LOGINChapter 88.Lena slammed her palm against the desk, as her eyes remained glued to the monitor, where two glowing dots overlapped on a map of Berlin."It is a match," Lena breathed. "The coordinates Mara sent overlap perfectly with the digital footprint Axel traced from the fixer."Axel leaned over her shoulder, his gaze narrowing. "Spandau. The old textile district. It is a graveyard of rust and concrete. Perfect for someone who wants to hide a body or a hostage." Kai did not wait for the end of the sentence. He stood up so abruptly his heavy chair screeched across the floor and flipped backward. He did not look at the chair. He did not look at the map. He looked
Chapter 87.After receiving Jonas' first message, Kai had concluded there was no point for him to stay in Berlin, so he took a quick flight back to Dusseldorf. In the center of the Sturm clubhouse, the silence was a physical weight. Kai paced the length of the room, his boots thudding against the hardwood. His jaw was set so tight it looked like granite. Every few seconds, he would stop, stare at the wall, and then pivot, his movements jagged and predatory.The phone in his hand buzzed.Another messageKai looked down. The image loaded slowly, and as Skye’s battered face filled the screen, the world seemed to tilt. The sight of the bruise blooming across her cheek and the hollow look in her eyes triggered something primal in him. A roar of pure, unadulterated rage ripped from his throat, a sound that belonged to a wounded animal.He hurled that phone across the room. The device slammed into the brick wall, shattering into a thousand plastic shards, easily because of the first slam in
Chapter 86.A metallic tang clung to the back of Skye’s throat as a single bulb flickered overhead, Her wrists burned where the zip-ties bit into her skin, the plastic searing her flesh every time she shifted. She didn't struggle blindly. Instead, she felt the tension of the ties, noting the slight give in the left one where the plastic had frayed against a jagged edge of the metal chair.Jonas stood before her now, his breathing heavy, his face a map of desperation and misplaced pride. He looked diminished, the polished veneer of the star athlete replaced by a frantic, sweating mess."You think you're so smart, don't you?" Jonas spat, his voice cracking. "The little photographer. The girl who thinks a few pictures and words can ruin or make a man's life."Skye tilted her head, ignoring the trickle of blood running down her temple. She forced a thin, jagged smile."I didn't ruin your life, Jonas. You did that the moment you thought you could treat people like disposable toys. I just
Chapter 85.Skye woke to the smell first, it was thick, metallic, and rotten, clinging to the back of her throat every time she breathed. She opened her eyes slowly, refusing to move too quickly until she understood where she was.Concrete ceiling? Got it. Bare walls? Yep. Also, a single yellow bulb hanging overhead. The room was small, windowless, and damp, rusted pipes running along one wall, some of them disappearing into the concrete. Somewhere nearby, water dripped at slow, irregular intervals.Drip. Drip. Drip.Her wrists hurt.Skye looked down, there were zip-ties and her hands were bound behind the
Chapter 84.Kai called Skye the moment he arrived in the Czech Republic. The call rang until it went to voicemail. He frowned at the screen and tried again, still, nothing.Kai looked at the time on his watch. It wasn't even night yet, and Skye should have been at VISION or on her way home. She wasn't the kind of person who ignored his calls during the day, especially not after the goodbye they'd shared the previous evening.He called a third time. Then a fourth. By the sixth call, the amusement he had initially felt was gone. For the first few attempts he'd allowed himself one stupid thought, that maybe she was still annoyed that he'd left, maybe she was making him pay for it. He could almost picture her crossing her arms, refusing to answer just to prove a point. The thought would have amused him under different circumstances. Now it irritates him.On the tenth call, Kai lowered the phone slowly. Something was wrong. His mind immediately returned to the black car Skye had mentio
Chapter 83.The apartment felt too wide without Kai’s heavy presence filling it.Skye woke to a silence and she stared at the empty side of the bed.She pushed the ache from her chest and forced herself to get ready for the day. VISION was a sanctuary and she spent the morning adjusting the lighting for a new series, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed the f-stop."You're overthinking the exposure, Skye."She jumped, nearly knocking over a reflector. Elise stood there with a smirk, arms crossed."I'm just refining it," Skye replied, stepping back to squint at the monitor."You've been refining that same shot for twenty minutes. Where’s your head?"Skye sighed, leaning against the equipment table. "Just a bit distracted is all."Elise let out a soft, knowing laugh. "So it has nothing to do with the boss that didn’t bring you to work today? I’m assuming he’s out of town? It’s been… what, a day yet?.""It feels longer," Skye admitted."He’ll be back before you know it. Besides,







