My heart pounded against my ribcage as I stared at the closed door of my prison cell. I had less than an hour to come up with a magical idea of how to get out of this situation. Signing any kind of confession while being threatened was an act of extortion. Did Ricardson seriously think I would repeat those lies later in the courtroom? There had to be a solution that didn't include me surviving gruesome torture. I had to focus…My eyes instantly drifted to the small window with bars right by the ceiling. My cell was on the basement level, so I assumed the window should be right above the ground. It was small, but I should be able to slip through if I managed to open it. The bars securing it looked a little rusty. What was the chance they could be removed? Unfortunately, I would have to climb to the damn window just to check my theory.Drawing a deep breath, I scanned the wall below the window and noticed a few dips and bumps. An idea appeared in an instant. Perhaps I could use the uneve
KILLIANNormally, I wouldn't have willingly dragged my ass to a place that could easily become a raging battlefield. I would have left it all for Gunner and his team to solve, but this was different. This was too personal to be left for someone else to handle.“Are you sure you're coming with us?” Gunner had asked while gathering his team. “I mean, I know you can shoot and fight as well as any of my men, but...”“They took her from me. I will watch them pay for it,” I'd told him then, and from that moment on, the determination to make it happen kept growing.The red dot pointed at an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere—a perfect place for doing despicable things without being seen or heard. Knowing that Josie had been taken there was enough for my guts to twist. My fears and rage formed a feral mixture, and I already felt sorry for the asshole who would do something to push me off the edge.I wanted blood. Never in my entire life had I felt such a need for violence. Looking at
JOSIEFrom that night on, Killian turned from acting like a caring boyfriend to an overprotective parent. He asked me how I felt at least a hundred times a day and forbade me from going to work. Thankfully, there was nearly nothing left for me to do before the app's official launch, and I could fix the few remaining issues remotely while sitting in Killian's bedroom. And yes, I said KILLIAN's bedroom.He wanted me close until I fully recovered. Certainly, repeating over and over again that I was fine had zero effect on him. I cursed him and called him overbearing, but a part of me enjoyed his unreasonable protectiveness. Something had changed between us. I had seen it in his eyes that night. I'd seen all the fears tensing his muscles and the soothing relief when he'd realized I hadn't been seriously harmed.Later, he kept repeating that he should have done more to protect me. I had told him again and again that none of that had been his fault, but even after a few days, I still saw a f
KILLIANHappy App's popularity exceeded my expectations tenfold. It had over one million downloads on the day of the official launch, and that number kept growing. Mia Sunshine's followers helped a lot in that department. Even though the night Josie had done that livestream with Mia was certainly the night I would gladly erase from my memory, nothing could change the fact that this was the factor that made the news about the Happy App go viral.Two days after the official launch, our Sales Department received hundreds of phone calls from companies more than willing to join the Happy Club and place special offers for the Happy App's users. Everyone seemed ecstatic about it—well, everyone except for Michael Kearn. From what I heard, he had tried to cause trouble before, but Josie had somehow managed to put him back in his place. Now he was infuriated enough to demand an immediate meeting with me. I happily obliged.“Director Kearn,” I greeted him, smiling. “What brings you to my office
JOSIEA dumb smile stretched my lips, and I couldn't get rid of it no matter how hard I tried. People actually fell in love with our Happy App. I had never dared hope for such a reaction, but now this was our reality. Certainly, that gave us an insane amount of work, but no one complained. Especially not when we all received a special bonus for our work, courtesy of the CEO...“Wow…” Ashley blew out a slow breath as she opened her bank app to check her account. “I've never seen that many zeros here. I'm not sure I know how to pronounce it right.”“I can help you with that,” Mancy offered. “It's pronounced ‘fabulous shopping and a vacation on an exotic island’.”“Mine is called ‘house renovation’,” Kei interjected. “My apartment is almost falling apart, but with this money... Damn. I will finally have a place where I can invite girls with no shame.”“How about you, Martin?” Mancy grinned, walking over to his desk.Martin's cheeks blushed. “I will buy my wife a wedding ring she deserves
The door slowly opened, revealing another, larger, and more luxurious hall. I stepped on the black, glittering marble floor and slowly looked around at the walls ornamented with silver and golden patterns and crystal chandeliers. Then my eyes drifted to the black and white leather sofas where the VIP guests of the restaurant were, mainly drinking, smoking cigars, and discussing all kinds of things I surely didn't want to know about.“Mr. Aslanov sits in the right corner of the room,” said the concierge, who suddenly materialized next to me. He pointed at the two sofas on the right and the gray-haired man in the black suit. The man looked like he could be in his late sixties, but the dark aura around him screamed not to underestimate him.I swallowed and slowly walked across the hall toward him. My heart hammered, threatening to burst through my ribcage, but I refused to show fear. I raised my chin and focused on my steps. My heels clanged each time I hit the marble with every step I t
Kaiden tightened his grip on my hand as he all but dragged me out of Chernaya Roza.“Kaiden, wait!” I could barely keep up with his pace, stumbling a few times in my high heels.“Not now,” he grunted, pulling me to the main hall.I saw Tony waiting for us by the exit. He didn't seem surprised when he saw Kaiden; what I noticed in his expression was more like relief. Kaiden pulled me toward the door, and Tony followed. None of us said a word until we were in the parking lot, a block away.Kaiden finally slowed down his pace and freed me of his grip. I looked at Tony's pale face and clenched jaw, and then at Kaiden, who paced back and forth in front of a black Porsche, most likely his.I drew a deep breath. “Kaiden, I'm grateful for what you've done back there, but... can you explain to me what actually happened? Why were you even there?”Kaiden stopped pacing and breathed out a laugh, one that lacked any humor. “You have no idea how fortunate you were tonight.”I glanced at Tony, but h
KILLIANNo decent words could describe what I felt after I learned about what had happened to Josie. I was supposed to spend the night in D.C. and return after the morning conference, but I canceled my plans and rushed back to New York.I was fucking furious. Murderous urges merrily danced in my head, filling it with all sorts of ideas. I had begun to debate whether I should call Gunner and end all those fuckers at Chernaya Roza. Yes, I was ready to start an open war with the Russian Mafia. One of them dared threaten my woman. Killing that fucker seemed like an appropriate response.Rage still hummed in my veins as I walked into my penthouse around three AM, but the need to see Josie unharmed turned out to be stronger than bloodthirst. I dropped my briefcase and documents in the salon and ran upstairs to my bedroom. The sight of her sleeping in my bed instantly silenced my inner storm.The relief drew air out of my lungs. I sat on the bed and brushed a few blond strands off her face. S
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