FAZER LOGINCLAYâS POVThe text sat on Anytaâs phone between us in the back of the SUV. I saw the Venice address and the four words: âHeâs waiting for you.âAnyta stared up at me, before glancing at her phone and putting it all away.âHeâs trying to get in my head,â she said. âBut at least now we know heâs there.âI kept hold of her hand. âWe donât rush anything. Well enjoy our stay if we can, and we move smart.ââAgreed.â She said, smiling up at me.The drive to the airstrip was quiet. We boarded the jet, and once we were in the air most of the team crashed. I couldnât sleep. I kept thinking about that message. Anyta sat next to me, working on her laptop for a while, then closed it and leaned back.âYou okay?â I asked.âYeah. Iâm just thinking about how weird all these feels. Iâm realizing that Iâm going back there after all this time.âWe landed in Rome first, and Anyta took charge effortlessly. She spoke to the customs guy in smooth Italian, getting us through faster than the rest of the line
ANYTAâS POVâI know exactly where heâll be,â I said.The words left my lips with a calm I hadnât expected. The side room fell into a thoughtful hush as the team absorbed them. Clayâs hand remained firm around mine, his thumb tracing slow, grounding circles against my skin. Marcus Webb had already been escorted out.I stood, heightening up. âVictor wonât stay in Rome long because itâs too exposed. Heâll head north to Venice. Itâs very likely that thatâs where someone like him will go to disappear while still feeling in control.âPhilip nodded once, already moving. âWeâll adjust the flight plan and coordinates. The wheels will be up in three hours.âThe meeting broke quickly after that. I slipped upstairs to my bedroom for privacy. Packing had always been a ritual for me. At eighteen, I had done it in tears, shoving clothes into a suitcase hurriedly. This time, it was different. My hands moved with quiet efficiency choosing my clothes carefully.The suitcase lay open on my bed, as I fol
ANYTAâS POVThe side room felt smaller than it should have, the air thick with the scent of stale coffee and tension. Marcus Webb sat slumped in a metal chair, his words still hanging between us like smoke. Eldridge Manor. My familyâs crumbling estate upstateâthe place where my grandma once hosted lavish parties and made deals that ruined lives. The thought of Victor Crane hiding there, laughing and hiding out there made my skin crawl and my stomach twist.But something didnât feel right.Clay pressed a hand to the small of my back, steady as always. âYou okay?â he asked quietly while Philip stepped out to verify the details with our contacts.I nodded, but my mind was already spinning. Eldridge had been shuttered for months. The security was minimal and mostly automated. It felt too obvious for Victor and too theatrical.Marcus Webb left, with Clay giving provisions for a private flight for him.Philip returned after a while, his face grim, which I knew instinctively was bad news. He
CLAYâS POVThe silence after Philipâs speakerphone announcement lasted maybe three seconds before the war room exploded into controlled chaos.âSon of a bitch,â I muttered, my arm still locked around Anytaâs waist. I held on like it was the only steady thing left in my life.Victor was in the wind because he was tipped off two hours ahead of a federal warrant. The bastard had probably been watching us watch him.Philip was already barking orders to the agents. âKill the decoy feeds. I want every private airstrip within three hundred miles pinged.âI forced myself back into operational mode, the shift automatic after years of training. But this time I didnât let go of Anytaâs hand. She stayed right beside me at the main table, her shoulder brushing mine. Her presence was a quiet anchor while the rest of the room moved at double speed.âFBIâs taking point on the manhunt,â Philip told me, his phone still pressed to his ear. âThey want everything we have, which includes you, Clay. Owen Gr
Anytaâs POVClayâs hand stayed gentle on my cheek, his thumb brushing my skin like I was something fragile and precious. His eyes searched mine, asking without words. I answered by leaning in the rest of the way.Our lips met slowly, his mouth warm and soft. He tasted like coffee and something unique.I let my eyes fall closed and kissed him back with the same unhurried care. One of my hands found the front of his shirt, my fingers curling into the fabric as if to anchor myself. His free arm slid around my waist, pulling me closer and pressing himself against me. We moved together, slowly, like we had all the time in the world. I spent every second devastating in his sweetness. When his lips parted slightly and I responded, a quiet sigh escaped him.We pulled back only when because we had to come up for air. I pressed my forehead to his, our noses brushing. Our breaths mingled in the small space between us, ragged but synchronized. The grey dawn light had brightened just enough to cat
Anyta POVThe study door clicked shut behind me softly. Clay sat hunched at the desk, the laptopâs cold glow carving sharp shadows across his face. His shoulders were rigid, one hand still gripping the edge of the printed photograph like it might vanish if he let go. I crossed the small room and eased myself onto the desk beside him, our shoulders brushing. Close enough to feel the faint tremor running through him.Outside the study, the teamâs low voices filtered through the wall. The grey pre-dawn light was just beginning to seep through the narrow window, turning everything into muted silhouettes. Iâve learnt to give him space when heâs like this.Minutes stretched into what felt like an hour. Clayâs breathing was the only sound I focused on, deep as if he were fighting a war inside his chest. I kept my eyes on the photograph in his hands. A younger woman with warm brown eyes and a smile that reached straight into you, holding a chubby toddler version of Clay like he was her entire
CLAYâS POVShe'd called me first.In a moment of desperation and fear, I was the first one on her mind.I have no idea why that thought excited me so much. Gave me a strong sense of purpose I'd never felt better. And made me want to do more for her, to protect her from everything thing that could p
CLAY'S POVEven after my interruption, the officers proceeded to give Anyta safety advice. Droning on and on about new locks, alarms, lights.And even bored as I was, I stood beside her, holding her as we both listened.Then finally, they gave her assurances that theyâd follow up if they found anyt
EVERETTâS POVâMr. AshbourneâŠMr Ashbourne?âI looked up slowly, irritation already coiling tight in my chest. Twelve faces stared back at me, varying degrees of discomfort and expectation etched into them.The quarterly projections glowed on the screen behind them, numbers Iâd reviewed a hundred ti
ANYTAâS POVâOkay, be honestâŠâI felt a small smile tug at my lips as I stared up at Laura. Then nodded, âsure.ââDo you really think we could be close friends, maybe even bestfriends in the future?âI stirred my coffee and took a tiny sip. âWhy? I thought we'd be something more,â I winked over the







