All Chapters of CRAVING THE BAD BOY: Chapter 261 - Chapter 270

The forest became silent. The only sound was the soft hum of the black SUVs surrounding them. More than twenty armed men stood in a wide circle, leaving no clear path to escape. Nick slowly stepped in front of Ariana. His eyes never left the tall man in the black suit. "You know where my father is."The man smiled politely. "I do.""Then tell me.""I will."He folded his hands behind his back. "But first, I need something from you."Claire moved closer to Daniel and quietly whispered, "Here we go."Victor's face remained tense. "I know who they are."The man looked at Victor and smiled. "I'm glad someone here still has a good memory."Ariana frowned. "Who are you?"He gave a slight bow. "My name is Julian Mercer.""I represent an organization known as the Phoenix Alliance."Daniel narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard of it."Julian nodded. "Very few people have."Victor sighed heavily. "That's because they stay hidden."Nick looked at Victor. "You know them?"Victor nodded slowly. "Th

The gunshot echoed through the forest. Time seemed to stop. David threw himself in front of Nick without thinking. The bullet struck him in the shoulder with terrible force. He stumbled backward and crashed onto the ground. "Dad!"Nick's scream cut through the sound of gunfire. Hayes saw the chance and quickly crawled away. Before Nick could chase him, another wave of bullets forced everyone to take cover. Ariana ran toward Nick. She dropped to her knees beside David. "Oh my God."Blood quickly spread across David's shirt. He pressed one hand against the wound and forced a weak smile. "I'm still here."Nick knelt beside him. His hands shook as he tried to stop the bleeding. "You saved me."David looked into his son's eyes. "I finally got the chance.""I wasn't going to waste it."Nick fought back tears. "You should have let me take the bullet."David slowly shook his head. "No father would ever do that."Another explosion sounded nearby. One of the black SUVs burst into flames. Julian

The entire clearing fell into silence. Nick could not take his eyes off the man standing in the helicopter doorway. The stranger had the same dark hair. The same sharp eyes. The same face. It was like looking into a mirror. Only one difference stood out. The stranger smiled with complete confidence, while Nick stood frozen in shock. Ariana slowly tightened her grip on Nick's hand. "Nick..."He barely heard her. His voice came out as a whisper. "Who are you?"The man jumped down from the helicopter and landed smoothly on the ground. Several masked soldiers followed him, spreading out around the clearing. They carried weapons, but none of them fired. The stranger looked at Nick with great interest. "I've waited a long time for this."Nick frowned. "You called me your brother.""I did.""I don't have a brother."The man chuckled. "That is what they wanted you to believe."David suddenly stepped forward. His injured shoulder was still bleeding, but he ignored the pain. "Stay away from him

The blue light inside the glass cage became brighter. Thin beams slowly moved across Ariana's face and body as if they were scanning every part of her. She stepped back in fear. "What is this?"The electronic voice answered immediately. "Identity verification in progress.""Please remain still.""I don't want this!"She hit the glass with both hands. Nothing happened. The cage did not even shake. Outside, Nick slammed his fist against the thick glass again. "Ariana!""Can you hear me?"She nodded quickly. "I'm here.""I can't get out."Nick searched for any weak point, but the cage was built from thick metal and reinforced glass. He grabbed a fallen rifle and struck the glass as hard as he could. The sound echoed through the clearing. The glass remained perfect. Not even a small crack appeared. Daniel ran over to help him. "We'll break it."The two men struck the cage again and again. It refused to break. Claire rushed back to the control panel. "There has to be an emergency release."

The blue light remained fixed on Nick. A soft humming sound echoed from the launch site as the scanner continued studying him. Every person in the clearing stood perfectly still. Nick looked at the glowing beam on his chest. "What is happening?"The electronic voice answered at once. "Secondary genetic profile verified.""Access level two accepted."Richard Ashford took one slow step backward. For the first time since the battle began, confidence disappeared from his face. "No.""That cannot be right."Claire quickly turned back to the control panel. The screens had completely changed. The red warning messages were gone. New words appeared across the monitor. PRIMARY KEY: ARIANA CARTER. SECONDARY KEY: NICHOLAS ASHFORD. Claire's eyes widened. "Nick really is the second key."David let out a slow breath. "I finally remember."Nick looked at him. "Remember what?"David walked closer. "Samuel came to me one night before Genesis was hidden.""He said one bloodline was too dangerous.""So h