Semua Bab A DEBT PAID IN FLESH AND SECRETS: Bab 141 - Bab 150

  The meeting in the lounge finally ended, and the men scattered to their posts. I hurried away before Andreas could ask me to go back upstairs with him. My mind was completely overloaded with the delivery routes and the roof sniper positions I had just memorized. I needed a moment to breathe without someone watching my face for a reaction. I walked down the narrow service hallway that ran behind the kitchen, heading toward the quiet storerooms where the staff rarely went during the day.The air here smelled faintly of bleach and old cooking spices. It was dim, with only a few small lightbulbs casting a yellow glow on the floor. I took a deep breath, leaning my back against the flat wall. I pulled my phone out of my bag, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. I needed to type out the troop movements while they were still clear in my head, but my hands were shaking too much."You should really look up when you are hiding in dark corners, Raine.

 The late performance in the main room was finally over, but my feet did not feel the ache of the dance. My whole body was numb, moving on pure survival instincts. I walked up the back stairs to the third floor, the image of Tobi’s strict midnight deadline burning like fire in my brain. If I did not get those numbers tonight, Asher would not see tomorrow morning. That thought alone kept my knees from buckling as I reached the bedroom door.I pressed the handle and stepped inside, finding the room dim and warm. Andreas was already there, sitting on the edge of the large bed with his shirt unbuttoned, staring at a small stack of papers in his hands. He looked up the moment the door clicked shut, his tired eyes softening as they landed on me."You look completely spent, Raine," Andreas said, setting the papers down on the side table. He stood up and walked over to me, his steps slow and steady. "Val told me you pushed yourself hard during the final song

  The morning came too quickly, and with it came a terrible stillness. Andreas stood by the long mirror, pulling a black vest tight over his chest. His movements were smooth, practiced, and completely cold. Leon was standing right outside the open doorway, talking into a small radio in a hurried whisper. The faint sound of other men moving in the corridor below drifted up the stairs, the rustle of gear and weapons making my skin crawl.I sat on the edge of the mattress, pulling the white sheet tight around my shoulders because my body would not stop shivering. The heat in the room was high, but I felt frozen from the inside out."Stay away from the windows today, Raine," Andreas said, not turning around as he adjusted the strap on his side. "Leon is leaving four men on the stairs, but I want you locked in here until I get back. The streets are going to be messy today.""Please don't go," I whispered, the words slipping out before I coul

 The noise from the handheld radio outside my room finally died down, replaced by a long, low hiss of static that made my ears ring. The silence that followed was heavy and cold. I stood by the glass, my forehead pressed against the cool panel, watching the black smoke in the distance slowly spread out across the gray sky. I knew the street battle was ending, but the lack of information was driving me completely insane. My stomach was twisting into knots, and every breath felt like inhaling tiny pieces of glass.Suddenly, the static on the guard's radio clicked off, and Leon's voice came through, sounding completely out of breath but triumphant."We got them splitting up, base," Leon said, his voice shaking with adrenaline. "They are running into the dark lanes behind the old yard. The vans are destroyed. Tell the boss we are moving in to clear the remaining pockets.""Where is the boss?" the guard outside the door called out into his speaker.

   The morning hours dragged on like a slow poison, every tick of the wall clock cutting right through my nerves. I stayed on the floor by the bed, my knees pressed tightly against my chest, staring at the door handle. My phone remained completely dark, offering no news about Asher or Bella. The silence in the suite was total, but downstairs, the distant sounds of cars arriving and doors slamming told me the men were finally coming back from the northern district.I heard the quiet murmur of voices in the hallway first, followed by the familiar electronic beep of the door lock panel turning green.The handle turned, and the door swung open slowly.Andreas stepped inside. He didn't look like the man who had left this room hours ago. His black shirt was covered in gray dirt and dried stains, and a long scratch was running down the side of his neck. His face was completely calm, his expression so flat and unreadable that it ma