LOGINSamantha followed the two of them, curious to see up close what Alice was scheming. They headed to the property’s shooting range. There were two: one outdoor and one indoor. As expected, they chose the indoor one.The competitors started getting ready. Alice handed Samantha a pair of ear protectors and stepped into her lane. The rule was simple: whoever hit the center of the target the most times would win. Samantha had no doubt who would come out on top.Both loaded their magazines and began firing. After emptying their rounds, they pulled the targets back in. Just as Samantha had predicted, Alice won.“Pure luck,” Marcos grumbled. He hated losing—especially to her.“Alright, that really wasn’t fair to you. I’ll buy dinner,” Alice replied with a smile.That had been Alice’s plan from the start. She knew she would win, but she wanted to have dinner with him. If she invited him directly, she was sure Marcos would turn her down. Since he was extremely competitive, she came up with the b
They went upstairs to Adam’s bedroom. Samantha filled the bathtub while he started taking off his clothes. When she came back and saw the condition of his body, she almost broke down in tears again.“Are you in pain?” she asked, her voice heavy with concern.“I’m fine,” he replied with that stubborn tone he always used.Samantha knew Adam would never admit to any weakness. He hadn’t taken any painkillers, and there was no way all those cuts weren’t hurting. Once the tub was full, he got in. The low groan that escaped his lips confirmed what she already suspected—the pain was real.Carefully, she helped him wash the cuts, running her fingers gently over the wounded skin. Even though she knew the doctor would be there soon to examine him, she wanted to take care of him as best she could.After soaking in the warm water for a while, Adam finally got out. He put on just a robe since Carlos wouldn’t be long. As he sat down on the bed, there was a knock at the door. It was Caio, letting the
Oliver had managed to escape and headed straight back to his house. He arrived furious, smashing everything he saw in his office. Even with his injured leg, he was fully focused on venting his rage.Sabrina stood nearby, watching everything but not daring to say a word. She knew that if she spoke, his anger might turn on her. After knocking over as many things as possible, he finally turned to her.“What are you waiting for? Call the damn doctor. Can’t you see I’ve been shot?”Sabrina didn’t answer. She quickly left the office to do what he had ordered. She called the doctor, who said he was on his way immediately. He already knew Oliver well and understood the man had zero patience.“The doctor is already coming. Do you need me to do anything else?” she asked, trying to be helpful since his rage was obvious.“You can’t do anything useful. Could you deliver Adam’s head to me, by any chance? Of course not. I think ever since I got you on my side, I’ve only had bad luck.”At that moment
When they got close to the power plant, Alice moved ahead once again. She positioned herself in the tall grass and confirmed the presence of armed men on site, concluding they were definitely Oliver’s.The rest of the team spread out around the perimeter. As they observed, they reported back on how many men were visible and which side would be the easiest way into the power plant.Meanwhile, inside, Adam was still tied up in the same position. One of Oliver’s men threw water on him to wake him up. He had lost consciousness after the beating he’d taken and was jolted awake like that.“Wake up, sleeping beauty. I’m not done with you yet,” the man said, approaching Adam and running the back of a knife across his face.“Do you think Samantha’s going to cry a lot over your death? But I’ll make you a promise right here and now: after you’re gone, I’ll console her real good. I guarantee she won’t even stay in mourning for a week,” he smiled, gripping Adam’s chin.“You’re not getting anywhere
Samantha couldn’t sit still. She paced back and forth across the room while Caio checked the final piece of information they needed before heading out to rescue Adam. Alice’s arm wound had already been treated, and even Marcos had helped with it—as a way of thanking her for saving him earlier. Now they were all checking their weapons, getting ready to go after Adam.In the heavy silence and visible tension on everyone’s faces, Samantha couldn’t take it anymore and started asking questions.“How exactly did you guys walk into a trap?”“We still don’t know how he found out about the plan. Someone might have passed the information on to him,” Marcos answered.“But do you have any idea who it could be? It would have to be someone close, right?”“That’s the problem, Samantha. Everyone who knew the details of the plan—besides Adam—is in this room,” Andrew said, gesturing toward the rest of the team. “And I know every one of them is trustworthy. We have no idea how he found out.”After Andre
The injured members of Adam’s team were sent to the clinic, while the others headed back to the mansion to start making arrangements for the rescue. They would have to check every possible one of Oliver’s hideouts, and they needed to do it in record time.Back at the clinic, after Samantha had helped Pedro with his meal and a few other things, she was starting to find Andrew’s long absence strange.“I’m going to the cafeteria to grab a coffee. Want anything?” she asked, getting up from the bed.“A beer, please,” he said, giving her a pitiful puppy-dog look.“As if I’d bring you one. You’re on a bunch of medications—do you really think I’m going to bring you alcohol?” She turned and walked out, leaving him with a grumpy pout on his face.On her way back from the cafeteria, Samantha noticed that the security guard accompanying her looked nervous, standing close to the door of the room. Before she could question him, she saw unusual activity around the clinic. Instead of asking the guard
The doctor finally signed the discharge papers. Adam got the full lecture: no sex for a while, rest, take the meds like clockwork. They walked out of the clinic. Adam didn’t even glance at the car that would take him home.“Hotel. Now,” he told Caio.Caio just nodded and floored it.––––––––Samant
On the drive, Samantha and Pedro talked nonstop. He was buzzing with the idea of finally being free of Ivan, but the doubts were already creeping in.“What if I don’t meet anyone else anytime soon? I can’t be alone, Sam. What am I supposed to do if no decent guy shows up?” he asked, voice small.Sh
When Adam came to, he blinked around in confusion. He remembered being in the house of the woman who’d helped him, but now he wasn’t there anymore; he was somewhere else.His eyes drifted to the IV in his arm, and it hit him: a clinic, maybe a hospital. He looked up and spotted Caio sitting there,
Samantha finished scrubbing the bathroom until every trace of blood was gone. The ruined shirt went on top of the hamper—she’d burn it later. No way was she tossing anything in the trash that could drag her deeper into whatever this was. She was done thinking about it. Right now, all she wanted was







