All Chapters of Dangerous Desire: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The footsteps moved with slow, deliberate weight.Not rushed.Not panicked.Like whoever was walking already knew they were in control.Lena’s fingers tightened around the glowing capsule from the necklace. Her heart hammered so hard it hurt. Alexander stepped in front of her, his entire body coiled like a spring, eyes locked on the hallway.Mrs. Ward whispered, “Alexander… we need to get her to the panic room.”“There’s no time,” Victoria murmured weakly from the wall. “You brought him here. Now you face him.”The footsteps stopped.Just beyond the doorway.The air thickened.Then a man stepped into the room.He wasn’t wearing a mask.He didn’t need one.Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair, a shade lighter than Alexander’s. A faint scar cut through his right eyebrow. His suit was dark, tailored, casual in its power. His eyes — cold, calculating grey — flicked over the room in a single sweep.They were Alexander’s eyes.Older. Colder. Emptier.“Hello, little brother,” he said calmly.Al

The world went black.The lights cut out all at once, swallowing the estate in a suffocating, absolute darkness. The hum of electricity died. The screens snapped off. Even the faint glow from the drive in Lena’s hand dimmed as her fingers clenched around it.For a second, no one moved.Then chaos erupted.“Stay with me,” Alexander snapped, reaching for her.But the floor suddenly vibrated with the heavy thunk of steel locking into place — hidden doors, shutters, and barriers sealing the estate from the inside. The old Knight lockdown system activating, burying them all in a concrete cage.“Backup power should’ve kicked in,” Mrs. Ward whispered, panic rising in her voice. “It always does.”“It won’t,” Elias’s voice echoed in the dark. Calm. Controlled. “I shut it off.”Lena’s heart slammed against her ribs.“You planned this,” Alexander growled.“Of course I did,” Elias replied. “You’re predictable, Alex. You always bring your problems home.”“Where are you?” Alexander demanded.Silenc

The estate shuddered as heavy boots thundered across the grounds.The Circle had arrived.Not stealthy.Not subtle.An army.The walls vibrated with their footsteps — a cold reminder that Lena had seconds left before every exit was sealed, every corridor filled with men trained to kill without hesitation.Mrs. Ward lay limp in her arms, her breathing shallow and fading.Elias stood in front of her, hand outstretched, offering escape.Alexander was somewhere above them in the dark, clawing through shadows to find her.Her heart cracked.Lena whispered, “I can’t leave him.”Elias’s expression didn’t change, but his voice hardened. “If Alexander finds you before the Circle does, he dies. They want him removed. Permanently.”Lena’s stomach twisted. “Why kill him?”“Because he inherited everything your mother used against them,” Elias said. “He is the loose end they cannot afford.”Lena shook her head violently. “You expect me to just abandon him?”“I expect you to live,” Elias said. “For

Elias pushed Lena behind him instantly, placing himself between her and Victoria. His stance was lethal, steady — a predator preparing to strike.Victoria staggered forward in the moonlight, her wound still bleeding, her breath ragged. Yet even half-dead, her presence radiated dangerous intent.“Put the gun down,” she rasped.Elias didn’t move. “You’re bleeding out, Victoria. Go home.”Victoria laughed, sharp and bitter. “Home? I don’t have a home. The Circle burned it when I refused to finish the job your father gave me.”Lena froze. “Your father…?”Elias’s jaw clenched. “Don’t start.”Victoria smirked. “What? Afraid she’ll learn the truth?”Lena’s pulse spiked. “Tell me.”“No,” Elias snapped. “We don’t have time—”“MAKE TIME,” Victoria roared, pointing her trembling blade at him, her voice cracking. “You want to run away with the girl you stalked? Fine. But she deserves to know who you really are. What you did. What we both did.”Elias’s expression flickered — not with fear, but wit

Red laser dots danced across the trees, the ground, the bodies.Dozens. Maybe more.They were surrounded.Alexander pulled Lena behind him instinctively, but she yanked her hand free and moved to his side. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst.Elias stood slightly apart, gun raised, posture relaxed but eyes razor sharp.The kill team emerged through the trees in formation — black tactical gear, helmets, silencers, rifles. Thirty at least. Maybe forty.All guns aimed.The leader stepped forward, his voice cold through the mask:“Elias Knight. Lena Carter. Alexander Knight. You are ordered to surrender the microdrive.”Lena stiffened.Alexander’s hand brushed hers, a silent promise: I won’t let them take you.Elias tilted his head. “How much did Adrian pay you to die tonight?”The leader didn’t react. “The file. Now.”Elias smirked. “Come take it.”Rifles lifted, all red dots moving onto Lena’s chest.Alexander stepped in front of her instantly. “Shoot her, and ever