Elise clung to her seat as the helicopter sliced through the night sky. The roaring of the rotors filled her ears, but she couldn’t drown out Amira’s chilling words: “Welcome to the endgame.”Amira sat across from her, calm and composed, her sharp eyes observing every movement Elise made. One of her men handed her a tablet, and she began swiping through files, her demeanor all business. Elise, unable to contain her frustration, leaned forward."Enough of the cryptic nonsense, Amira. If I’m a pawn in your game, at least have the decency to tell me the rules," she demanded.Amira looked up, her lips curling into a faint smile. "Oh, Elise. You're not a pawn. You're the queen. You just don't know it yet."Before Elise could respond, the helicopter lurched, and the pilot’s voice crackled through the intercom. "We’ve got company."Amira’s expression darkened. She stood, gripping a strap for balance, and peered out the window. Elise craned her neck to see, her heart skipping a beat when she
The helicopter's engines roared in my ears, drowning out everything else. We were rising quickly, the trees below shrinking into a blur as Amira's men kept me tightly restrained. My thoughts raced, trying to find any way to escape, but the more I struggled, the tighter their grip on me became.Amira, seated calmly across from me, was staring out the window, a picture of controlled indifference. She didn’t even glance in my direction. I was just another piece in her game—nothing more.I wanted to scream, to demand answers from her, but I knew it was useless. The urgency in Dominic’s voice echoed in my mind, his last desperate plea still fresh in my ears. Elise!I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing away the image of him. I had to stay focused. I had to figure out what came next."Why did you do it?" I finally asked, my voice tight with frustration. "What’s the point of all this?"Amira slowly turned her head toward me, her eyes narrowing, studying me with a cold detachment. “You think I’m d
The device whirred softly, and before I could protest, it was pressed to the side of my neck. A sharp, stinging sensation coursed through me, and the world blurred. My legs buckled beneath me, but strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. My vision wavered, the edges dimming, but I could just make out the face of one of the men holding me upright."Take her to her quarters," Viktor’s voice ordered, distant and detached. "She’ll need her strength for what’s to come."I felt myself being lifted, my head lolling to the side as the cold walls of the hallway passed by in a haze. My body felt heavy, unresponsive, and yet somewhere deep inside, a spark of defiance burned.I woke to the sound of soft whispers and the warmth of sunlight filtering through a window. The sterile coldness was gone, replaced by a room that felt... different. Plush, inviting, almost like a luxurious prison. My body ached as I pushed myself upright, taking in my surroundings. The bed I was on was large, draped i
The night seemed to stretch on endlessly after Dominic left, a quiet weight settling over the room. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, the echo of his words and the feel of his lips still imprinted on my skin. The world outside seemed distant, as though nothing mattered beyond the quiet space we had shared. But reality was never far away for long.I glanced at the clock—past midnight. My mind raced with possibilities, with what lay ahead for Dominic and me. I had already promised myself I would face whatever came, but the fear of the unknown still gnawed at my insides.A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts.“Who is it?” I called, my voice hoarse from the emotions that had yet to settle.There was a pause before the door creaked open, revealing the familiar figure of Dominic. His eyes flickered over me as though checking that I was still here, still safe. His presence filled the room, but there was something different in his gaze. Something urgent.“Elise,” he said softly,
The darkness was sudden, overwhelming. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was, my senses scrambled. My head throbbed with pain, and I could feel a sharp coldness against my skin as I tried to piece together what had just happened.Slowly, my vision began to clear. The faint, muted light filtering through the van’s windows made it clear we had stopped. But the sound of the engine had gone quiet, and the air felt different—heavy, tense.I blinked a few times, trying to focus, when I felt a strong hand gripping my arm, pulling me into a sitting position.“Elise, stay with me,” Dominic’s voice broke through the fog in my mind, his words low and urgent.I shook my head slightly, clearing the last of the haze. The van... it had stopped suddenly. Had we been ambushed?My heart raced as I turned to Dominic, his face just inches from mine, his brows furrowed in concern. The look in his eyes sent a jolt of fear through me. He looked... different. Focused. Determined.“Are we okay?” I asked, my
The air inside the car was so thick with I could easily feel the tension rising in. I felt as though the world had frozen around us, leaving only the two men standing at the center of the storm—Dominic and the mysterious figure now blocking our way.Dominic's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white. His jaw clenched, but his eyes remained calculating, cold. This wasn’t just an encounter—it was a confrontation. I could see the faintest flicker of recognition in his eyes as he locked gazes with the man outside the SUV.I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. The man who stood in front of the vehicle was tall, with dark hair and a sharp jawline that seemed to be carved from stone. His smile, however, didn’t match the severity of his features—it was twisted, almost too pleased with himself.“So, this is how it ends, huh?” the man said, his voice smooth like velvet, but with an undercurrent of menace. "I thought you’d be harder to catch, Dominic."Dominic
The engine roared to life as Dominic and I sped down the deserted road, the headlights slicing through the darkness. I sat in the passenger seat, my hands clasped tightly together in my lap, trying to process everything that had just unfolded.The encounter with the man outside had left me shaken. His words haunted me, replaying in my mind. You’re just a pawn in a much bigger game. What did that even mean? And why had Dominic reacted so intensely to him? It was as if the man had struck a nerve—something deep, hidden beneath Dominic’s otherwise composed exterior.Dominic's jaw was set, his grip on the wheel tight, as though he were trying to control the storm brewing inside him. The silence in the car was suffocating. Neither of us spoke for several minutes, the tension between us palpable.I finally broke the silence, my voice tentative. “Dominic… please. Who was that man? And what does he mean by all of this? A bigger game—what does that even mean?”Dominic’s eyes flickered to me, hi
The world spun wildly as the car dropped, the sound of tires screeching and the engine roaring in my ears. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath shallow, panic clawing at my throat. For a brief moment, everything seemed suspended in midair—time itself frozen—before the car hit the bottom with a sickening jolt. My body lurched against the seatbelt, the impact rattling my bones.I gasped for air, the rush of adrenaline surging through me. My head swam, but I forced myself to focus, to take in my surroundings. The car was still intact, though the front end had taken a considerable hit from the drop. The forest around us was quiet now, except for the faint hum of the engine. I quickly glanced at Dominic.His eyes were still focused on the rearview mirror, his knuckles gripping the wheel so tightly that they were white. Sweat slicked his forehead, but his expression was hard—determined.“We lost them,” he muttered, voice low. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, visibly trying to
As the car roared to life, the tension between Dominic and me was thick enough to cut with a knife. He sat in the back, silent and brooding, his eyes flicking between the road ahead and the small stack of documents in my hands. I could feel his gaze on me, but I refused to acknowledge it. This wasn’t the time for distractions, not when we were heading straight into enemy territory.We drove in silence for what felt like hours, the city lights blinking past in a blur. I was processing Dominic’s words, the weight of the trap we were walking into pressing down on me. But even as I tried to focus, his presence in the backseat kept nagging at me, pulling at my thoughts.Creed was driving with determination, his jaw clenched as he muttered low under his breath. "This place better be worth it."I had half a mind to reply, but instead, I found myself stealing glances at Dominic through the rearview mirror. He was staring out the window, his face shrouded in shadows, but there was a quiet inte
The sounds of gunfire and shouting echoed down the corridor, sharp and frantic. Creed’s movements were precise, each shot calculated to neutralize our pursuers, but the growing number of guards meant we couldn’t stay and fight for long."Exit’s ahead," I shouted to Creed, my voice low and urgent. We had to push through—there was no other option.We barreled forward, ducking behind pillars and crates, our every step echoing in the cold, concrete halls. The weight of the files we’d grabbed felt like lead in my hands, but I couldn’t afford to drop them. This intel was everything. It was our leverage against the Director, our ticket to shutting down whatever operation he was running.Creed fired another round, hitting a guard square in the chest, but even that wasn’t enough to slow down the reinforcements pouring in from every side."Keep moving!" I yelled, taking point as we rounded another corner. We were close to the exit now. Just a few more yards and we could get out into the open. B
The next day, we were ready. The warehouse near the docks wasn’t far from where we were operating, so we had the advantage of familiarity with the area. Rina had briefed us on the specifics of the meeting—Asher’s conditions, the layout of the location, and the timing. We weren’t taking any chances. Every route had been mapped out, every angle covered. Dante had a few men placed on lookout, just in case. Creed had already checked the finances and made sure the Black Hand's accounts were less secure than they thought. I had prepared a few words, though I wasn’t sure what would happen once we walked into that room. It all hinged on Asher.We made our way to the warehouse at dusk, the sun barely touching the horizon as we pulled up in a black SUV, the city skyline just visible in the distance. The docks were eerily quiet, the only sounds being the occasional rustle of wind against the ocean and the distant hum of machinery. The perfect place for a secret meeting. Or an ambush.I stayed f
The air in the room was thick with tension as I processed everything Rina had just told us. The Black Hand. It was as if the very mention of them had cast a shadow over the room, a foreboding sense of doom creeping in. But in the midst of that darkness, there was something else—something burning deep within me. It wasn’t just fear. It was anger.I couldn’t let them destroy everything I’d fought for. My life. My freedom. My family. Not after everything.“We need to act now,” I said, my voice sharper than before. "The longer we wait, the more time they have to close in on us. We can’t afford to be passive. We have to hit them first."Rina nodded, though there was a caution in her eyes. “It won’t be easy. The Black Hand doesn’t make mistakes, and they don’t let their enemies live long enough to fight back.”I turned to Dante and Creed. “We’ll need to gather intel—everything we can about them. Who their allies are, their operations, weaknesses. We have to find out how deep they’ve infiltr
The cold air hit me like a slap when I stepped outside the safehouse, but it did nothing to chill the heat still burning in my chest. I couldn’t stop thinking about Rina’s words. There’s someone else after you, Elise. And they’re not going to stop.The rain had stopped, but it still felt like the storm hadn’t passed inside me. The weight of it all—the death of Callum, the betrayal, the bloodshed—was suffocating. And now, Rina had shown up. I should have felt relief. I should have welcomed her with open arms. But all I felt was a sense of foreboding, the sense that the past wasn’t done with me. That the worst was yet to come.I walked to the edge of the cabin’s porch, my boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. The night was eerily quiet, save for the rustle of leaves in the distance, whispering secrets I couldn’t hear. The storm had passed, but the silence lingered like an omen.Dante’s voice broke through the stillness. “You should come back inside.”I turned toward him, his silho
The rain hadn’t stopped by the time we reached the safehouse. It clung to me, soaking through my clothes, chilling me to the bone. My fingers were numb, but it wasn’t from the cold—it was from what I had done.Callum was dead.I kept replaying it over and over, the way my knife slid into his chest, the way his breath had caught in his throat. The look in his eyes—shock, then fear, then nothing. I should have felt relief, triumph even, but all I felt was an eerie silence settling inside me.Dante pushed the door open, his grip firm on my wrist. Creed entered first, gun still in hand, sweeping the room in one last precautionary check. It was a small, run-down cabin on the outskirts of the city, nestled between overgrown trees and shadows. The perfect place to disappear.“Clear,” Creed muttered, shaking off the rain. He glanced at me, his sharp eyes assessing, but he said nothing. He never did unless necessary.Dante let go of me, stripping off his soaked jacket before tossing it onto th
Callum lunged at me again, his knife flashing in the storm’s light. I twisted, barely dodging his attack, feeling the rush of air as his blade sliced past my cheek. The sting came a second later, warm blood mixing with the rain. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.Dante fired another shot, taking down one of Callum’s men who had been closing in on us. Creed had disappeared into the trees, picking them off one by one, silent and efficient. But Callum was mine.I ducked under his next strike, driving my knee up into his gut. He grunted, stumbling back. I pressed forward, slashing at his arm, drawing another line of crimson. His face twisted in fury, but there was something else there—something I hadn’t seen before.Fear.“Not so confident now, are you?” I taunted, circling him.Callum let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “You think you’ve won?” he sneered. “You’re still that scared little girl, Elise. And deep down, you know it.”I ignored his words. He was trying to get inside my head, to make
The storm howled in my ears, but it couldn't drown out the pounding of my heart. There was no going back now. The wind whipped around us, cold and biting, but the warmth of Dante’s presence beside me grounded me. The rifle in his hands was steady, his eyes sharp as they scanned the shadows. Creed was to the side, his every move calculated, waiting for the right moment.We were surrounded.I could hear their footsteps on the wet earth, the crunch of leaves and dirt under their boots. Six figures, maybe more, closing in with a purpose. Callum was at the center of it all, standing tall with that sickening grin on his face. It made my blood boil.I couldn’t let them take me again. Not after everything I had fought for.Dante’s hand brushed against mine, a quick reassurance. "Stay behind me," he whispered, but there was no fear in his voice—only resolve.But I couldn’t hide behind him forever."I’m done running," I said, my voice barely audible over the storm. My grip tightened on the knif
Dante stepped closer, his dark eyes searching mine. The weight of unspoken words pressed between us, thick as the storm outside. I could feel the tension in his grip, the demand for answers."Tell me the truth, Elise," he said, voice low but firm. "Who are they? What do they want?"I exhaled, dragging a trembling hand through my damp hair. The truth was a wound I had kept stitched shut for too long, but now the stitches were unraveling."They’re the ones I escaped from," I admitted. "I thought I was free. I thought I could start over." I looked away, swallowing hard. "But no one ever really escapes them."Creed leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me with an expression I couldn’t decipher."They were never going to stop looking for you," he muttered. "I warned you."Dante’s jaw tightened. "You knew?""I suspected," Creed admitted. "Didn’t have proof until now."Dante turned to me, his hands gripping my arms, grounding me. "Why didn’t you tell me?"My throat tightened. "Beca