The air in the room was thick with heat, desire, and something even more dangerous—reality. Maddox’s body was still covering mine, his skin burning against me, his breath heavy on my neck. I felt trapped in a heady haze, my heart still pounding in my ears, with the certainty that nothing we had done that night could be undone. There was no turning back. His hands remained on my skin, tracing lazy circles on my waist. It was such an intimate gesture, so uncharacteristic of him, that it forced me to look at him. Maddox had his eyes closed, but his expression was not that of a man asleep. “Maddox…” I whispered, not even knowing what I wanted to say. He opened his eyes slowly, locking his gaze onto mine, and something inside me tightened. His usually cold gray eyes were now darkened by something I couldn’t decipher. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Because in the silence of that room, tangled in the sheets, in our own shattered boundaries, we both knew that what
The roadside motel where we took refuge was old, with flickering hallway lights and an eerie silence in the air. Just being there reminded me of what we had left behind—the chase that still haunted us, and, most of all, the unbearable tension burning between Maddox and me. But this time, I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for him to decide what he wanted to do with me. I wasn’t a piece in his game. I was the one holding the board. And if he wasn’t going to make a move… then I would. --- The motel bathroom was small, with a fogged-up mirror and the distant creak of pipes. I leaned against the sink, staring at my reflection, trying to cool the heat on my skin, but it was useless. Then the door opened. Max. His silhouette filled the doorway, his gaze locked onto mine as he shut the door behind him with calculated slowness. His presence consumed everything. The air grew thick. He didn’t speak at first—just watched me. And I did the same. Max wasn’t like Maddox.
The journey continued in tense silence. Maddox hadn’t said a single word since what had happened between us in the room. His jaw was clenched, his expression cold as steel as he drove down the deserted highway. Max, sitting in the back seat, had a satisfied smirk on his face, as if he had won a silent game where only he understood the rules. I, on the other hand, still felt my skin burning. Maddox’s taste was still on my lips, his hot breath against my skin, his firm hands claiming me with a desperation I had never seen in him before. But there had been no words after that—only an abrupt retreat and the weight of the forbidden settling between us. I needed air. “I want to switch cars.” Maddox frowned for the first time that night. “Why?” “Because I’m tired of being in this one.” It was Max who chuckled softly. “Let her go, Maddox. Maybe she wants some fresh air… or new company.” His tone was laced with double meaning, and the worst part was that Maddox noticed. Hi
The roar of the engine shattered the silence of the deserted road, and the speed at which Dax was driving made me grip the edge of my seat. The tension still buzzing between us was buried under a far more pressing reality: someone was following us."How many?" Dax asked, gripping the steering wheel with a dark expression.Maddox’s voice came through the communicator."At least three cars. Armed."My chest tightened."Who are they?""Not Khalid," Maddox replied. "They’re worse."That simple phrase was enough to make my skin prickle.Dax didn’t ask questions. He pressed the accelerator harder, and the road began to blur with speed. But the reflection of headlights in the rearview mirror told me we weren’t the only ones moving."They’re gaining on us," I murmured, feeling the adrenaline start to take over my body.Dax smirked, that wild grin that only appeared when things got dangerous."Let them try."The first bullet struck the rear of the car.The sound of metal being pierced was like
The clock on the nightstand read 3:47 a.m., but time held no meaning in the tension hanging in the air. The room was drowned in an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the steady breathing of Maddox, who lay on his side in bed, seemingly asleep. I, on the other hand, remained seated in a chair by the window, a gun resting on my lap, my gaze lost on the deserted road. I didn’t trust the calm. I didn’t trust this momentary reprieve. And least of all, I trusted what I felt every time I looked at him. --- The sound of keys hitting the floor made me turn my head. Maddox stirred, letting out a low grunt of frustration as he adjusted himself in bed. "You're still awake?" "Obviously." He ran a hand over his face before slowly sitting up, his eyes scanning me with exhaustion and something else... something I recognized all too well in him. Exasperation. "Amalia, go to sleep." I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the window. "I'm not tired." Maddox rubbed the back of his
Maddox’s eyes opened slowly, heavy with sleep, but his gaze sharpened the moment he found me so close. I didn’t move. Neither did he. The air between us was dense, charged with electricity. My lips were slightly parted, my breath held, while his was deep, as if he were battling something within himself. For a moment, I thought he was going to do something. That he would close the distance, that his hand would move to my waist, that he would give in to what was written in his gaze. But Maddox always knew how to control the fire. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a rough sigh before rolling onto his back, moving just far enough for the cold to replace his warmth. "Sleep, Amalia," he murmured in a husky voice, almost a whisper. I felt a wave of frustration crash through my chest. It wasn’t the first time he had done this. He would get close, touch me without touching me, look at me as if he were doomed… and then he would pull away, as if afraid of what might h
The road snaked between rocky mountains, leaving behind the dust and chaos of the ambush. The car engine roared under my hands as the nighttime landscape blurred past us.We had survived. Again. But this time, something was different.Maddox sat in the passenger seat, checking his phone with a clenched jaw. Max and Dax were in the back, sharpening knives in silence.There was an air of tension that had nothing to do with the chase or the threat of death. It was something deeper. Something buried under layers of control and denial."Give me the address," I murmured.Maddox glanced at me sideways."Just keep going. I'll tell you when to turn."For the first time in a long while, there wasn’t a cheap motel waiting at the end of the road. No uncomfortable beds or flickering neon lights. This time, we were heading to a real shelter.One of Maddox’s hidden properties.A place he didn’t even want to return to.And that said everything.When we finally stopped in front of a massive property in
The air inside the house felt stifling, heavy with something more than just the warmth of the fireplace. It was an electrifying tension that no one seemed willing to break, an undercurrent that kept us all trapped in the moment. Maddox still held my face in his hand, his eyes tracing over me with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. The pressure of his thumb against my jaw wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t gentle either. It was a silent warning. Dax had leaned back on the couch, his sharp gaze gleaming with dark amusement. Max, on the other hand, hadn’t moved, but the tightness in his jaw spoke louder than any words. The frantic drumming in my chest grew louder as Maddox leaned in just a little more. His breath grazed my lips. For a second, I thought he was going to do it. That he was finally going to break the invisible barrier between us. But then, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the distance. Reality crashed over us like a wave of ice. Maddox reacted first. He let g
The clouds blanketed the Las Vegas sky in an unusual gray hue. It was as if even the weather knew something was coming.The "Cosmopolitan," that hotel where the dirtiest secrets and darkest deals crossed paths, stood like a corrupted temple. And there, among dimmed lights and hallways with more cameras than décor, the Dangellos had their first objective: sabotage Project Phoenix.Amalia stepped out of the car with a jacket clinging to her body. Underneath, a bulletproof vest. Not because she was afraid, but because she couldn’t afford to lose everything anymore.Maddox was waiting alongside Max and Dax, all three dressed with lethal precision. Max handed her an earpiece while Dax reviewed the security map on the screen."There's movement on the 31st floor. Too much for a betless dawn," Dax murmured, frowning. "They're up to something.""Tonight isn't a raid," Max said in a dry tone. "It's a warning."Maddox said nothing. His gray eyes scanned every corner, every possibility. His prese
The night burned, even without fire.The streets were deserted, but the air pulsed with danger. Everything had been calculated down to the last detail: infiltration, distraction, execution. Maddox left nothing to chance.Amalia walked beside him, dressed in black, her hair tied up, a weapon strapped to her thigh. She was no longer the same girl who once hesitated. Now she was contained fire.And Maddox knew it.That’s why he kept her close. Not just for protection. But because, in the middle of the chaos, her presence was his only anchor."Dax is already inside. Max and Lev are covering the back exit," Maddox said, his voice low but firm, never slowing his pace."And us?""We light the fuse."The Council's building loomed before them: five stories of secrets, dirty money, and decisions that had cost thousands of lives.Tonight, that structure would tremble from within.Amalia felt the pulse in her throat.Not from fear.From fury.She remembered Kari and June, Lev pregnant and running
The dawn bathed the city in golden hues, but inside the house, the air was heavy, filled with unspoken promises and plans yet to unfold.Amalia sat on one of the living room couches, holding a cold coffee in her hands. The calm before the war was always the most deceptive.Maddox entered the room, impeccable as always: dark suit, hair slicked back, and those intense gray eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. He stopped in front of her, silently assessing her."Today, you can’t hesitate," he said in a low voice filled with authority.Amalia looked up, meeting his gaze without blinking."I won’t hesitate. Not this time."Maddox nodded, stepping closer until his shadow enveloped her. He leaned in slightly, the heat of his presence nearly brushing against her."I want you to remember something," he whispered. "No matter what happens out there, you’re mine." His voice was a dark promise, an anchor in the chaos.Before Amalia could answer, Dax burst into the room, casually leaning
The French city rose before them with indifferent beauty. Marseille welcomed them with a salty breeze and a sky covered in low-hanging clouds, as if the very weather sensed the war that was coming.Amalia stepped off the jet with her coat tight around her body, eyes fixed on the urban horizon. Beside her, Maddox walked with a steady pace, flanked by Max and Dax. Lev, slightly behind, held her purse discreetly, observing everything with sharp eyes."This is the point of no return," murmured Dax as the armored vehicles approached on the private runway."We passed it a long time ago," Max replied, without taking his eyes off the approaching cars.They boarded in silence. The convoy took them through the streets of Marseille to an old manor on the outskirts, a property that had belonged to the Dangello family for generations. Now turned into a temporary headquarters, it would be their base for the final operation.Inside, maps, screens, and electronic devices buzzed with the energy of the
The early morning left a faint trace of mist over the land surrounding the house. Amalia woke wrapped in a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire: Maddox’s arms held her with measured strength, as if he feared the world could take her even in sleep.She said nothing. Just watched his face. Serene, contained, human.For a moment, she allowed herself the luxury of thinking the end was near.But the sound of the cell phone on the nightstand shattered that fantasy.Maddox sat up instantly, his gray eyes already alert."Who is it?""Dax," she said, picking up the phone. "He says they found something."Half an hour later, they were all gathered in the main living room."We intercepted a call," Dax reported, opening a recording on a laptop. "The number belongs to one of the Council's old contacts. They’re organizing a secret meeting in less than 72 hours.""Where?" Max asked."Marseille. A private yacht, in international waters. It’s not an ambush, it’s a power statement."Amalia crosse
The morning light filtered softly through the windows of the Dangello’s old hideout—far from Las Vegas, far from the noise, far from the chaos. The stone walls held a strange silence, one that didn’t come from the absence of sound, but from the weight of what had just ended.The war had been stopped.Cillian was dead. Project Phoenix, neutralized. The Council, weakened.But no one spoke of victory.Amalia had locked herself in the room she shared with Maddox and hadn’t come out since they arrived. She had been the first to shoot. The first to bring down the monster. And though everyone looked at her like a hero, all she felt was a strange emptiness.Maddox didn’t push her.He waited.Outside, Max was coordinating the final cleanup of what was left in Las Vegas. Dax was training the new allies with a seriousness he had never shown before. And Lev… Lev was resting more peacefully. Her pregnancy was progressing well, and peace was reflected in her eyes every time Max came near. There was
The sun had just begun to tint the edges of the windows with gold when Amalia woke up. Not from exhaustion, but from the intensity of the thoughts that wouldn’t let her rest. The day had come.The operation against Project Phoenix would begin that very night.She went down to the living room and found it empty, though it still smelled like freshly brewed coffee. Max was on the terrace, speaking softly with Lev. From a distance, Amalia noticed the gentleness of his smile and how Lev looked at him with a mix of admiration and curiosity. A silent connection that seemed to grow without words.Dax appeared with a folder under his arm.“We already have the internal blueprints of the Cosmopolitan. Maddox wants us to review them together before noon,” he announced, placing the documents on the marble table.Amalia nodded, taking a quick glance. Internal corridors, emergency exits, evacuation routes, and most importantly, the camera blind spots. Dax’s work was clean. Precise. And that gave her
The morning light filtered through the curtains, bringing with it an unusual calm. Amalia was in the kitchen, making coffee, when a soft knock at the door made her turn around."Who could it be at this hour?" she thought, drying her hands with a towel.When she opened the door, the world seemed to stop. Standing in front of her were June and Kari, her lifelong friends—those she had believed lost forever."Amalia?" June whispered, tears in her eyes.Without a word, Amalia hugged them tightly, feeling overwhelmed by emotion."I thought I’d never see you again," she said between sobs.After a few minutes, they sat down in the living room, still processing the reunion."What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?" Amalia asked, searching for answers.June was the first to speak:"After that night when everything changed, we were kidnapped by a group looking for information about you. They kept us separated, interrogating us constantly."Kari nodded, adding:"We managed to esc
The night fell like a sigh over the quiet neighborhood, so different from the chaos I had grown used to. My mother's house, with its scent of cinnamon and aged wood, felt more like a memory than reality. Everything was silent, except for the soft murmur of trees swaying in the wind.Maddox stood by the window, his silhouette outlined by the warm light inside. He was still wearing his black shirt, though it was no longer fully buttoned. His gray eyes, as intense as ever, were fixed on the darkness beyond the glass."You're not going to sleep?" I asked softly, pausing at the threshold of the living room.He didn’t turn at first. He only answered after a long second."Everything here feels... too quiet. It’s strange."I walked closer. The sound of my steps was nearly inaudible on the handwoven rug. He tensed slightly when I stopped beside him, but didn’t pull away."It’s not strange," I said, looking at the same point he was. "It’s peace. Something we don’t know how to hold for too long.