ELODIEI stood there in the middle of the room, my stomach churning, an unsettling feeling gnawing at me as I took in everything happening outside. The chaos unfolding before my eyes had the unmistakable scent of disaster, and deep down, I knew we had a hand in this. We were part of the storm that w
NICK“What, what were you thinking?” I hissed, my voice a mix of frustration and disbelief as I paced back and forth. I could feel my blood boiling in my veins. Luke had just told me that my mother, my mother, was out there acting like a teenager running after trouble. After those men. Did she think
“Will she be alright?” The words escaped me before I could stop them, soft and laced with more worry than I cared to admit.A smile crept across Luke’s lips, and it was that smile that made my insides churn. It was a proud smile, but there was something wrong with it. “Boy,” Luke said, his voice alm
OliviaI kept the mask of a brave face firmly in place, hiding the storm of emotions brewing within me. I had to; for my husband, Nick, and for Ethan, who seemed so unaware of the deep fear clawing at me. The reality was, though, that I was crumbling on the inside.It wasn’t just the men Nick and Lu
Olivia“Olivia! Where are you going? Can’t you hear the gunshots outside?” Marcus's voice was frantic, laced with desperation as it cut through the tense silence that had gripped the house. I didn’t have time to stop. I didn’t have time to explain. I was already halfway to the door, driven by a sing
And then, just when I thought I was losing my mind, I heard a voice. It came from behind me, faint but clear, cutting through the chaos.“Mam! We are here.”I whipped around, my heart leaping into my throat. There, partially hidden behind a large flowerpot near the entrance, I saw the guard, James.
ELODIE“How the hell did Luke train you? you are all such morons! How could you let them slip through your fingers like that, are you blind?” I was livid, they were supposed to be the best and yet I felt like I was dealing with armatures! When father was still alive, men like these died every day. T
I had no choice now. The call had to be made, and I would be the one to make it. There was no turning back. The weight of the decision pressed down on me, but I didn’t hesitate. This was part of the job now, the hard part. And if I was going to carry the weight of this family, this operation, then I
NICK“I am not sure why you are making such a noise when you said I didn’t have the stomach for something like this.” I was busy skinning him using a scalpel as if I were skinning an animal. To me, he was an animal.“Didn’t you mock me about it a few days ago?” I asked wiping the blood off the scalp
“Olivia!”I jumped slightly, startled out of my thoughts. My gaze snapped up, and there stood Marcus, his face lined with concern. He had been calling my name, but I hadn’t heard him. “What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice softer now but tinged with worry.I didn’t know how to respond. The wor
OLIVIAI sat in Samuel's room, my heart heavy with worry, torn between the fear for my son and the concern for my husband. The silence in the room was suffocating, the air thick with tension and uncertainty. My thoughts were consumed with what I had overheard during Marcus’s phone call with my fathe
LUKEI knew the pain, the anger, the frustration Nick was feeling all too well. It was a pain that echoed deep within me, a shadow I had carried for years. I had felt the same fury when I discovered that my father had sent people to torture Olivia while she was locked away in that hellhole of a pris
LUKEFrom the moment Nick grabbed the toolbox, something felt off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right about it, or about him. The way he handled it, the way he avoided making eye contact with me, it was all too strange. His behaviour was erratic, and I knew he was hiding someth
NICKI thought I could wait. I thought I could keep my anger in check, let my thirst for revenge simmer beneath the surface until we found all of Xander's men. But that phone call with Olivia had shattered whatever thin restraint I had managed to hold onto. How was I supposed to stay composed, to fe
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that this nightmare would end soon, that my family would be safe again. And in that moment, I allowed myself to hope for just a second. Because if I didn’t have hope, what did I have left?I glanced over at Samuel, curled up on the couch, his small body t
OLIVIAI couldn’t stand what was happening. My son, poor Samuel, was trying to sleep, but every time he would drift off, his small body would tense, and then he would wake up crying, his little chest heaving with fear. He was traumatized.I could see it in his eyes. He hadn’t done anything to deserv
NICKWhen I heard the news of the shootout at the house, my insides ran cold. I rushed out of the room and headed to where we kept Xander. I didn’t ask question when I got there. I woke him up with a kick on the ribs. He groaned in pained and his eyes flew open. Then I gave him a rain of punches unt