The morning after the plaza incident, we found ourselves gathered around a battered coffee table in the safe house. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving only exhaustion and the weight of unanswered questions.Lucas sipped his coffee, staring at the floor. “What if there are more bombs? More plans we didn’t uncover?”“There probably are,” Daniel said bluntly, pacing near the window. “But we stopped this one. That’s a start.”Gerald sat down with a heavy sigh. “We’re dealing with someone who thrives on chaos. They’ll regroup faster than we can imagine. We need to keep moving.”I rubbed my temples, the events of the night playing on a loop in my mind. “The Architect wanted us to see that feed. It was personal. Why?”“Because they’re not done with us,” Gerald said, his tone grim. “And they want us to know it.”Later that afternoon, a message came through on an encrypted line—a contact Gerald had been working to establish for weeks.“It’s from someone calling themselves ‘Harbinger,’” Geral
The morning after the chaos at the warehouse, I sat by the window of the safe house, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee. The city outside felt eerily calm, like it didn’t know how close it had come to disaster. My thoughts kept drifting to Harbinger, her trembling hands, and the look in her eyes before Daniel pulled the trigger.She wasn’t evil—just desperate. And desperation makes people dangerous.“Morning,” William’s voice cut through my thoughts as he entered the room. He looked worn, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by something more subdued.“Hey,” I said, managing a weak smile.He sat down across from me, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table. Something was bothering him.“You’ve been... different lately,” William said after a long pause, his voice hesitant.I blinked, startled. “Different how?”“Distant,” he admitted, not meeting my gaze. “You’ve got a lot on your plate—I get that. But it feels like... like I’m not part of your world anymore.”The weight of his
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows of the safe house, casting long golden streaks across the floor. The light felt almost out of place against the tension that lingered in the air. It had been less than twenty-four hours since I’d agreed to resume wedding plans with William, yet the decision still felt surreal.He hadn’t wasted any time. As I padded into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from my eyes, I found him poring over what looked like wedding planning guides spread out across the dining table. A steaming cup of coffee sat beside him, and his brow was furrowed in concentration.“Good morning,” he greeted me with a warm smile, his blue eyes lighting up. “I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and started brainstorming.”I blinked at the sight, caught between surprise and admiration. William had always been proactive—whether in battle or in life—but seeing him so engrossed in something as normal as wedding plans was jarring.“I don’t mind,” I replied, sliding i
The morning light seeped through the blinds of the safe house, casting soft streaks of gold on the worn-out carpet. My coffee sat untouched on the table, a quiet testament to the swirl of emotions in my chest. Gerald had briefed us on the mission, yet my mind kept drifting elsewhere—to the promise I had made William, to the looming battle with The Architect, and to the fractured pieces of my past.The wedding.I had given William my word to move forward, but the weight of that promise sat heavily on my shoulders. A thousand questions raced through my mind. Where would we even begin? Could I truly focus on something as monumental as a wedding while the world seemed to be crumbling around us?“Lost in thought?” William’s voice interrupted my reverie. He stood by the doorway, arms crossed, a soft smile playing on his lips.“Always,” I replied, attempting a grin.He walked over, pulling a chair close. “Gerald gave us two days to regroup before the mission. Let’s use them. Just us. No plan
The safe house was no longer just a refuge; it had become a war room. Maps, files, and tactical gear littered every surface, a stark reminder of the battle closing in. Gerald’s revelation about The Architect’s plan to target the wedding sent shockwaves through the team.“We need to cancel,” William declared, his jaw tight with resolve.“No,” I said firmly, my voice cutting through the tense air. “If we cancel, they’ll know we’re afraid. They’ll take it as a victory.”“Margarette,” William began, but I held up a hand to stop him.“This wedding isn’t just about us. It’s about hope. If we let them take that from us, they win,” I argued, my gaze locking with his.William sighed, his resistance softening under the weight of my determination. “Then we need to be ready.”Gerald cleared his throat, stepping forward. “We’ll double security. No one gets in without clearance. But we’ll need an inside informant. Someone close enough to The Architect to know their moves.”All eyes turned to me. Th
The safe house was quiet, the hum of the generator the only sound breaking the stillness. Leon sat at the table, poring over blueprints of the Architect’s compound. I leaned over his shoulder, pointing at an entry point that looked promising.“This tunnel here,” I said, tracing my finger along the map. “It’s less guarded, but it connects directly to the main hall. If we can get through without alerting them, we might have a shot.”Leon nodded, his eyes fixed on mine for a moment longer than necessary. “Good catch. You’ve got an eye for strategy.”I felt my cheeks flush, and before I could respond, William’s voice cut through the room like a blade.“Is this a strategy session or a date?”I turned to see him leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and his jaw tight. His tone was light, but his eyes betrayed his irritation.“We’re working,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.“Sure you are,” William replied, pushing off the wall and walking over. He stood close, his presence
The tension between Leon and William had become unbearable. Every mission, every conversation, even the briefest shared glance—it all carried the weight of their unresolved animosity. It wasn’t just frustrating; it was dangerous.After days of trying to keep the peace, I knew I had to make a choice. And it wasn’t one I wanted to make.It was late, the safe house quiet except for the faint hum of the city outside. I found Leon in the small balcony area, leaning against the railing with a glass of whiskey in hand.He turned as I approached, a small smile softening his features. “Couldn’t sleep either?”I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “We need to talk.”The smile faded. He set the glass down and faced me fully. “That sounds ominous.”“It’s about you and William,” I began, keeping my voice steady. “This… whatever it is between you two—it’s getting out of hand. It’s putting everyone at risk.”His jaw tightened, but he said nothing, letting me continue.“I can’t have this,” I said fi
The night before the mission felt endless, the silence in the safe house broken only by the occasional creak of the building settling. Sleep was elusive, and I found myself wandering the halls, lost in thought.The tension between Leon and William had dulled into an uneasy truce, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it resurfaced. The two men were too different—each brilliant in his own way but driven by conflicting instincts.I rounded the corner to the kitchen and stopped short. Leon was there, his back to me as he poured a glass of water. The dim light cast sharp shadows on his face, highlighting the exhaustion etched into his features.“You’re up late,” I said softly.He turned, startled, then relaxed when he saw me. “Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted.“Me neither.”For a moment, we stood in silence, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on us.“I didn’t mean for things to get so complicated,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.His eyes darkened, a flick
The rain was falling again.It always did on days like this—days that felt like endings.I stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the stormy waters of Anacortes, my coat pulled tightly around me, the hood shielding my face from the wind that carried the scent of salt and something older—something like goodbye.Leon stood behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to feel him there. His presence was familiar now, carved into my skin like muscle memory. He’d been my gravity, my storm, my salvation, and my ruin—sometimes all at once.“It’s really over, isn’t it?” I whispered, more to the wind than to him.He didn’t answer right away. His silence was as heavy as the stormclouds above us.“I wanted to fix everything for you,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged across a battlefield. “I wanted to give you a life that didn’t hurt.”I closed my eyes. The ache in my chest pulsed with every beat of my heart. “You did,” I said. “For a while, you did.”I heard the crunch
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m not the same person I was before,” I said, my voice firm, unwavering. “And I’m not walking away this time.”The man’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, just enough for me to catch. And then, before I could even register what had happened, Leon moved.Faster than I could blink, Leon was in front of me, his hand grabbing the gun and twisting it out of the man’s grasp. The force of it sent the man stumbling back, but he didn’t go down easily. His bodyguards rushed in, but Leon was already a step ahead, disarming one of them with a swift, calculated move.I stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what I was witnessing. Leon—always so calm, always so careful—was ruthless. He was like a force of nature, determined to protect me at all costs.But the fight wasn’t over yet. The man recovered, his eyes burning with rage. “You really think you’ve won?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing but a pawn in a game you can’t ev
The sound of boots drew closer, pounding the floor with an urgency that echoed through the cavernous halls of the estate. My heart raced as the reality of what I had just heard crashed into me like a tidal wave. The man who had once been a part of my life—my family’s betrayer, the one who had orchestrated their deaths—stood there, calmly, as if this was just another night for him.Leon’s grip on my hand tightened, but I didn’t let him pull me away. I could feel the air thickening with tension, the walls pressing in as everything I thought I knew began to crumble.The intruders were only moments away.The man—he—smirked, watching us. “You think this will end well? You’ve no idea what you’re up against. My people are everywhere.”I took a step forward, ignoring Leon’s silent plea to retreat. “You killed them. And you thought I would be the next one to fall in line?” My voice was a whisper, but it held a power I hadn’t realized I had. “You were wrong.”The man’s face faltered, just for a
Next Morning at the Estate Archives. The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and secrets. Old boxes lined the walls, labeled in my father’s tidy script. Financial records. Land deeds. Correspondence.Leon sifted through a crate of documents while I dug through another.Then something caught my eye.A faded folder labeled: Project Thornfield.I opened it slowly.Inside were blueprints—plans for development across coastal land that was supposed to be protected forest. There were signatures from multiple board members, including names I recognized.And then, one I didn’t.N. Vallis.Leon leaned over. “You know that name?”I shook my head. “No. But look here—he signed off on the project two weeks before my parents died.”Leon pulled out his phone. “I’ll run a background check.”I kept flipping through the documents—and found something that made my blood run cold.An aerial photo.Of the cliffside. Our property.With a giant red X drawn over the coordinates where my p
THREE WEEKS LATER...The investigation moved faster than I’d expected. With the board fully on our side now, the paper trail unraveled like a thread pulled from an old sweater—each piece of evidence exposing the next. Shell companies. Forged contracts. Witnesses who had remained silent out of fear but were finally coming forward.Still, no one had seen him since the day of the summit. He had vanished without a trace. No flights. No offshore activity. No messages. It was like he’d disappeared into smoke.But Dorian didn’t believe in ghosts. “He’s hiding,” he said as he handed me a thick folder. “And this—this will force him out.”I flipped through the documents. Bank records. A property registered under an alias. Hidden deep in the woods outside of Anacortes. I felt my stomach twist.Leon stepped up behind me, his hand grazing my shoulder. “Let’s pay him a visit.”The cabin was barely more than a shadow tucked between trees. No lights. No car. Just silence and the thrum of insects in t
Sunlight crept cautiously through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden slivers across the hardwood floor of the safe house bedroom. I sat curled up on the edge of the bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders and the journal heavy in my lap. The cover was cracked, worn with age and secrets. My fingers hovered over the first page for what felt like an eternity.Leon was nearby—he hadn’t slept much, either. He stood at the window with a mug of black coffee, watching the world outside with quiet alertness. When I finally opened the journal, he turned slightly but didn’t speak. He knew I needed silence for this.The first entry was dated nearly two decades ago.July 14th. We signed the contract today. Two families, one future. The woman from Delmar Holdings is more cunning than I expected. She knows we’re desperate—and she used it. I told Mariana to trust me. That this was the only way. God help me, I hope I’m right.My breath hitched. Mariana—that was my mother’s name.I flipped thro
MARGARETTE'S POVBefore we could react, the door behind us burst open.Three armed men rushed in, dressed in black, their movements precise and rehearsed. Leon shoved me behind him, drawing his gun up in an instant. Dorian, who had been lingering near the entrance, took cover behind a cabinet, gun already out.“Elise’s father wasn’t bluffing,” I breathed, my heart hammering. “He had backup ready.”Leon fired the first shot, catching one of the intruders in the shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. Chaos erupted. Dorian ducked low and returned fire, narrowly missing another attacker who retaliated with a spray of bullets that shattered the windows.I crouched behind an overturned table, the sound of gunfire drowning out my thoughts. The locket in my palm dug into my skin, its edges sharp—a painful reminder that I couldn’t afford to lose control now.“Elise’s father!” I shouted to Leon. “He’s escaping!”Through the haze of smoke and broken glass, I saw the man slinking toward
The sound of footsteps pounding in the hallway was the last thing I heard before the door slammed open.I barely had time to react before a rush of armed men poured into the room, their eyes scanning every corner, landing finally on me. There was no mistaking the intent behind their cold stares.“Get down!” Leon’s voice crackled through the earpiece again, but there was no time to obey. I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate—not now, not when the truth was within reach.I raised my gun, my hands steady despite the chaos unfolding around me. I wasn’t going down without a fight, not after everything I had lost. Not after everything Elise’s father had taken from me.Before the first man could react, I fired. The sound of the shot echoed in the confined space, the bullet finding its mark in the man’s chest. His body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the others didn’t hesitate. They moved in faster, their guns drawn, but I was ready.I ducked behind the desk, using it as cover
Dawn came in silver slivers through the cracks in the window. I hadn’t slept—not really. My mind was too loud, looping the footage over and over like a broken reel.Leon sat across from me at the table, sipping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Neither of us had said much since the footage. We didn’t need to. The truth had cut so deep, it didn’t leave room for small talk.But I had questions.And I needed answers.“How long do you think he’s known I survived?” I finally asked, voice hoarse.Leon didn’t look away from his mug. “Long enough to start covering his tracks. But he didn’t expect the locket to resurface.”My hand instinctively reached for it. The locket was warm now, like it had absorbed my grief and fury. Inside was a picture of my mother and me—her arm around my tiny shoulders, her smile soft but tired. A photo I hadn’t even remembered until last night.“He killed her,” I whispered. “He killed my father. For what? A project?”“Not just a project,”