“Breathe, just breathe, Josie,” I muttered as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. This was not how I imagined a rescue mission, not that I had a particular idea of what rescue missions should have looked like. Yet, certainly, going out in full evening makeup, carefully styled hair, a long gown, and high-heel stilettos would have never been taken into consideration.“Trust me. The less they suspect, the better,” Kaiden had said after describing his plan.We needed a believable excuse to leave the residence, and a date at one of the best Hong Kong restaurants seemed perfect for that. Surely, Yan Hao would send a car to follow us and check where we were headed, but dressing up would not raise too many alerts. I didn't like this, especially the heels. I could barely walk wearing them, and in case we'd have to run...“Don't worry too much,” Kaiden muttered as he stood behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Everything is planned. We will stop in front of Yichen's apartment bui
“I told him... to trust me,” was all I was able to choke out as a thick stream of tears covered my face.Kaiden shifted, shielding me from the horrific sight. “It's not your fault,” he whispered, cupping my face and forcing me to look at him. “None of it is your fault.”I sucked in a ragged breath and wiped my tears away. In the corner of the room, I spotted two bags—his packed belongings. He was waiting for us, and we... we'd shown up too late.Careful not to leave any trails or bloodied footprints, Kaiden stepped around the body. Then he crouched down and touched Yichen's skin. “The body's turning cold. He's been most likely dead for a while.”My heart rose to my throat. “No… that's… that's impossible.” I stared at Kaiden, shaking my head. “H-he texted me back. He replied…”“Josie…” Kaiden sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Anyone could send this text. They most likely took Yichen's phone, and—” His words drowned in the violent roar of police sirens.Our heads snapped towar
KILLIANEstelle and I were heading back to the residence after a rather silent so-called date. Yet another thing to keep some goddamned pretenses, to show our faces in public—together, as a couple. I was against this whole shit, but Estelle begged me—yes, literally begged me—to do it. She half-suggested there might have been consequences for her had she failed to convince me.An emotional blackmail, one I was utterly aware of, but I was also aware there was some truth to her words. As much as I hated this whole situation, I wouldn't want to be the reason she or her mother suffered. Then again, the thought of this fucking tyrant raising his hand on a weak woman made my blood boil. I promised myself I would make Yan Hao taste the exact pain he had caused. Soon.I glanced at my watch and blew out a slow breath, trying to calm down and failing. There was a reason my dinner with Estelle had been filled with silence. Of course, I had no pleasure in conversing with her, but we hadn't talked
I saw several guards look at me with a certain dose of disbelief as I strode through the courtyard, heading to the main gate. Luckily, none of them was foolish enough to try to stop me. Then again, they didn't try because they didn't receive an order, and I was certain my every step toward the gate had been noted and would be included in the report they'd give Yan Hao.And yet, I met the guards' gazes in a silent challenge as I walked forward. I was done. Gunner had learned of the existence of undeniable evidence. A man swore he had footage proving that Yan Hao had committed murder—an execution performed on American soil. Had Gunner found it, we could have set a perfect trap for Yan Hao, sending him to prison for the rest of his life. Yet, if I confirmed that the fuckers trying to kill Josie and Kaiden had been sent by Yan Hao, I would rather kill him with my bare hands.A black Porsche stopped in front of the gate, a grinning Asian stepping out. “Killian! Long time no see!” He spread
JOSIEI must have dozed off, and when I woke up, I was freezing. Trembling, I rose to my feet and reached for my phone. The battery died. “Oh, come on!” I whisper-hissed, angrily pressing the button as if it could miraculously bring the battery back to life.Cursing under my breath, I put the phone back into my purse and drew a deep breath. I needed to focus. Kaiden had told me he would come looking for me. What if he was here while I was asleep?Chills ran down my spine, but I quickly shoved that thought again. I would have never fallen into a deep sleep in such a place. The slightest noise would have woken me up... So was Kaiden still looking for me in other buildings? Or had his condition worsened? He had tried to convince me it hadn't been a serious wound, but I thought otherwise. Now I could only hope it wasn't as bad as I believed...I stepped toward the window; it was still dark outside with no signs of dawning. That meant I couldn't have slept more than an hour, maybe two. Per
I wrapped my arms around Killian's waist and inhaled his scent, slightly mixed with gunpowder. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and for a moment, nothing mattered—nothing aside from him, his scent, and his touch. “I heard... shots,” I whispered, leaning my head back to face him.“I killed that fucker,” he murmured.A chill ran down my spine. He said one... I swallowed hard. “There were two,” I breathed out, stepping back. “This other one—”I didn't get to finish as the sound of quick steps echoed from the side of the nearby stairs. “Fuck,” Killian let out a low growl, pushing me behind him as he reached for his gun. Then he motioned his chin at the nearest door. It most likely led to some technical room. “Hide there,” he whispered.I didn't have time to argue as the other man ran into the corridor, shooting. Killian aimed his gun at him and fired before grabbing my hand and hauling me into the room. He stopped on the threshold, shoving me further inside. “Stay there and don't move!” he
The more time I spent here, the more I found Gunner's cottage house ideal. I had even found women's cosmetics in the bathroom, and I had been more than glad to use them to scrub off the layers of dust, dirt, and blood.Once I finished taking a long shower, I slid into a far-too-large man's shirt Killian had found for me to wear. With my merely towel-dried hair, I walked through the bright wooden corridor, leading to the master bedroom. When I entered, I found Killian sitting on the bed. I closed the door behind me and walked over to him, slowly taking in his bare chest and abdominal muscles. He had nothing but a small towel wrapped around his hips to cover his glorious, now clean, body.“Come here.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me down to sit beside him. A smile appeared, one I hadn't seen for a while. He looked relaxed as if he had gotten rid of some devastating burden.I studied him. “Is it safe to be here? I mean… I know this place has the best security there is, but... is it OK
“Say that again,” I whispered, nuzzling Killian's bare chest.He kissed the crown of my head. “I love you.” His arms moved up and down, his fingers grazing my back. “I should have said it sooner... I don't even know why it took me so long.”“We both should have said it sooner,” I murmured, lifting my head to meet his gorgeous green eyes. “I've known how I feel about you for a long time.”“Now you say it.” His arms tightened around me, pressing me against his firm, sculptured body.“I love you.” My voice trembled as if the mass of emotions hidden in those words was too enormous to turn into a sound.He gave me one of his breathtaking smiles and kissed me. My lips were dreadfully swollen, but I didn't care. I wouldn't mind staying like this—in this bed and in his arms—for the rest of my life. I couldn't have been more grateful for this temporary bliss, a distraction from what was coming.I knew that once we left this cottage house, we would return to pretending. Just two more days of ly
Four Years LaterYan Hao, Estelle, and Isabelle had become nothing more than a bad memory. Lou Zichen had been quickly convicted and sent to prison. Estelle and Isabelle landed behind bars six months later. The remains of Yan Hao's army and all his collaborators had been caught one by one. Special Agent Brooks made sure they all ended where they belonged. As if sensing there was no more danger around us, Aria, our beautiful daughter, was born a day after the final trial ended.My once filled with dread and nightmares life had become nearly blissful. Certainly, large areas had needed to be rebuilt, but Killian and I had pieced it back together. I had never returned to Blair Digital. After a year, Blair Digital merged with Tony's company, becoming Blair & Melton Interactive. Killian and Kaiden had recreated the Blair Consortium, making it twice as profitable as before. Of course, they both had wanted me to work for the consortium, assuring me I would find a place there. I'd refused. Inst
Killian didn't like my decision. He'd spent hours trying to make me change my mind, but I knew that this was the only way to end this. Since my leading doctor refused to let me out of the hospital, my team moved into my room, computers and other tech gear included. Killian brought me a laptop table so I could work while lying in bed. Well, at least I wasn't breaking the doctor's orders, not entirely.In two days, we managed to add over fifty more locations to the Eye. We focused on private airports, harbors, and train stations. Then we slowly began to plug as many traffic cameras as we could. The area watched by the Eye extended its range with every second, but it still wasn't enough to find Yan Hao.“Ryuu should have helped us search for his former boss,” Ashley grunted, her eyes locked on the computer screen.I let out a long sigh. “Ryuu has done enough. I cannot blame him that he took his mother and left. Now they can be family again.”Ashley shook her head. “Still, he should have—
JOSIEHe had come for me. He had found me. I remembered his lips on mine. I remembered a vague smile curving his lips. I remembered my voice cracking. I remembered the tears mixed with laughter… Then the sounds and images became blurry. Killian's voice softened and faded.I must have fainted afterward.Returning to awareness was followed by the pain. It pulsed through different parts of my body, but it didn't bother me that much. Perhaps I owed it to painkillers, or perhaps I felt that way because I knew I was safe.Despite the ache, my lips curled up slightly as I opened my eyes. I was lying in bed—a hospital bed—covered with soft sheets. A drip was connected to my arm, most likely the reason the pain I felt was almost acceptable. But none of that put a smile on my face or filled my chest with warmth. Killian's touch did it.He was sitting by my bed, his hand holding mine. His head rested next to our joined hands, his eyes closed. I slowly rose to sit, carefully not to move my hand o
After carefully analyzing the route and comparing it with the plans Tony had found before, we continued through the woods according to Ryuu's instructions. We climbed a small hill and finally saw it—a ten-foot-tall barbed wire fence with watch towers.“Son of a bitch,” Kaiden breathed out as his eyes took in the ridiculously well-guarded facility. “I've seen prisons with less security.”My lips formed a thin line. “Well, now we know for sure that the tunnels are the only way in.”I contacted Gunner and the rest of the groups searching other areas, informing them of what we found. I looked at my watch, and my stomach churned. We had less than twenty minutes, and that was only if Yan Hao decided to stick to his own rules. A part of me knew he might choose to kill Josie sooner...My chest tightened at the thought. I needed to get inside. I needed to find her. Now. “How long until you get here?” A low growl rang in my tone.“Three minutes,” Gunner replied, panting. I knew that he was prob
KILLIANThree Hours EarlierThe Happy App, Josie's creation, no longer existed. Yan Hao must have gotten desperate to get money, and he most likely forced some poor bastard to hack the system, using all means necessary. As Ashley and Kei explained to me, the hacker had entered the system thanks to a small device planted in the server room. Of course, that meant someone from Yan Hao's army must have broken into Blair Digital... I made a mental note to fire the head of security upon hearing the news.This attack might have ended in a huge disaster. I didn't even want to imagine the chaos such a monstrous leak of data could have caused. Certainly, Josie had created a drastic solution in case everything went south. She anticipated the worst scenario. She might have sacrificed her dearest creation, but she sure as fuck saved the entire company.I loved her for it... and for many other reasons... and perhaps a few more I still couldn't remember. Now I could only hope the rest of my memories
My body began to rattle as I stared at Ryuu. Again, his expression was unreadable. Was it just a part of an act, an improvised solution, or did he decide not to respect the deal we made?“You bastard,” I breathed out.Ryuu responded with a cold smirk. “We both know Killian will do anything to have you both back... alive. Let's make him hope he'll get to see you again.”Yan Hao looked at me before bursting into cold, disgusting laughter. “Then should we let history repeat itself? Should I let him pay a generous amount of money before slitting your throat? It would be quite poetic, don't you think? Like father like son. Maxwell Blair thought he was saving his brother... I bet that his son will pay just as eagerly.”A shudder rushed through my body, and my eyes filled with tears. I didn't even know if Killian was conscious. They didn't know that either. Then again, this was a way to buy more time. If Yan Hao wanted Killian's money, he would need to wait for his answer, probably send proo
JOSIEI tried not to think about what was happening on the upper floors. I tried not to think about that arrogant hacker or that the Happy App might no longer exist had he decided to break into our system. Instead, I tried to make those hours count. I talked to Mrs. Satoh, slowly establishing her condition and if there was a chance either of us could escape her cell. The good news was that she wasn't cuffed or otherwise restrained; the bad news was that she had already tried everything, scaling the wall to find a single loose rock included. Well… shit.“So you've been talking to my son?” Mrs. Satoh's voice cracked slightly. “I haven't seen him for more than three years…”My chest tightened. “How long has Yan Hao held you captive?”“I lost track of time,” she murmured. “But I wasn't always locked in a cell like this. Sometimes, I was given a nice room. I was fed well too. My conditions changed depending on…” She trailed off, but I knew what she was about to say.“Depending on Ryuu's ob
KILLIANI stared at the large map displayed on the wall-size screen. The red dots marked the places where Yan Hao's men were recently seen—the possible places where they gathered. We had today's war meeting at Gunner's base, in his office. The base, seldom occupied by more than twenty people at a time, was currently filled with more than two hundred. We all could sense that Yan Hao had been preparing for his final strike, and we had to make sure we could respond to whatever he came up with.The door opened, and Samuel Brooks entered the room. The FBI agent gave Gunner, Kaiden, and me a tight smile before walking over to the map and stopping beside me. “Good to see you alive and well,” he muttered by way of greeting.“Good to be alive.” I smiled wryly.Gunner rose from his chair behind the desk and stepped toward us. “I hope you left your badge outside like I told you to, Brooks,” he warned, giving the agent a firm stare. “If you're not certain whether you'd like to be part of this, be
“What do we do now?” I choked out when Ryuu finally opened the bathroom to let me out.“We need to go.” He grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the door.Panic surged in an instant. “I can't! I don't even know if the encrypted message passed! I didn't find your mother either!”Ryuu grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “We don't have more time. If I don't bring you to Yan Hao now, we're both as good as dead.”I sucked in an uneven breath, ineptly trying to calm down and failing. “So... what will happen now?” I finally managed.He exhaled slowly and looked me up and down. “You'll have to lie, and you'll have to be very convincing. You'll have to put on your best act, as if your life depends on it because it will.”I swallowed a thick knot in my throat. “Tell me what to do,” I breathed out.“First of all, you'll have to act like you're disoriented,” he said. “A few people saw me when I carried you here. You'll have to pretend as if you were unconscious most of the t