MasukThe cry filled the room, full of a longing he could no longer hold back.Junior ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not caring about any rule or protocol meant to govern their meeting.Alina dropped to her knees on reflex, throwing her arms open wide, and the next second Junior crashed into that embrace with a strength surprising for his small body, only just recovered from illness."Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Junior kept repeating the word over and over, as if reassuring himself that this was real, that this wasn't another dream that would vanish the moment he woke up.Alina held him tight, tears streaming down uncontrollably, her face buried in Junior's hair that still smelled exactly as she remembered—the familiar scent of children's shampoo, the warmth of a small body she had missed so much."Junior," she whispered, her voice breaking with overflowing emotion. "Mommy's here. Mommy's here now."Junior looked up, his face wet with tears but his eyes shining with genuine happiness. "
Three days had passed since the confrontation with Margaret, and calm was slowly beginning to return to Alina's life.Salvatore sent a new, fully trustworthy team to replace the previous security detail, making sure everyone involved had gone through strict verification. A new safe house was prepared, this time with a far more advanced security system, leaving no gaps like the ones that had appeared before.Margaret, true to her promise, had already returned to her own country, though Salvatore still kept remote surveillance in place to make sure she truly honored their agreement.Adrian decided to stay longer than planned, handling preparations for the in-person meeting with Junior while still coordinating with his legal team back home through daily video calls."The court has approved the new schedule," Adrian said one morning, sitting with Alina on the porch of the new safe house, a warm cup of coffee in hand. "The meeting will take place the day after tomorrow, at a neutral family
Margaret stepped out of the rental car, her two trusted men following behind, their bearing alert but confident.The wooden house looked dark and silent before them, no signs of life visible from outside."Are you sure she's still here?" one of the men asked Margaret, his voice low."My contact's information says so," Margaret answered, her eyes narrowing at the house with cold calculation. "Quickly, before anyone notices our arrival."They approached the front door carefully, one of the men checking the lock with a specialized tool.The door opened without a sound.They entered, a small flashlight dimly sweeping across the empty room.The living room was quiet. The kitchen was quiet. No signs of life anywhere.Margaret felt anger beginning to burn in her chest. "They've already left.""How is that possible?" one of the men hissed. "Our contact said they were still here a few hours ago."Before Margaret could answer, the room's lights suddenly switched on bright, blinding them momenta
The figure stepped out from the shadow of the trees, and the faint moonlight finally illuminated his face.Adrian."Adrian?" Alina whispered, not believing what she saw. "How can you be here?"Renee lowered her hand, which had been ready to take action, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly though her vigilance hadn't fully faded."I took the first flight the moment I heard about Margaret," Adrian answered, out of breath, clearly having just run through the forest to catch up with them. "I couldn't just sit still at the office while you were in danger.""How did you know we were here?" Renee asked, still wary though beginning to trust Adrian's identity."Salvatore told me the location of the second safe house," Adrian answered. "I just arrived a few minutes ago, and saw you all moving away from that house. I followed you."Alina felt her knees weaken with overwhelming relief, though vigilance still filled every nerve in her body."You shouldn't have come," she said, though her
The words hung in the air like a blade poised to fall."How close?" Alina whispered, her body frozen in place.Renee checked her screen again, her face growing more tense. "Less than a kilometer from here."Thomas—who had apparently followed them despite being asked to stay, a discrepancy they'd deal with later—rose quickly from his chair, his eyes sweeping every corner of the small house."We need to turn off all the lights," he said quickly. "And find a backup exit in case they actually find this place."Renee was already moving, checking every window, making sure the curtains were tightly closed."How could they know we're in this area?" Alina asked, her voice trembling between fear and confusion. "We just got here.""I don't know," Renee answered, her voice tense. "But this is too much of a coincidence to ignore. It's as if they know our every move before we've even decided on it ourselves."Renee's phone rang again. Salvatore."We found something concerning," Salvatore said witho
Panic immediately spread through the entire room."How could they know?" Alina pressed, her voice trembling violently. "This place shouldn't be traceable. No one knows this address except—"She stopped, something terrifying beginning to take shape in her mind."Except the people we trust," Renee continued, her voice heavy with the same conclusion.Thomas stood, his face tense. "Are you saying there's a traitor among us?""I don't know," Renee answered honestly, already back to focusing on her laptop, her fingers moving quickly checking every communication channel that might have leaked. "But we don't have time to figure that out now. We need to act."Her phone rang. Salvatore again."Renee," Salvatore's voice sounded tense, different from his usual calm. "Our team lost track of Margaret and her men about twenty minutes ago. They disappeared into a rural area, a spot with few surveillance cameras.""And now they know the address of this house," Renee said, her voice tense."I've alread







