The cold night air bit at their skin as they pushed through the thick forest. Every snap of a twig, every rustle in the bushes felt like a harbinger of doom. Ashley gripped Amelia’s hand tightly, guiding her sister through the dark terrain, while Victor and Jackson scouted ahead, ever vigilant.Their flight from the compromised safe house had been harrowing, and the reality of their situation was beginning to settle in. They were hunted, and the shadows that followed them were closing in fast. “Where are we going?” Amelia whispered, her voice trembling.Victor turned back briefly, his eyes scanning the area before answering. “There’s another safe house, deeper in the forest. It’s isolated, not even Nikolai knows about it. We’ll be safe there—for a while.”Ashley’s mind raced. If Victor had a hidden safe house that even Nikolai Petrov didn’t know about, it meant one of two things: either Victor didn’t trust Nikolai, or he was smart enough to anticipate every possible betrayal. She hop
Ashley’s heart nearly stopped as Adonis stepped into the cabin, his presence filling the small space with a suffocating dread. His eyes, dark and cold, locked onto hers, and for a brief moment, the world around them ceased to exist. It was just the two of them, caught in a silent battle of wills.Victor and Jackson reacted instantly, their guns trained on Adonis, but he didn’t flinch. His calm, almost bored expression remained unchanged as if he expected nothing less.“Put the guns down,” Adonis ordered, his voice carrying a deadly calm that sent a shiver down Ashley’s spine.Victor hesitated, his finger hovering over the trigger. But Adonis’s eyes never left Ashley, a silent message passing between them.“If you think I’m letting her go, you’re mistaken,” Victor said, his voice hard and unyielding. “You’ve lost, Adonis. It’s over.”Adonis’s lips curled into a smirk, a dark amusement in his eyes. “You think this is over?” His gaze shifted to Victor, his expression turning icy. “This i
The night was long and unforgiving as Ashley cradled Amelia’s lifeless body. The world around her seemed to blur, the weight of her grief pressing down on her chest until it was hard to breathe. Amelia’s blood stained Ashley’s hands, a cruel reminder of the life that had just slipped through her fingers.In the distance, the sound of approaching sirens pierced the night, but it was too late. Too late to save Amelia, too late to undo the horror that had just unfolded. Ashley’s tears mixed with the blood on her hands as she rocked back and forth, whispering words of comfort that her sister could no longer hear.“I’m so sorry, Amelia. I’m so sorry.”But no apology could bring her back.Victor and Jackson, bruised and battered, had been forced to watch in helpless silence as Adonis took everything from Ashley. Now, as the law enforcement vehicles pulled up to the cabin, they moved quickly, trying to help Ashley to her feet. But she was numb to their touch, numb to the world around her.“A
Ashley sat in the backseat of the SUV as it wound its way through the dense forest. Her thoughts drifted between the unbearable pain of losing Amelia and the seething rage she harbored toward Adonis. Every passing second was a reminder of what she had lost, but also of the mission that now consumed her entirely. She clenched her fists, feeling the raw skin under her nails, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm inside her.Jackson drove in silence, casting worried glances at her through the rearview mirror. He knew Ashley was on the edge—her grief was a fire, and the flames of revenge were pushing her further into a dangerous, unpredictable place. Victor sat in the passenger seat, his mind busy formulating a plan, trying to keep them all alive. But the silence was heavy, filled with everything that hadn’t been said yet.The SUV veered off the main road, bouncing along a narrow, overgrown trail that led to the cabin Jackson had mentioned. As they approached, the dense
Ashley watched the sun rise from the front porch of the cabin, its warm, golden rays filtering through the dense trees. The soft chirping of birds was a stark contrast to the violence and chaos swirling in her mind. She felt a strange sense of calm, almost as if her body knew this was the quiet before everything fell apart. The peace of the forest was deceptive, a fragile illusion that she knew could be shattered at any moment.Her thoughts drifted back to Amelia—her sister, her confidante, and the one person who had always stood by her side. The image of Amelia’s lifeless body haunted her relentlessly, pushing her deeper into her own anguish. How had everything gone so horribly wrong? She had come to this world of darkness and deceit to save her sister, only to lose her in the most tragic way possible.But as painful as it was, Ashley knew she couldn’t afford to lose herself in grief. Amelia would have wanted her to keep fighting, to stay strong and see this through to the end. Adoni
Ashley’s hands trembled as she gripped her phone, her heart pounding in her chest as Adonis's message blazed on the screen. The threat was chilling in its simplicity. He knew where she was, and he was coming for her.A dozen questions raced through her mind—how had he found them, and how long before he arrived? Was he already nearby, or was this just a scare tactic to shake her up before the final confrontation? Either way, Ashley knew she couldn’t afford to let her emotions take over. She had to stay calm, had to think clearly.She quickly turned off her phone, her mind calculating her next move. Victor and Jackson were in the other room, oblivious to the danger that was closing in on them. Should she tell them now? Should she warn them and risk throwing the entire plan into chaos?For a moment, she considered keeping the information to herself, but the thought quickly dissolved. There was no time for second-guessing. They needed to know. The element of surprise was gone—Adonis had t
The cold night air felt like ice against Ashley’s skin as she crouched beneath the shattered window, her body pressed low to the floor. The gunfire had stopped, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Her heart raced as the sinister laugh echoed through the night—a sound she knew all too well.Adonis was out there. His men were closing in. And she had no idea how long they could hold out.Victor, his face a mask of grim determination, shifted closer to her, his eyes scanning the treeline for any sign of movement. Jackson crouched near the door, gripping his rifle tightly, ready for the next wave. They were outnumbered, that much was clear. Adonis’s men were moving with precision, like hunters circling their prey.“We don’t have much time,” Victor muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper. “We need to fall back, regroup, and figure out a way to flank them. If we stay pinned here, it’s only a matter of time before they overrun us.”Ashley nodded
Ashley’s pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out every sound around her. Her finger rested against the cold steel of the trigger, trembling with a mix of rage and hesitation. Adonis stood in front of her, the smirk on his lips infuriating, challenging. Every instinct screamed at her to end it now, to pull the trigger and finish what he had started all those years ago.But she couldn’t. Not yet.“Ashley,” his voice was low, smooth, a predator taunting its prey. “What are you waiting for? You’ve wanted this moment for so long. So, do it. Shoot me.”Her hand shook, and the weight of the gun seemed heavier than ever before. Her body was rigid, every muscle tensed as though waiting for permission to release the fury burning inside her. But beneath the anger, there was something else—a deep, confusing ache that kept her from pulling the trigger.“You deserve this,” she hissed, her voice tight, choking on the emotion swelling in her chest. “After everything you’ve done to me, after what you