The sound of our footsteps pounding against the gravel mixed with the roar of engines still echoing behind us. My legs felt like they were made of lead, each step heavier than the last. But I couldn’t stop. Not now. Not with Marco and his men just behind us.“Keep going!” I yelled, my voice strained as I glanced back at Haines. He was struggling to keep up, his breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. His suit jacket was torn, and sweat plastered his hair to his forehead. He wasn’t built for this, and I could see it in every strained movement he made.I bit my lip, trying to fight the panic clawing its way up my throat. We were exposed out here, no cover, no way to hide. The train yard was too open, and the fence had barely slowed Marco’s men down. I could hear the screech of the SUVs grinding to a halt behind us as they made their way through the gap in the fence we had used to escape.We were running out of time.“There!” I pointed toward a line of old train cars, their rusted shel
The forest was eerily quiet, save for the sound of our footsteps crunching through the underbrush. The cold air stung my skin, but I barely felt it. All I could focus on was the way my legs burned from exhaustion, the sharp sting of branches that had scratched across my arms and face, and the constant, gnawing fear that Marco’s men were still close behind us.We had been running for what felt like hours, weaving through the trees, staying off any trails, trying to keep ourselves hidden. Every now and then, I’d glance back at Haines. He looked like he was on the verge of collapse, his face pale and streaked with sweat. But he didn’t complain. He kept moving, pushing himself beyond his limits.I admired his resilience, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Neither of us could keep this pace for much longer.“Let’s… let’s stop for a minute,” I said breathlessly, slowing my pace until I came to a stop near a large tree. I leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. My lungs felt like they were o
The night deepened, wrapping the forest in shadows as we moved through the trees, the air cold and biting. My breath came in ragged gasps, the exhaustion settling into my bones. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, but we couldn’t stop. Not with Marco so close. Not with every step we took feeling like it might be our last.Haines stumbled behind me, his footsteps heavy and uneven. I slowed down, turning to look at him. His face was pale, his eyes wide with fear. He was barely holding on.“We have to keep moving,” I whispered urgently, grabbing his arm to steady him.“I—I can’t,” he gasped, doubling over and clutching his knees. “I can’t keep up… I’m not built for this.”I clenched my jaw, knowing he was right. His breathing was labored, each inhale sounding more desperate than the last. I could see the exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He wasn’t used to runni
We made our way to the cabin, slipping inside through the broken door. The interior was dark and musty, the air thick with the smell of damp wood. It was small, just one room with an old, broken-down fireplace and a single window that had long since been shattered.Haines collapsed onto the floor, his body trembling with exhaustion. I leaned against the wall, my legs shaking as I tried to steady my breathing. The weight of everything we had been through pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. My mind was a whirlwind of fear and exhaustion, but for the first time in what felt like hours, we had a moment to catch our breath.The cabin was silent except for the sound of Haines’ ragged breathing. He was on the verge of collapse, and I couldn’t blame him. We were both pushed far beyond our limits.I glanced toward the broken window, my eyes scanning the forest beyond for any signs of movement. Marco was still out there, hunting us, and I knew he wouldn
The figure stood at the far end of the ravine, shrouded in darkness. My heart thudded in my chest, my breath catching as I squinted, trying to make out who—or what—was standing there. The figure didn’t move, just stood there, watching us. My pulse quickened. It wasn’t Marco. I would’ve recognized his sharp, calculated presence anywhere. But something about this person felt even more dangerous, like they were waiting for the right moment to strike.Haines took a step back, his hand gripping my arm. “Who is that?” he whispered, his voice trembling with fear.“I don’t know,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, but I knew one thing for certain: this wasn’t a good sign. Whoever they were, they weren’t here to help us.The figure moved forward slowly, their steps deliberate and measured. As they stepped out of the shadows, the faint moonlight illuminated their face. It was a man, tall and broad-shouldered, with a calm, almost casual expression on his face. His eyes, though—there was somethi
The tension between them was palpable, and I could feel the man’s indecision in the way he shifted his weight. He wasn’t sure what to do, and that gave me just enough time.With a burst of adrenaline, I twisted beneath him, bringing my knee up and slamming it into his side. He grunted in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to slip free.I scrambled to my feet, backing away from both men, my heart pounding in my chest.Marco watched me for a moment, then turned his attention back to the man. “You should leave while you can.”The man sneered, clearly unhappy with the turn of events, but he knew he was outmatched. He gave me one last look—cold and full of promise—before he turned and disappeared into the shadows.I stood there, panting, my body trembling with fear and exhaustion as I watched him go. Marco remained where he was, his expression still unreadable.Finally, he turned to me, his voice low.
I ran, the forest blurring around me, branches tearing at my skin, and every breath a sharp, jagged reminder that I couldn’t stop. Marco’s footsteps crashed through the trees behind me, relentless and unforgiving. I had no sense of direction anymore—only the pounding rhythm of my heartbeat and the desperate drive to stay ahead of him.The cold air stung my lungs as I pushed harder, my legs burning with exhaustion. I could barely hear anything over the blood rushing in my ears, but Marco’s voice cut through it all.“Elena!” he shouted, his voice laced with fury. “You think you can outrun me? You’re only making this worse!”The rage in his voice sent a chill down my spine, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Haines had run, and I could only hope he was far enough away now. He wasn’t built for this, but maybe… just maybe he had gotten out. And if Marco was chasing me, it meant he wasn’t
We ran, the forest closing in around us, the branches tearing at my skin, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Every step was a desperate attempt to stay ahead, to keep moving. Marco’s footsteps weren’t far behind, and even though his voice had faded into the distance, I could still feel him closing in.Haines stumbled next to me, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He wasn’t built for this. He’d always been someone who thrived in quiet spaces, far from danger, and now, here we were, running for our lives. I wanted to shout at him to keep going, to push through the exhaustion, but I could feel his strength fading. We couldn’t last much longer.“Elena…” Haines wheezed, grabbing my arm for support. “I—I can’t keep up.”I glanced at him, the moonlight catching the lines of fear etched into his face. His legs were trembling, his chest heaving. I knew if we kept pushing him, he’d coll
Antonio's cold gaze stayed locked on me, his stance still as stone. His eyes were bottomless pits in the fading light, revealing nothing yet conveying everything. The shadows from the setting sun cast half his face in darkness, the other half illuminated in harsh relief, emphasizing the sharp angles of his features—the prominent cheekbones, the rigid jaw, the hawkish nose. Not a muscle twitched in his face, not a flicker of emotion crossed those granite features. In that moment, he seemed more statue than man, carved from some unyielding material that knew neither mercy nor fatigue. The silence between us stretched, elastic and dangerous, weighted with unspoken threats and consequences.I could see it in his eyes—he wasn't going to let this go. There was calculation there, cold and precise, as he measured my defiance against his authority. In all my weeks of training, I had never directly challenged him like this. I had pushed back in small ways, had questioned ce
My steps faltered, my legs barely obeying me anymore. Each movement was a battle, a negotiation between mind and muscle, will and exhaustion. My feet, once sure and steady, now dragged against the gravel track, catching on the uneven surface. My ankles rolled, threatening to give way entirely. I stumbled, catching myself at the last moment, the jarring impact sending a fresh wave of pain through my already agonized body. The rhythm I had maintained for hours—the mechanical, mindless pattern of one foot after another—was breaking down.The world around me felt distant, blurred at the edges like a painting smeared by rough hands. Colors ran together, shapes lost their definition. The trees that ringed the training grounds had become dark smudges against a bleeding sky. The compound buildings in the distance wavered like a mirage, like something I had conjured from memory rather than something real and solid. My senses were shutting down one by one, self-preservation
Two days. Forty-eight hours. That was the deadline I had given him. That was how long I told Marco he had to get Dante back here."Tell Dante he has 48 hours to return, or he won't like the consequences."I had said it with every ounce of defiance I had left. Standing in that kitchen, coffee forgotten, eyes locked with Marco's, I had felt powerful. Dangerous. I had stood tall, voice unwavering, willing to challenge the very man who had kept me caged in this world. In that moment, I had believed my own bluff—believed that I could create the kind of chaos that would force Dante's hand, that would make him acknowledge my existence again. The marble countertop had been cool beneath my fingertips as I leaned forward, my reflection fractured in Marco's dark, unreadable eyes. Something had shifted between us in that moment—a balance of power tilting ever so slightly.But now—now that time had passed—doubt crept in, insidious and persistent.
I had asked Marco so many times. Where is Dante? Why is he avoiding me? When is he coming back? And every single time, Marco gave me the same damn answer: "He's busy." Or worse—"He's dealing with the chaos you created."The first time he said it, I had laughed bitterly, thinking he was just trying to get under my skin. A cruel joke meant to make me squirm. I'd rolled my eyes and walked away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing how deeply his words cut. But the second time? The third? The tenth? I realized he meant it. Every syllable dripped with conviction. There was no mockery in his eyes, no twisted pleasure in delivering his twisted lies—just cold certainty. He truly believed that this was my fault. That Dante was busy cleaning up my mess.And that—that made me furious.How the hell was this my fault? What had I done? I had simply asked for the truth. I had demanded answers that were rightfully mine. I deserved to know what I had
It has been a month. A full month since the last time I saw Dante. I stood at the window of my room, staring out at the sprawling estate grounds without really seeing them, my mind caught in the same loop of thoughts that had plagued me for thirty unbearable days. A month since he pinned me against the wall, his body a cage of barely contained violence, his fingers digging into my wrists with enough force to leave marks that lingered for days afterward. A month since his voice dripped with barely contained fury as he demanded answers from me, questions about Alexandro, about the dance, about whispered words that weren't nearly as significant as Dante had made them out to be.A month since he vanished.Not physically, of course. I knew he was here, somewhere within these walls. The mansion was large, but not large enough for him to disappear completely. Occasionally I would hear his voice echoing down corridors, catch glimpses of his security detail moving with purpose,
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, the sound harsh and unfamiliar even to my own ears. I was fucking losing it. All the control I prided myself on, all the calculated coldness that had seen me rise through the ranks to where I stood now—it was crumbling under the weight of emotions I couldn't name, couldn't understand, couldn't control.Before I could stop myself, I reached for the nearest object—a crystal tumbler left on the desk, the remnants of whiskey still coating the bottom. I threw it. Hard. My arm moved with all the force of my rage behind it, the glass leaving my hand like a missile seeking a target.The impact was violent, explosive, satisfying in a primal way nothing else had been since I witnessed Alexandro's hands on her. The glass shattered against the wall, shards scattering across the floor like tiny, glittering knives, each one reflecting the dim light of the room. The sound echoed through the space, a culmination of the violence build
I stormed into my room, my steps heavy and unforgiving, each footfall a thunderous declaration of the fury coursing through my veins. The rage inside me burned like wildfire, threatening to consume everything in its path, reducing my carefully constructed control to ashes. My heart hammered against my ribcage, the sound deafening in my ears.The second I stepped inside, I slammed the door shut behind me. Hard. The impact rattled the walls, the sound echoing through the vast, empty space like a gunshot in the dead of night. The heavy mahogany vibrated from the force, the hinges straining against the sudden violence. But it did nothing—absolutely nothing—to ease the storm brewing inside me. If anything, it only intensified the hurricane of emotions threatening to tear me apart from the inside out.My chest rose and fell too fast, my breathing uneven, almost ragged, as if I'd run miles instead of simply walking away from her. Each breath burned in my l
I ran after him, reached for his arm, and grabbed him. My fingers closed around the fabric of his sleeve, the solid muscle of his forearm beneath. The contact was electric, a connection forced when he had made every effort to maintain distance. I pulled, forcing him to stop, to acknowledge me, to face what he was trying so hard to avoid."I want answers. Right now." The words burst from me, raw and demanding, brooking no refusal. There was no room for compromise in them, no space for negotiation or delay. They hung in the air between us, a gauntlet thrown down, a challenge issued that could not be withdrawn.And that was when everything shattered.The moment my fingers tightened around his sleeve, I knew I had pushed too far. Dante stopped. Abruptly. Too fast. My momentum carried me forward another half-step before I registered the sudden stillness in him—a dangerous stillness that made the air around us feel electrified.Before I could
My heart was pounding in my chest, my breath unsteady, but I forced my legs to move, pushing forward, running after him. Each beat seemed to echo through my entire body, a drumbeat of determination that drowned out the whispers of caution. The gravel crunched beneath my heels as I hurried up the steps, the sound jarringly loud in the quiet night. My lungs burned with the effort, with the fear, with the desperation that propelled me forward despite every warning sign telling me to stop, to wait, to retreat."Dante!" My voice echoed through the grand foyer, bouncing off marble floors and high ceilings. The sound was smaller than I'd intended, more pleading than demanding. It betrayed the uncertainty beneath my resolve, the fear that tangled with my need for answers.He didn't stop. The straight line of his back remained unbroken, his stride unfaltering as he moved down the long corridor toward his study. The place where secrets lived, where truths were locked awa