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Chapter 23 – A Game of Blood
Last Updated:
2025-03-13 02:18:59
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Bound by deception Chapter 24 – The Cost of War
“Cover her!”Ethan’s roar barely cuts through the chaos, but I don’t need to hear it twice.Gunfire shreds through the air, rapid and unrelenting. Bullets splinter furniture, shatter glass, punch through walls, turning the penthouse into a battlefield. Smoke thickens, swirling in the flickering emergency lights. My ears ring from the sheer force of the blasts, but there’s no time to stop, no time to think.Maya.I drop to my knees beside her, my pulse thundering in my ears. Her face is pale, her lashes fluttering weakly. Blood seeps through my fingers as I press down on the wound in her side. It’s warm. Too warm.“Maya.” My voice is barely a whisper. “Stay with me. Please.”She doesn’t respond.Her breathing is too shallow. Her skin too cold.Panic claws at my chest, but I shove it down, forcing my hands to stay steady. I can’t lose her. Not here. Not like this.Ethan moves like a machine, his expression hard, his jaw clenched as he fires shot after shot, each one precise, lethal. His
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The helicopter blades slice through the night air, their rhythmic hum a stark contrast to the chaos still echoing in my head. My breath is uneven, my pulse a frantic drumbeat in my ears. Maya’s blood stains my hands, warm and sticky, seeping into the fine fabric of my dress. I can’t look away from it.The second the helicopter touches down on the private rooftop of Ethan’s penthouse, he moves. Fast.He jumps out first, cradling Maya against his chest as if sheer willpower could keep her alive. His jaw is tight, his movements sharp, controlled. But I see the flicker of something beneath the surface—something raw.“Get the doctor here. Now.” His voice is a lethal growl as he storms toward the rooftop entrance.Damien is already pulling out his phone, muttering something into it as I scramble out of the helicopter, my legs weak and unsteady from the crash of adrenaline. My heart pounds so violently it hurts, but I force myself to move, to follow Ethan down the stairs and into the penthou
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A heavy silence clung to the room, thick as smoke after a gunshot.I swallowed hard. “Who was that?”Ethan’s gaze cut to me, cold and unreadable. “A message.”Damien exhaled sharply, pushing off the wall. “Elias will retaliate.”“I’m counting on it.” Ethan rolled his shoulders, his smirk razor-sharp. “He’s predictable. Always has been. He’ll panic, make mistakes.”I stepped forward, my heart still hammering. “You just declared war.”Ethan tilted his head. “No, sweetheart. He did—when he put a bullet in Maya.”The reminder sent a fresh wave of anger through me. Maya was still fighting for her life in the other room.Damien checked his watch. “We should move.”Ethan nodded, his focus shifting. “Is the team in position?”“They’re waiting on your signal.”Ethan grabbed his gun from the desk, checking the magazine with a practiced flick. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”I tensed. “You’re going after him now?”Ethan’s eyes met mine, dark with intent. “He won’t be expecting it. That’s the
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The sound of the gunshot still rings in my ears, even though the call has long since disconnected. It’s like the echo of something irreversible, something that can’t be undone.I turn to Ethan, my chest tight. “What did you do?”He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he takes his time, exhaling slowly like he’s savoring the moment. The tension in the room is thick, suffocating. Then, finally, he meets my gaze, his voice low and calm. “I sent a message.”My stomach knots. My hands curl into fists at my sides. “That was a man’s life.”Ethan steps closer, his presence dominating the space between us. “That was a warning.”Across the room, Damien stands with his arms crossed, unreadable. He’s watching, waiting, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on all of us. After a beat, he speaks. “Elias won’t take this lightly.”Ethan smirks, a slow, dangerous thing. “I’m counting on it.”My breath feels too shallow, my heart pounding against my ribs. “You just turned this into a war.”Ethan d
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The air in the room is razor-sharp, every second stretching taut like a wire on the verge of snapping. Ethan exhales slowly, his grip tightening around his glass. He lifts it to his lips, downs the rest of his drink in a single swallow, then sets it down on the bar cart with a sharp clink. The sound rings through the space, final and unyielding. His eyes find mine. A storm brewing in them. “Stay here.” His voice is low, controlled. But there’s something beneath it. An edge of command that brooks no argument. I scoff, crossing my arms. “Not a chance.” His jaw flexes. “Isabella—” I push past him before he can finish, my pulse hammering as I move toward the door. If Elias is here, I need to see him. I need to know. Damien is faster. He steps in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, blocking my path. His presence is solid, unwavering. “You don’t want to be part of this,” he says, voice measured. A warning. I lift my chin. “I already am.” The silence that follows is
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The world narrows to the man in front of me.Ethan Sinclair.A man I thought I knew. A man who just told me he’s known me far longer than I’ve known him.I stare at him, my pulse a violent drum against my ribs. My hands tremble, but I curl them into fists, forcing myself to stand still.“What do you mean you knew me before?” My voice is tight, laced with something dangerously close to panic.Ethan doesn’t flinch. His expression is unreadable, a mask so carefully placed that I can’t tell what’s behind it.Elias shifts beside me, stepping forward. His presence is like a dark cloud pressing into the moment, heavy and foreboding. “That’s what I’d like to know too.”Ethan exhales, slow and measured. “Not here.”Elias chuckles, but it’s sharp, humorless. “Where, then? Your penthouse? A private island? Somewhere you can control the situation?”Ethan’s jaw tightens, a flicker of something flashing in his eyes. “You know damn well this isn’t something to discuss in the middle of a hotel lobby.
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The glass shattered before I could react.I ducked as shards rained down, my pulse hammering in my ears. The penthouse was in chaos—Ethan’s rage tore through the room like a storm, his movements sharp, deliberate.“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” His voice was dangerously low, but it held more power than if he had shouted.I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”Ethan’s jaw clenched. He took slow, measured steps toward me, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. He held up a folder, fingers tightening around the edges.He threw it onto the coffee table between us.I didn’t have to open it. I already knew what was inside.“I trusted you,” he murmured, voice eerily calm. “I gave you protection. And in return, you lied to me.”I exhaled sharply, schooling my expression. “You don’t get to talk about trust, Ethan.”His smirk was cold. “Oh, but I do.”He yanked the folder open, pulling out the papers—proof of my meeting with Elias.His eyes bu
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The air in the room turned electric, the kind of tension that came before a storm.Ethan’s entire demeanor shifted in an instant. His expression hardened, his eyes darkened, and a dangerous silence settled over him like a second skin. Every muscle in his body coiled tight, like a predator poised to strike.The guard in front of him hesitated, clearly aware that delivering bad news to Ethan Sinclair was like stepping into a minefield.“What do you mean, gone?” Ethan’s voice was too calm, too measured—like the eye of a hurricane just before it tore through everything in its path.The guard swallowed hard. His stance was stiff, his fingers twitching against his sides. “Vanished, sir. He slipped through our surveillance. We had men tailing him, but—”Ethan held up a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. His sharp gaze flicked to me.I held my breath.“Isabella.”Just my name. No anger, no accusations.But I knew exactly what he was thinking.My heart pounded against my ribs as I met his sta
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“The woman at the center of the storm.”Logan Pierce’s words hung in the air like an omen, sinking into the dimly lit room like a fog, thick and suffocating.I forced my expression to remain neutral, though every nerve in my body was on edge. The way he said it, like he already knew me. Like I was some predetermined piece in a game I hadn’t agreed to play made my skin crawl.“That’s dramatic,” I muttered, keeping my voice flat.Logan’s smirk deepened, the corners of his mouth curving with something that wasn’t quite amusement, wasn’t quite malice. “Isn’t it?”Ethan wasn’t amused. “Sit.”He didn’t direct the order at Logan. He meant me.For a moment, I considered defying him. Just to remind him I wasn’t some pawn he could push around. But the weight of exhaustion settled deep in my bones, and I knew I had to pick my battles. So, I sank onto the leather couch, my arms crossing over my chest.Logan, completely at ease, took his time settling into the chair across from me, stretching out
Bound by deception Chapter 48 – Into the Lion’s Den
The SUV sliced through the night like a silent predator, devouring the miles between us and the city. The hum of the tires against the road was the only sound filling the tense silence inside the car. Ethan sat beside me, his jaw tight, his fingers drumming against his knee in a steady calculated and controlled rhythm. His mind was somewhere else, far ahead of us, mapping out the next move, anticipating every possible threat. I stared out the window, watching as the towering skyscrapers and flickering neon lights of New York faded into darkness, replaced by vast stretches of highway and dense, looming trees. The further we drove, the more it felt like we were leaving civilization itself. A cold knot twisted in my stomach. Finally, I exhaled, breaking the silence. “Where exactly is ‘home’?” Ethan’s gaze flicked to me, but his expression remained unreadable. “Somewhere safe.” I let out a hollow laugh. “Safe? There’s no such thing anymore.” He didn’t argue. He didn’t need to
Bound by deception Chapter 47 – No Safe Haven
The room felt like it had been drained of oxygen. I stared at the phone in my hand, my fingers curled so tightly around it that my knuckles turned white. The screen flickered, casting a pale glow on my face, but all I could focus on was the image. The bold, jagged letters scrawled across my apartment door like a bloody warning. Nowhere is safe. A shiver crept down my spine. The words weren’t just a threat. They were a promise. I sucked in a shaky breath, but the air felt thick, heavy, as if the walls were closing in. Ethan moved first. His hand shot out, snatching the phone from my grasp. His grip was tight, controlled, but the muscle in his jaw ticked. A sign that the control was hanging by a thread. His gaze flicked over the image, scanning every detail, and then, with a sharp inhale, he turned to me. “Pack a bag.” I blinked, my mind still trying to catch up. “What?” “You’re not staying here. You’re not going back to your apartment.” His voice was clipped, edged with
Bound by deception Chapter 46 – The Line We Can’t Cross
“Let go of me, Ethan.” I kept my voice steady, but my body betrayed me. My hands trembled. My pulse hammered against my ribs, each beat screaming at me to run. Ethan’s grip on my wrist didn’t tighten, but it didn’t loosen either. His fingers, warm and solid, were the only thing anchoring me in place. He stood rigid, his jaw ticking, his body wound so tight it looked like he might snap. “I can’t.” A shiver rippled down my spine. Elias let out a low whistle. “Oh, this is getting good. What’s next, Sinclair? You gonna lock her up in your penthouse?” Ethan didn’t even spare him a glance. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unyielding. “If that’s what it takes to keep her safe.” A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “You don’t get to decide that.” His grip flexed. Just a twitch of his fingers but I felt it everywhere. “I do when Damien Cross is hunting you.” Elias exhaled dramatically. “And there it is. The Sinclair control complex.” He smirked, shifting against the des
Bound by deception Chapter 45 – The Truth That Shatters
The room felt like it was closing in. The walls seemed narrower, the air thick with something I couldn’t name. The grainy video on the screen played in an endless loop, the scene burned into my mind. Ethan. A silencer. A body collapsing to the floor. Blood spreading like ink across white tiles. My breath came fast, uneven. It was like my brain refused to process what I’d just seen. “Tell me that wasn’t you.” My voice barely sounded like mine. It was strained and fragile on the verge of breaking. Ethan didn’t move. He didn’t speak. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… God, his eyes. I had seen them dark before, filled with anger, with lust, with unspoken emotions I never had the courage to name. But this? This was different. His gaze was a void. Hollow. As if the man I thought I knew was locked somewhere inside, just out of reach. Something inside me cracked. I stepped back, shaking my head. “Say something.” Ethan finally exhaled, slow and control
Bound by deception Chapter 44 – Torn Between Devils
“Put the gun down, Ethan.” Elias’s voice was smooth and calculated like a snake slithering through the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He stood in the doorway with the ease of a man who owned the world, his fingers lightly brushing against the frame. His other hand was tucked in his pocket, casual, almost lazy, but I knew better. Nothing about Elias Carter was ever lazy. Every move was deliberate. Every word, a weapon. Ethan, however, was a fortress. His stance was unwavering, shoulders squared, his gun aimed with lethal precision. He wasn’t just holding a weapon. He was a weapon. “You’re trespassing.” His voice was razor-sharp. Elias smirked. Smirked. Like none of this mattered, like he hadn’t just shattered the world I’d built with his sudden presence. “And you’re holding something that belongs to me.” The words sliced through the air, thick with meaning. My breath caught. Me. Ethan’s hold on the gun tightened. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
Bound by deception Chapter 43 – Shadows of the Past
I shook my head, my chest rising and falling too fast. “No.” Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t blink. “Yes.” My pulse pounded against my ribs like a trapped animal. I took a step back, needing distance, but Ethan was relentless, closing in, his presence thick like a storm cloud about to break. “Elias is gone,” I whispered. “He has to be gone.” Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying me like he was waiting for me to figure out the truth on my own. “Do you really believe that?” I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But Ethan’s voice carried the weight of something inevitable, something unshakable. I clenched my fists at my sides. “He used me. Lied to me. Left me.” I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “Why the hell would he want me back?” Ethan’s eyes flickered with something unreadable before he spoke. “Because you’re the only thing he ever lost.” The words slammed into me. For a moment, the room faded, replaced by the ghosts of memories I had fought to bury. Elias’s hands
Bound by deception Chapter 42 – The Only Way Out
I stumbled back, shaking my head, my breath coming too fast. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs, a wild, frantic rhythm that made my chest ache. “You’re lying.” Ethan didn’t move, didn’t blink. “Am I?” His voice was maddeningly calm, like he was talking about the weather and not completely tearing my world apart. I wanted to believe that. Needed to believe that. But the video kept replaying in my mind, every detail slicing through me like a serrated knife Elias smirking, rolling that damn cigarette between his fingers like I had been nothing more than a business deal, an asset. A job. My stomach lurched. “How long have you known?” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. Ethan exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his jaw like he was debating how much to say. “Long enough.” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “And you just let me keep believing he cared?” He arched a brow. “Would you have believed me if I told you earlier?” I opened my mouth, ready to snap ba
Bound by deception Chapter 41 – The Target
The walls of Ethan’s hidden room closed in around me, suffocating, too full of secrets I wasn’t ready to face. My pulse pounded in my ears as his words echoed inside my skull. “You were a job.” It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t real. I took a step back, gripping the edge of the desk to steady myself. The folder with my name on it sat between us like a loaded gun. My life, reduced to paper. Dates. Records. A complete history. Ethan watched me with maddening patience, as if waiting for me to process the truth or waiting for me to break. I wouldn’t. I lifted my chin. “You’re lying.” He sighed, rubbing a hand along his jaw. “I don’t lie, Isabella.” Something in his voice made my stomach churn. He sounded tired, almost resigned, but there was an underlying certainty that terrified me. I turned my back to him, gripping the folder so tightly my knuckles ached. I flipped through the pages again, my eyes scanning too fast, desperate for something. Anything to prove him wrong
