. Roman sat beside me in complete silence. His wife remained at the back with their little boy asleep against her shoulder, one hand gently stroking the child's hair as though reassuring herself he was still there.I kept my eyes on the road. Trusting Roman was already a dangerous gamble. Bringing him into our hideout...That was an even bigger one.If he truly meant every word he had said...Then today might become the turning point of this war. But if he was lying...and this was another one of Malachi's games...Then I had just handed our location to the enemy.And this time...Renz would never forgive me. The thought stayed with me until the familiar gates finally appeared ahead. The guards recognized my car almost immediately...as the heavy iron gates slid open.Roman watched them carefully before looking farther into the estate."So..." His voice wa
He then stepped aside, I walked into the house, but before I had taken two steps, the door shut almost immediately behind me. The sound echoed louder than it should have.My eyes wandered around the room.The place was small but neat.Nothing about it suggested the man living here had once worked for one of the most feared criminals in Italy.Then my eyes caught them.A woman sat on the old sofa, patiently feeding a little boy who couldn't have been older than four. The child laughed softly at something she whispered.I blinked.Roman... had a family?That was new.He noticed where I was looking and sighed."How did you find me?" he asked. His voice wasn't curious. It was cold.I shrugged lightly. "Some things just happen." His expression didn't change."No."He took a slow step toward me."They don't. So I'll ask again." He said narrowing his eyes."How...""...did you find me?"The room suddenly felt much smaller. "That's not important right now.""Were you followed. You know Malac
Marco's PovSmoke escaped slowly from my lips as I stared into the endless darkness surrounding our compound.It had been two weeks. Two long weeks since everything fell apart. The hideout was quieter than ever. My men stood guard around the building while the others remained inside. No one joked anymore. No one laughed.Not after what Malachi had done.I took another drag from the cigarette, my thoughts drifting back to the video he had sent.Nyx...Camila...The little girl...They were tied to chairs, bruised and bleeding while Malachi laughed behind the camera. Every time I remembered their faces, my chest tightened.Then there was Renz.He had become someone else. He barely spoke. Barely slept. He answered only when necessary, and even then, his voice carried nothing but cold silence. Everyone knew he was trying to hold himself together so no one dared stand in its path.Even Bronco kept his distance. Everyone did. And every time I looked at him ...I heard his voice in my head .
**Two Weeks Later**Malachi's PovBeautiful.There was something strangely beautiful about silence before destruction.I stood atop a stack of weathered shipping containers overlooking the enormous cargo depot that had made me millions over the years. My hands rested lazily on the rusted railing.Rows of towering containers stretched across the yard like a maze. Cargo trucks stood parked in neat lines while cranes loomed overhead. To anyone else, this looked like an ordinary shipping yard.To me...It was a theater. And today's performance had only one audience.Luis Renz.I couldn't stop smiling as his black figure walked through the entrance exactly as instructed.Alone.I chuckled."A good boy after all."Why wouldn't he obey?After receiving the little video I sent him with his precious family tied up... bleeding... terrified...How could he possibly refuse?Besides, even if he'd wanted to bring an army, it wouldn't have mattered. No one could enter this depot without my knowledge
Maria's PovThe highway stretched long and quiet under the night sky, headlights cutting through the dark like a blade. My fingers rested loose on the steering wheel, but my mind was far away.Back in Colombia.Back in Ricardo’s arms.A slow smile tugged at my lips.God… that man.His hands were st
We arrived with the sound of engines fading into silence.Marco. Me. And a dozen men who moved like shadows, alert, quiet, and ready.Italy.I had never been to this part of the world. The land stretched wide and proud, hills rolling into distance, history breathing through stone and iron. It was b
Renz's PovWaiting had never been my thing.I ruled by action. Blood. Precision. Control.But that morning, standing by the tall glass window, watching the empty driveway, I felt ridiculous.Desperate.Nyx had always done this to me.She bent the rules of my nature without trying. Somehow, she alwa
Camila’s PovI was running late.The thought chased me down the street as I tightened my grip on the grocery bags and quickened my steps. My legs ached. My head throbbed.Nyx still hadn’t called.Days had passed. Too many.Had that bastard found her phone?The thought twisted my stomach as I turned







