All Chapters of COLLATERAL DESIRE : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

131 Chapters

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The gunshot echoed through the corridor, sharp and violent, bouncing off the high ceilings of the mansion like a warning. For a moment none of them moved.Ylva tightened her grip on Lance’s shirt, her fingers twisting into the fabric as if letting go might make him disappear.“Was that downstairs?” Jason whispered.Lance shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed down the hallway ahead of them. “No.”It was closer.Much closer.The long corridor that had once been part of an elegant estate now felt like a trap. The expensive paintings along the walls suddenly seemed meaningless against the tension thickening the air. Somewhere deeper in the mansion, footsteps echoed faintly, followed by distant shouting.The fight wasn’t over.Lance gently pulled back from Ylva, placing his hands on her shoulders so he could look at her properly. Her makeup had smudged from crying and a strand of her hair had come loose from the careful style she’d worn for the party.“You need to get somewhere safe,” he

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Lance raised a brow as he stared at Ivan.He had seen the man several times at the Zorin enterprise headquarters, quiet, professional, the type who blended into the background while handling serious business. Nothing about him had ever screamed traitor.And yet here he was.So that was the game.Lance subtly shifted his stance, ready to lunge if an opportunity appeared, but Ivan noticed the movement immediately. His eyes flicked toward one of the armed men and he gave a small signal.The reaction was instant.One of the men grabbed Ylva roughly and dragged her forward, pressing a gun hard against her temple.“Put your weapon down,” Ivan said with a smirk, “or I kill her.”Lance’s eyes widened.For a split second he searched desperately for a solution, some angle, some distraction, anything that might let him act.There was none.Slowly, carefully, he lowered the gun and placed it on the floor.“Good boy,” Ivan said, his smile widening.He turned his attention to Ylva, clearly enjoying

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Lance found himself standing in his old bedroom.The walls were exactly the same as he remembered them, faded blue paint, a slightly crooked shelf above the desk, and basketball posters covering most of the ceiling. The same ones he used to stare at every night before falling asleep.For a moment he just sat there on the bed, blinking.Then he let out a long breath.“It was all a dream…”Relief washed through him so suddenly that he almost laughed. His hand ran through his hair as he looked around again, taking in the familiar space. The room felt warm, safe, untouched by violence or blood or gunshots.None of it had happened.No mafia.No Ragnar.No mansion attack.Just a nightmare.Slowly he stood up and walked toward the door, his bare feet hitting the floor the same way they used to when he lived here.The house smelled the same too. Home.As he stepped into the dining area, he saw Tamera sitting at the table with her drawing book spread open in front of her. Her small legs swung

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

After Ylva left, Lance remained sitting in the bed, staring at nothing in particular.The room had grown quiet again. Too quiet.His mind, which had briefly been distracted by Ylva’s presence, slowly drifted back to the same place it had been before she arrived.Ragnar.Lance frowned slightly, leaning his head back against the pillows.He didn’t even know why he kept thinking about him.It made no sense.His eyes drifted toward the ceiling as he replayed the events of the last few days in his head. The mansion, the attack, the way Ragnar had moved through the chaos like it barely affected him.The man was terrifying.But at the same time…Lance couldn’t deny something else.Ragnar hadn’t been as ruthless as Lance originally thought. Not exactly. Yes, the man could be brutal when it came to business, Lance had seen that with his own eyes but outside of that he wasn’t constantly violent or cruel the way Lance had expected.If anything, Ragnar was strangely controlled.“How did I even ge

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Night had settled heavily over the Zorin estate.Lance sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees.The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a lamp on the bedside table. He hadn’t bothered turning on the main lights.Sleep wasn’t coming anyway.His fingers absently traced the edge of the bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach. The wound still throbbed if he moved too suddenly, but the pain had dulled compared to the sharp agony he had felt earlier.What hurt more was the waiting.Waiting had always been the hardest part.Waiting to know if he did the right thing.And most of all…Waiting to see Tamera.Just thinking about her made something tighten in his chest. He hadn’t seen his little sister properly in weeks. Every time he asked about her, he got the same cold answer, she was safe, she was being looked after, and that was all he needed to know.But safe didn’t mean free.It meant she was still a prisoner here.Just like him.Lance dragged a hand down his face

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Morning came faster than Lance expected.He had barely slept.Every time he closed his eyes, his mind kept replaying the same thought over and over again.Tamera.He hadn’t seen her properly in weeks. The idea that he would finally get to see his little sister again made it nearly impossible to rest. By the time the first hint of sunlight slipped through the curtains, Lance was already awake.He sat up slowly, wincing as the movement pulled at the wound in his stomach.“Right,” he muttered. “Still shot.”Carefully, he swung his legs off the bed and stood. The pain was manageable now, more like a dull burn than the sharp agony from before. After washing up and throwing on a clean shirt, he checked himself quickly in the mirror.He looked… better than yesterday at least.Still pale. Still tired.But his eyes carried something different today.Excitement.Without bothering to check the time, Lance left the room and headed straight down the hallway toward Ragnar’s office.When he pushed t

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Ragnar didn’t respond to Lance’s last comment.He simply stood there for a moment, watching him carefully as if making sure he wasn’t about to do something equally stupid again. Once he seemed satisfied that Lance had stopped trying to tear his stitches open, he returned to his desk and sat down.“Stay seated,” Ragnar repeated calmly as he picked up his work again.Lance leaned back into the couch cushions with a quiet sigh. The pain in his stomach had dulled again, leaving behind that familiar tight ache that reminded him not to move too quickly.“Bossy,” he muttered.Ragnar ignored him.For a few minutes the room returned to its quiet rhythm, the soft clicking of Ragnar’s keyboard, the faint hum of the air conditioner, and the distant sound of traffic far below the building.This time Lance actually tried to behave.He folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, though every now and then his eyes drifted back toward Ragnar without him meaning to.It still felt stra

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

The wait finally ended when a knock sounded at the office door.Ragnar glanced toward it. “Come in.”One of the guards stepped inside and gave a short nod.“The car is ready.”Lance shot up from the couch so fast that Ragnar immediately narrowed his eyes at him.“Careful.”“I’m careful,” Lance said quickly, already halfway to the door.He stopped only when another wave of pain reminded him that his body strongly disagreed with that statement. Lance slowed his pace slightly, pressing a hand briefly against his bandaged stomach before straightening again.“I’m fine,” he muttered.Ragnar stood from behind the desk, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair.“Let’s go.”The walk through the halls felt shorter than usual. Lance’s mind was racing too fast to notice anything around him. By the time they stepped outside, a black car was already waiting near the entrance.One of the drivers opened the back door.Lance slid inside first, Ragnar following a moment later.The car pulled away f

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Tamera sat cross-legged on the carpet, surrounded by toys that looked like they had slowly taken over the entire living room. Colorful blocks, stuffed animals, puzzle pieces, half of it was scattered around like a tiny battlefield of childhood chaos.Lance sat across from her, holding a stuffed dinosaur she had forced into his hands.“No, Lance!” she giggled. “The dinosaur can’t fly!”“Why not?” Lance argued dramatically. “Maybe he believes in himself.”“That’s not how dinosaurs work.”“You’d be surprised.”Tamera laughed and grabbed the toy from him, pushing one of her dolls forward instead.“This is the princess and the dinosaur is protecting her.”“Oh,” Lance said seriously. “So the dinosaur is the bodyguard.”“Yes!”Lance glanced briefly toward the other side of the room.Ragnar was still there.He stood near the large window, arms folded loosely across his chest, his posture relaxed but watchful. He hadn’t spoken since they arrived. If anything, he seemed perfectly content to re

CHAPTER THIRTY

The room fell into a brief, stunned silence as both Lance and Tamera looked at Ragnar.Then—Tamera burst into laughter.Bright, unbothered laughter, like nothing about what he had just said was strange at all.“That’s so cool,” she grinned.Lance just stared at Ragnar, completely thrown.“You just told her a child’s nightmare.”Ragnar raised a brow, entirely unfazed.“You’re the one who asked. I told the truth.”Lance opened his mouth, then paused.“You’re amaz—” he caught himself abruptly, turning his head away, “—I mean unbelievable.”Ragnar didn’t respond, but his gaze lingered on Lance for a second longer than necessary.“Weird kid,” he thought.The rest of the hour passed quicker than Lance wanted.It slipped through his fingers in small moments, Tamera showing him more drawings, dragging him into another round of the game, laughing at things that didn’t make sense but somehow felt important anyway.And before he knew it, it was time.The realization settled heavily in his ches

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