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The aftermath of the rescue was a blur of activity. Leon’s team secured Justin and swept the warehouse for any remaining threats, their efficiency like a well-oiled machine. I stayed close to Alexa, helping her stand on shaky legs. Her injuries, while not life-threatening, told a story of her ordeal, and my heart ached with guilt for not protecting her sooner.William approached, his expression a mix of relief and concern. “We need to get her out of here,” he said gently, his hand brushing my shoulder. “There’s a med team waiting at Leon’s property.”I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. William’s touch lingered for a moment longer than necessary, a subtle yet unmistakable gesture of comfort. “Thank you,” I whispered, meeting his gaze.He gave me a small, reassuring smile. “You were brave tonight, Margarette. Alexa’s safe because of you.”Leon appeared just then, his dark eyes flicking between William’s hand on my shoulder and my face. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Instead
The tension between Leon and William was like a storm cloud that refused to dissipate. Despite the assurances I had given Leon, his jealousy lingered, simmering just beneath the surface, ready to explode at the smallest provocation.It didn’t help that William seemed entirely unbothered by Leon’s hostility. If anything, he grew more attentive, finding ways to involve himself in conversations, offering his assistance, and maintaining an air of calm that only seemed to irritate Leon further.One evening, after an exhausting strategy session, William pulled me aside. His touch was light on my arm, but it was enough to draw Leon’s gaze from across the room.“You look like you could use some air,” William said, his voice low. “Come on, let’s step outside for a bit.”I hesitated, knowing how it would look, but the weight of the day was crushing. “Just for a minute,” I said, glancing at Leon, whose jaw tightened as he watched us.Outside, the air was cool and refreshing, a stark contrast to t
The following morning, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the safe house windows, casting a soft glow over the room. I stirred awake to find Leon already up, sitting in the armchair across from me. His dark eyes were fixed on me, filled with a tenderness that made my heart ache."Good morning," I said softly, my voice still laced with sleep."Morning," he replied, a rare smile gracing his lips. He stood and crossed the room to sit beside me on the edge of the couch. "You were talking in your sleep."My cheeks flushed as I pushed myself upright. "Oh no… What did I say?""Nothing embarrassing." His grin widened slightly, teasing me. "Just my name."I blinked, caught off guard by the revelation. "I did not.""You did," he said, his voice dropping to a murmur. "And I couldn’t help but wonder what you were dreaming about."The space between us seemed to shrink as he leaned closer, his hand brushing a strand of hair from my face. His touch sent shivers down my spine, and I felt my
The days that followed were a blur of planning and preparation. Justin’s forces were regrouping, and Leon’s team was working tirelessly to stay ahead of them. Amidst the chaos, Leon and I found stolen moments together—brief but meaningful flashes of connection that reminded me why we were fighting so hard.One evening, after a particularly intense strategy meeting, Leon pulled me aside, his hand firm but gentle on my arm.“Come with me,” he murmured, leading me out onto the balcony overlooking the city. The air was crisp, the stars scattered across the sky like tiny jewels.“What is it?” I asked, my voice soft.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned against the railing, his profile illuminated by the faint glow of the moonlight. “Sometimes, I forget what we’re fighting for,” he admitted after a moment. “But when I look at you, I remember.”I stepped closer, touched by the vulnerability in his tone. “Leon…”He turned to face me, his dark eyes filled with emotion. “You’re my a
Later that evening, after the adrenaline had faded and the team had regrouped, Leon and I found ourselves alone on the balcony of his home. The city lights twinkled below, a stark contrast to the darkness we’d just faced.“I meant what I said earlier,” Leon said, his voice soft but firm. “You’re everything to me, Margarette.”I smiled, leaning into him. “And you’re everything to me.”As his lips met mine, the world around us faded away. In that moment, there was no danger, no fear—only us, and the love that had carried us through the darkest of times.The night air was calm, the tension from earlier dissipating as Leon and I stood on the balcony. His arms were wrapped securely around me, his steady heartbeat a comforting rhythm against my back.“I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to you,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my temple.I tilted my head to meet his gaze, his dark eyes reflecting the city lights. “You didn’t have to worry. You were there, and I kn
The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed through the night, and Leon’s arm instinctively wrapped around me, pulling me to the ground. Glass shattered as the bullet struck the balcony railing above us. My ears rang, and my heart hammered in my chest.“Stay down!” Leon ordered, his voice fierce as he scanned the darkness, his body shielding mine.From below, shouts erupted, and I saw William and Helena rushing out of the safe house, their weapons drawn. The air was tense, every second stretching into eternity. My hands trembled as Leon retrieved his gun from his holster, his expression a mix of rage and focus.“Where did it come from?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.“South ridge,” Leon muttered, his eyes narrowing. “They’ve got a sniper.”Helena’s voice crackled through Leon’s earpiece. “We’ve spotted the shooter’s location. They’re moving west.”“I’ll go after them,” William said, already sprinting into the darkness.“No!” Leon barked, his tone clipped
William limped into the room, his face pale but his resolve intact. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice tinged with pain.Leon handed him the phone without a word. William’s expression darkened as he took in the image and the accompanying threat. “We need to act fast. They’re escalating.”Helena nodded. “I’ll get the team ready. We’ll need every resource we’ve got to track her location.”“I’m going with you,” I said, my voice firm despite the tears welling in my eyes.“No, Margarette.” Leon’s tone left no room for argument, but I wasn’t going to back down.“I’m not staying behind while Alexa is out there,” I said, my voice rising. “She needs me.”“She needs you alive,” Leon snapped, his frustration boiling over. “You can’t help her if you’re dead.”The room fell silent, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife. William stepped forward, his gaze flickering between Leon and me. “She has a point, Leon. She knows Alexa better than anyone. She might pick up on something w
The world seemed to slow as the metal beneath us groaned, then gave a horrifying screech as it collapsed. I felt weightless for a split second before gravity yanked us downward. My arms tightened around Alexa, a scream tearing from my throat as the ground rushed toward us.A blur of movement shot out from below—Leon, running faster than I thought humanly possible. His arms stretched upward, and for a moment, I thought he’d catch us.The impact never came. Instead, we crashed into a tangled net just a few feet above the machinery below. My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath, adrenaline surging through me.“Margarette!” Leon’s voice was raw as he climbed onto the platform beneath us, his hands gripping the net tightly. “Are you hurt?”“I’m fine,” I choked out, clutching Alexa, who was still semi-conscious. “Get her first!”Leon’s jaw clenched, his eyes scanning the precariously swaying net. He reached up and carefully pulled Alexa down, cradling her like she weighed nothing.
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,”