INICIAR SESIÓNLEONARDO'S POVThe technicians were still working on the key. It lay beneath the bright light of the equipment while two men carefully worked on its handle. They had managed to create just enough space for the tiny tracker without damaging the key itself. Now they were sealing the handle back together, making sure there was no obvious sign that it had been tampered with.I stood at the edge of the table, watching them. Every second mattered. We didn't have many left. My phone vibrated. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Sebastian.I opened it and read the message: “Meet me at the warehouse where I kept your grandmother before in two hours. Bring the key with you.”My jaw tightened. The same place where he'd held my grandmother before moving her.I turned the screen toward Damien and the technicians. “Sebastian sent the location.”Damien stepped closer and read the message. “He wants you at the warehouse?”“Yes.”“With the key?”I nodded.Da
The sound of another vehicle approaching the back gate pulled my attention toward the gate.A few seconds later, the car Riley and the others had taken to the market arrived.The security guards opened the gate, and Adrian drove inside before stopping beside the SUV Sofia had brought earlier. Riley stepped out first, followed by the two maids. Adrian opened the trunk, and they immediately began taking out the grocery bags. I walked toward the SUV and opened the back for the things Riley and Adrian had collected during the second part of the mission.“Let's take everything upstairs,” I said.We divided the load between us.The maids carried the grocery bags while Adrian and I handled the heavier items from the SUV. Riley and Sofia took what they could manage, and together we carried everything toward my room. It took two trips to bring it all inside. Once we finished, both vehicles were empty, and everything from the SUV was safely inside my room.We had managed to bring it in witho
RILEY'S POVWe had done what we came here to do and were almost ready to leave.Some of the shopping bags were filled and already packed into the back of the SUV. The vehicle was loaded almost to the brim, while the two maids gathered the remaining things and Adrian checked our surroundings. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the time. An hour and thirty minutes.That was how long it had taken us to complete the second part of Leonardo's mission.There was still one final part of the plan to complete, and that part depended on making our return look as ordinary as our disappearance had been without being suspicious.I slipped my phone into my pocket and looked at Adrian. “We should go.”He nodded. We climbed into the SUV, and Adrian started the engine. He drove through the streets, retracing our route toward the rear of the market. The familiar buildings gradually came into view, and soon the narrow road behind the market appeared ahead. Adrian slowed and brought the SUV to a sto
The market was already crowded by the time we arrived.People moved between the narrow stalls, vendors called out to passing customers, and the constant noise of bargaining filled the air. The scent of spices, fresh produce, and cooked food mingled together, creating the perfect chaos.Adrian parked near the entrance.I stepped out and turned toward the two maids. “Take the bags.”They opened the trunk and began unloading the large shopping bags. Sofia followed them out, looking at me curiously but kept her questions to herself. We started walking into the market, the maids carrying the bags between them while Sofia stayed beside me. Adrian followed a few steps behind, his eyes constantly moving across the crowd. I resisted the urge to look back. If we were being watched, I didn't want them to know we'd noticed.We had to look exactly like what they expected—a few members of the Blackwood household out to buy groceries, nothing more.We moved deeper into the market, passing several
I waited beneath the shade of the large oak tree, watching the mansion through the gaps between the leaves.A few minutes later, Sofia appeared with two maids behind her. She gave me a small nod before turning toward them. “These are the two I told you about.”I studied them for a moment. They looked calm enough, though curiosity was written plainly across their faces.“Thank you for coming,” I said. “I'm going to need your help with something.”They exchanged a quick glance.“We're going to the market in the morning to stock up the house.” One of the maids hesitated. “But there's still plenty of food in the kitchen.”“You don't need to worry about that.” I kept my voice casual. “Leonardo wants the house fully stocked.”That seemed to settle the matter.“Yes, ma'am.”“And when we go, take the biggest shopping bags you can find.”They nodded and headed back toward the mansion.I watched them disappear through the doors before turning to Sofia. “You're coming with us.”She raised an
SEBASTIAN'S POVThe call ended. I lowered my phone and stared at the blank screen, the satisfaction of seeing Leonardo's anger still fresh in my mind. A slow smile spread across my lips. Twenty-four hours. That was all the time I had given him.Leonardo had always been difficult to corner, too powerful, and too accustomed to controlling every situation he walked into.But this time, I had something he couldn't simply buy back or fight his way through.I turned toward Madam Blackwood.She was still tied to the chair, but there was something unsettling about the calmness in her eyes. Most people in her position would have been terrified. She wasn't.“Let's see what decision your grandson makes,” I said.Her eyes remained fixed on mine. “You think you've won.”A faint smile touched my lips. “I have.”“No.” Her voice was steady. “Whatever you think you're going to achieve will not work.”My smile faded.A faint, almost pitying smile touched her lips. “You'll blame yourself when this is o
was still looking at the ring that had rolled out of my bag, when the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. The corridor went silent the moment Leonardo arrived. Clarisse froze and the other maid straightened instantly, bowing their heads. Leornado stood there, his gaze sweeping over
The knock came again. I stood in the middle of the room, breath uneven and my palms damp, I stared at the door contemplating whether to open the door or not. I reached for the door knob, my fingers trembling, I twisted the door knob and the door swung open. Leonardo stood there, his expression u
I stood frozen on the porch, the envelope clenched so tight in my fist my knuckles burned. Leonardo Blackwood The name echoed in my head. My pulse roared in my ears, drowning out the distant hum of the city. Avery was slumped against the doorframe behind me, half awake and unconscious. My vi
RILEY’S POV “Third heist of the month,” I shouted, raising an invisible glass with my free hand. “Here’s to many more.” “To our gaddamn luck,” Avery fired back, unleashing that low, wicked laugh of hers— the kind that cut through the adrenaline and had me laughing right along with her, despite







