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CHAPTER 33

Author: Daniel Paul
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-21 19:40:28

Alice Returns

"You thought you were free of me, didn't you?"

Adrian froze onto the voice, his body reacting before his mind kicked in. Beside him, Flora tensed up, her fingers curling into fists. The air charged with something sharp and electric.

Out from the shadows stepped Alice herself, that smirk still the same-old confident, knowing, dangerous.

Jace had been leaning indolently against the door frame, and at her voice, he straightened. "Well. This is a surprise."

Alice titled her head, her eyes never leaving Adrian's face. "Is it? You should have known I'd come back."

Adrian exhaled through his nose, hands tensing and releasing at his sides. "What do you want, Alice?"

She laughed. The sound was low and amused. "Straight to business. No 'how have you been?' No 'I thought you were dead?'"

Flora crossed her arms. "We didn't think. We hoped."

Alice's eyes flicked to her, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Flora. Still sharp-tongued, I see."

Flora didn't blink. "And you're still alive. Unfo
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    The Last DecisionThe shot rent the night.Adrian moved before he thought. Instinct. Training. Whatever it was, it sent him diving toward Flora, pulling her down as a bullet whizzed past where she had been standing.She gasped as they hit the ground. "What the hell—""Stay down," Adrian growled. His heart pulsed in his ears. He scanned the darkness for movement.Already on his feet, gun drawn, eyes sharp, Jace repeated, "Where?"Cursing under her breath, Alice said, "I didn't see."Another shot sounded. This one hit the wall behind them, splintering the wood.Flora tensed beneath him. "They're not aiming to miss."No, they weren’t.His mind racing, Adrian thought, the shooter wasn't sloppy. They weren't panicked. That meant one thing: trained.And trained meant sent."They found us," Alice muttered. Jace huffed a sigh that was close to a curse. "Figures."Adrian yanked Flora up behind cover. "You hurt?"She shook her head. "Not yet.""Stay that way."More bullets. This time closer.A

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    The Cliffhanger"Adrian!"Flora's scream rent the air as Adrian crumpled to the ground.Time slowed. The world narrowed. Nothing existed except the red spreading beneath him."No, no, no—Adrian!" She was already on her knees beside him, hands pressing against the wound before she even realized she'd moved. His blood was hot, slick, slipping between her fingers. Too much.Adrian's breathing was ragged, uneven. His eyes fluttered. "Flora…"Shh, don't talk," she whispered. "You're gonna be fine. You hear me? You have to be fine."Jace was shouting something, Alice was moving, but all of it was distant. White noise. The only thing that mattered was Adrian, and the fact that he was bleeding out beneath her hands.Then—another gunshot.Flora flinched, ducking instinctively over Adrian's body."Sniper!" Jace's voice was sharp. "We need to move—now!Alice cursed. “They’re trying to pick us off.”Flora barely registered the words. She was too focused on Adrian’s pale face. “Adrian, stay with m

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  • Abandoned At The Altar By My Mate   CHAPTER 36

    The AmbushThe gunshot pierced the simulated silence.Flora had slightly a moment to reply before Jace seized her, yanking her to the floor as an alternate bullet ripped through the wall above her head. The air filled with the sharp scent of gunpowder." Stay down!" Jace barked, his voice slightly audible over the unforeseen barrage of gunfire.Lorne cursed, ducking behind a capsized table and drawing his weapon." You led them then?!"" No," Adrian gritted out, floundering to sit up. He was still weak, his body slightly recovered from the last fight." It's not just them." His breath came suddenly." It's worse."Flora's palpitation pounded. She risked a regard toward the door, but the murk outdoors made it insolvable to tell how numerous enemies there were.also, out of the chaos, a voice cut through the night like a blade." Adrian," the figure said, stepping into the dim light of the doorway." You should've no way come back."Flora's stomach twisted. The voice was full of venom but w

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    The BetrayalThe silence in the room was thick enough to choke on.Jace's hand tightened on the stock of his gun. Alice was frozen, her breath coming sharp and unsteadily. Adrian, weakened but defiant, forced himself to his feet, blood trickling from the fresh wound on his arm.Then, the masked figure stepped forward.Slowly, deliberately, they reached up and pulled off the mask.Kade.The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room."You?" Adrian's voice barely above a whisper, his face alight with incredulity. "You were supposed to be dead."Kade gave a mirthless laugh as he shook his head. "That's rich, coming from you." He took one slow step forward, the gun in his hand still not raised, but also still not set back at his side. "You had one chance to choose a side, Adrian. And you chose her?"Flora's spine went ramrod-straight as Kade's gaze flashed cold toward her.Adrian huffed out a sharp breath. "I never chose sides, Kade. I chose what was right."Kade snorted. "What's ri

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    The PlanGunfire tore through the cabin.Jace ducked behind an overturned table, his back pressed against the splintered wood. His breath came fast, his fingers tight around his gun. He peeked over the edge just in time to see a bullet punch into the wall inches from his head."Shit," he muttered, dropping back down.Alice crouched beside him, reloading her weapon with quick, practiced hands. "We’re sitting ducks here," she said, voice sharp with frustration."Yeah, no kidding." Jace clenched his jaw, stealing another glance toward the chaos. Kade’s men had fanned out, their movements calculated. This wasn’t just a random shootout—they were being cornered.Across the room, Flora struggled to keep Adrian upright. Blood seeped from his shirt, dark and spreading too fast."Adrian, stay with me," she urged in urgent tones.He exhaled as his weight fell against her. "Not going anywhere," he whispered, but his knees shook and buckled under him.Above the firing, Kade's voice yelled out, "Yo

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  • Abandoned At The Altar By My Mate   CHAPTER 39

    The DecisionThe passageway yawned in front of him, damp and narrow, with air thick as dust.Adrian staggered.Flora caught him before he fell, her fingers pinching his arm tight. "Hey—stay with me." Her voice came out sharp, urgent. "Don't you dare die on me, Adrian."He expelled a harsh breath, leaning into her. "Not… planning on it." But the blood seeping into his shirt spoke another tale.Jace strode ahead, gun raised, peering into the shadows. "How much farther?"Alice looked back; irritation etched in the set of her jaw. "How the hell should I know?"Jace blew out a hard breath. "I'm just saying, we can't haul Adrian through here all night. We need a plan."Alice's gaze flashed to Adrian, then to Flora, before she muttered, "We had a plan. Until Lorne sold us out."Flora's grip on Adrian tightened further. The mention of Lorne brought another wave of anger, but she pushed it back. For now, Adrian was the most important issue.Jace shook his head. "We don't know that he sold us o

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    The Capture"Get down!" Jace's voice cut through the chaos, but it was already too late.A sharp crack rang out. Something slammed into the side of Flora's head, her vision going white-hot with pain.She hit the ground hard. Distantly, she heard Adrian curse, heard the sound of fists meeting flesh, bodies struggling. But she couldn't move-could barely think. The world swam in and out of focus, her pulse a hammering echo in her ears."Flora!" Adrian's voice, rough and desperate.Hands grasped her, yanking her upright. A wave of dizziness crashed over her, but she fought it, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. When she finally did-her stomach dropped.Adrian was on his knees, blood running from a fresh cut on his cheek. Two men held him down, their grips unyielding. Another man stood behind him, a gun pressed against the back of his skull.Kade.His smile was lazy, confident. "Well. That was easier than I expected."Flora's throat burned as she struggled against the grip of the men ho

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  • Abandoned At The Altar By My Mate   CHAPTER 41

    THE SECRET UNVEILEDA steady drip echoed in the darkness.Flora sat against the cold stone wall, her wrists sore from the bindings, her mind racing. The room was damp, filled with the scent of mildew and something else—something she didn't want to name.Adrian.She clenched her jaw. He was still out there, facing whatever hell Kade had prepared for him. The thought made her stomach twist."You look troubled."Flora's head jerked up.The voice was low, husky, and almost amused, and it came from the shadows.Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she finally saw her. A woman—tall, slender, with dark hair interwoven with threads of silver, and eyes that gleamed in the low glow of the single overhead bulb.Flora's shoulders tensed. "Who are you?"The woman stepped forward; her movements languorous, deliberate. "Someone who's been waiting for you."Flora frowned. "That's not an answer."The woman cocked her head, studying her. "No, it's not." She crouched, voice dropping. "Tell me, Flora,

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    The Salon Incident" Flora, did you see that? I heard someone mention Alice was then again," rumored Jasmine as she shifted the security examiner near the salon door.Flora's reply was tense, her voice kept low," Yes, Jasmine. I know whom you're pertaining to. And I'm not in the mood for her capers moment.".Across the room, Malik, the shift administrator, joined in, “ You sure you’re ready for this, Flora? Alice always knows how to stir trouble. ”Flora’s tone was steely, “ I’ve had enough of her prying and her trim smile. I’m then to cover this place, not to be lowered by her arrogance. ”The frontal door chimed just also as a familiar, mocking voice cut through the noise of exertion." Flora, sweetie pie, is not it? Still playing guard like you always did? How cute."Flora's eyes grew narrower, and she approached the door, her voice refocused and clear," Alice. What do you want? I allowed you'd learned your assignment."Alice's laugh was jingling and pathetic," Oh, Flora, always so

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