“There’s no need to keep searching. Bernardo won’t be found unless he wants to be.”Brandon’s voice was low, strained. The weight of those words felt suffocating, as if they were sealing his fate. He stood up abruptly, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. His eyes burned with unshed tears, but he refused to let them fall. He couldn’t afford to break—not now.“Argh!”With a roar of frustration, he swept everything off the table. The laptop crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces, and his phone tumbled after it, skidding across the floor. Papers flew everywhere, scattering like the fragments of his crumbling sanity.Liam bent down and picked up the phone, checking for damage before glancing at the tech guy. “Give us a moment,” he ordered, and the man quickly gathered his equipment and left the room.Lucas’s eyes darted between Brandon and Liam. He had never seen his brother like this before—so unhinged, so vulnerable. It terrified him.“Brandon, you nee
Hannah groaned softly as she stirred awake, her head throbbing in pain. Her limbs ached, and as she attempted to move, she quickly realized she couldn’t—her wrists and ankles were tightly bound to a chair. Panic surged through her veins as she blinked, adjusting to the dim light in the room.She didn’t know how long she had been here, but judging by the ache in her body and the dry, stinging sensation in her throat, she estimated it had been at least three days. Her eyes darted around the space, taking in the worn-out wooden walls and the faint streaks of sunlight sneaking through a small, high-set window.Then, her gaze landed on Jessica—tied up just like her, motionless.“Jessica! Jessica!” Hannah called out, her voice hoarse and filled with desperation. But there was no response.A curse slipped past her lips as she struggled against the ropes, but every tug sent sharp waves of pain through her arms. The restraints dug into her flesh, unyielding. She exhaled shakily, trying to push
Hannah’s heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. They were no longer in Atlanta. They were in Las Vegas. How? When?She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as a chilling realization dawned on her—this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment kidnapping. No, Bernardo Provenzano had planned this meticulously. He had been watching them, following their every move, and worst of all, he knew about her kids in New York.Her children.A sickening wave of fear crashed over her. Was someone watching them now? Stalking them from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike? Her breathing grew uneven, panic threatening to consume her, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn’t afford to break down—not now.Hannah turned her gaze to Jessica, still unconscious in the chair beside her. Her friend’s face was pale, her breathing shallow. A fresh surge of anxiety pulsed through Hannah’s veins. Was she okay? How much longer before she woke up?She had t
Arianna clutched her phone tightly, her hands trembling as silent tears slipped down her cheeks. The conversation with Brandon had left her heart pounding, a hollow ache spreading through her chest. Hannah and Jessica were in danger, and she was powerless to do anything about it.Her daughters—her babies—were in the hands of a man so dangerous that even the government dared not cross him. Bernardo Provenzano. The mere thought of his name sent a chill down her spine.Hannah and Jessica must be terrified. Alone. Trapped. She couldn’t stand it. She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit here and wait, not when her daughters needed her the most.The sound of the door creaking open snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped her tears, forcing a smile onto her face just as the children rushed into the room, their little voices filling the silence.“Grandma!” They called out, running towards her with Michael trailing behind them.Arianna swallowed the lump in her throat, bending
Liam had just found out that Brandon had booked a flight to Las Vegas. His heart pounded as he immediately called him. Brandon answered after a few rings, his voice low and controlled, but Liam could hear the tension beneath the surface.“Brandon, I think this is a bad idea… Going to Las Vegas, I don’t support it,” Liam muttered over the phone, gripping his forehead in frustration.“It’s not like I have any other choice,” Brandon replied, his voice tight. “I just want my wife and my sister back.”Liam inhaled sharply, knowing what was coming next. “Does that mean you’re going to give him the company?”Silence.For a long moment, Brandon didn’t respond. Then, finally, he exhaled and spoke. “It’s not like I have any other choice, Liam.”There it was again. That same phrase, over and over. A haunting truth Brandon couldn’t escape. His wife and sister’s lives were on the line. The company? It meant nothing in comparison.Family over everything.Liam ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll keep
Brandon sat stiffly in the back of the van, his hands gripping the strap of his bag so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The enclosed space reeked of sweat and gunmetal, and the silence between him and the armed men around him was suffocating. Every time he glanced at them, they remained eerily still, their expressions blank but lethal. Their fingers rested lightly on the triggers of their rifles, a silent warning that any sudden movement could end him in an instant.The windows of the van were tinted so dark he couldn’t see where they were going. A thick partition separated the driver from the back, ensuring he had no clue who was behind the wheel. Everything about this screamed a setup, yet he had no choice but to go along with it.Minutes felt like hours, the van weaving through the streets with no apparent pattern. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing through possible scenarios. Was he being taken to Bernardo directly, or was this some elaborate trap? Would he
Brandon sat stiffly in the grand study, the heavy scent of aged whiskey and cigars clinging to the air like an oppressive fog. Across from him, Bernardo lounged in a leather chair, his fingers drumming against the polished wood of the armrest. The sound was slow and calculated, a taunt wrapped in nonchalance, and it made Brandon’s blood simmer with restrained fury.Armed guards stood at attention around the room, their blank stares giving nothing away, but their presence was enough to remind Brandon of just how deep he was in enemy territory. He had walked into the lion’s den, and Bernardo knew it.“I’ll make this simple for you,” Bernardo finally said, his voice smooth but dripping with venom. “Sign over your company, and I’ll let Hannah and Jessica go. Refuse, and you’ll never see them again. Not alive, at least.”Brandon forced his expression to remain unreadable, though every muscle in his body tensed at the threat. His mind worked furiously. If he handed over his company, he’d b
Lucas pulled his jacket tighter around him as he stepped out of the hotel into the cold night air. The city lights flickered in the distance, their glow barely reaching the isolated docks where he was supposed to meet this unknown informant. His instincts screamed at him that this was a setup, but he couldn’t ignore the possibility that it wasn’t. If there was even a sliver of truth behind that message, it could be the edge they needed to bring Bernardo down.He kept his hand near his gun, every sense on high alert as he moved through the rows of rusting shipping containers. The sound of waves crashing against the pier mixed with the distant hum of the city, but here, in the shadows, it felt like a different world.A figure stood ahead, barely visible under the dim light of a flickering lamppost.Lucas stopped, his fingers twitching near the grip of his weapon. “You wanted to talk?”The figure took a cautious step forward. A man's hood pulled low over his face, his hands tucked int
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel
The river had given them a chance, but it hadn’t given them freedom.Brandon collapsed onto the muddy shore, gasping for air. His limbs ached from the relentless current, but he didn’t have time to recover. Jessica.Lucas dragged her up the embankment, his breathing ragged. She was completely unconscious now, her body limp in his arms. The river had sapped whatever strength she had left. Her wound was bad—too bad. If they didn’t get her help soon…No. He couldn’t think like that.“Teresa,” Brandon barked, snapping back into survival mode. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”Teresa, still soaking wet, flipped open her laptop with shaking hands. Water dripped onto the screen, but she didn’t stop. “There’s one about six miles south,” she said breathlessly. “But there’s a problem.”Brandon exhaled sharply. “There’s always a problem.”Teresa gave him a grim look. “Bernardo’s men will have every major road blocked. They’re already watching the airspace. If we head to that hospital, they’ll find
The cave was damp and cold, the scent of moss and river water clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the rocky walls, their flickering shapes cast by the distant glow of searchlights cutting through the trees outside. They had barely made it out alive.But they weren’t safe.Brandon pressed his back against the jagged rock, listening. Boots crunched against gravel just beyond the entrance. The soldiers were closing in. They had minutes—maybe seconds—before the cave was compromised.Lucas sat against the far wall, pressing his hand against Jessica’s wound. She was slipping fast, her skin pale, her lips trembling.“I can stop the bleeding, but not for long,” Teresa said, her voice tight with urgency. “But she needs real help, Brandon.”Brandon looked at Jessica’s barely conscious form, then at Hannah, who was up beside Teresa, shaking from the cold,she looked so pale. He had promised to protect her. He had promised to protect all of them.He clenched his fists. Promises meant not
The night was supposed to be theirs. They had escaped, survived impossible odds, and left Bernardo bleeding on the cold ground. But fate had other plans.They wondered how come he was alive. They had witnessed him go on his knees, blood all over him.The deafening roar of helicopter blades grew louder, sending shockwaves through Brandon’s chest. The floodlights cut through the dense trees, slicing through the shadows that had once been their cover. The tracker beneath the seat blinked like a taunting heartbeat—steady, unrelenting, and damning.Teresa’s fingers flew over her laptop, her breath ragged. “I need time,” she muttered, panic lacing her voice.“We don’t have time,” Lucas growled, yanking a rifle from the back. “They’re here.”Jessica shifted, barely conscious, her breathing uneven. Hannah took a deep breathe while having a second thoughts.Maybe she should just surrender herself to Bernardo and all this would be over. But Brandon here would rather die than watch her go back