Jordan’s POV “Who was that?” I asked Sierra as soon as she dropped her phone. She watched me carefully, probably trying to predict what I’ll do next. I refused to give in to her soft demeanor as I reacted with a cold look of my own. Patiently waiting for her to answer, I flex my arms repeatedly and fix my gaze in her direction. She muttered under her breath, an act I’m certain is an attempt to stall. I arch my eyebrow and glare at her, daring her to lie to me. “That was a news reporter, Jordan. From Sky News. He called because he wants to help clean up your mess.” She retorted, rolling her eyes. “Don’t sass me, woman. Show me the number.” I fired calmly but with a hint of annoyance. “Yeah, right! The Almighty Jordan is back. Why not channel this same energy to your rivals and to those who have been saying shit about you and our marriage!” She yelled at me while poking her pinkie finger in my chest. I would have thought that was a cute attempt at stopping me from going close t
Sierra’s POV Jordan must have slipped out when my body hit the bed because when I woke up, he was nowhere in sight. I went downstairs to fix myself a light meal. I was so caught up in Jordan’s business that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I noticed there was a different bodyguard standing outside our bedroom and I recognized him as one of Andrew’s boys. As I turned to ask him where Andrew was, I received a text message from Jordan. "I’m taking you out on a date tonight. Look pretty for me, will you?" Love, Your husband. I quickly texted him back: “Your wish is my command, my husband.” Love, Your wife. I dropped my phone on the kitchen counter and set out to make my favourite food, pasta. Jordan and I seriously need to talk about setting up a meal structure in the house and maybe getting ourselves a chef or two. When the food was ready, I served myself some pasta and a glass of orange juice. One of the bodyguards who’s usually stationed outside walked into
Jordan’s POV After getting the answers I needed from the Samuel guy, I knew I had to start making plans to put my brother in his place. I shot Samuel in the knee and had my men take him to the ER. You didn’t think I was going to let him go scot free, did you? He messed with my wife. Surely, Dominic gave him the guts to call her and threaten her, but he could have refused. Plus, if I was going to make a statement and prove to Crystal Bay that I hadn’t gone weak, it was best to start by teaching these street sleazy bags a lesson. “Did you get the video?” I ask Andrew “Yes, boss.” “Good,” I nodded in response. After the interrogation session with Samuel, I had Andrew record a video of the poor boy revealing who sent him to call my wife and why. I was going to take my time to destroy Dominic if he didn’t back off. I stop walking when I hear my phone beep. Sierra’s response to my text message makes me smile. That’s my girl. It’s intriguing how she doesn’t really need t
Jordan’s POV The only thing between me and the driver of the trailer was a barrier made out of glass. I couldn’t make out the number of people in the trailer, but I was sure it wouldn’t be more than two people. That is, the driver and someone else on the passenger side. The back of the trailer was consumed by darkness. No normal person would be able to move around or see anything in such pitch blackness. But I wasn’t normal. Nothing about me is normal. I’ve been trained to adapt to any situation. So, I wasn’t surprised when I got out of my car without the driver noticing. The trailer was going faster now. I reached for my gun and sighed in relief when I discovered I still had it on me. From where I was, I aimed for the driver’s head through the glass and fired as soon as I got a shot. The glass shattered into shards, such that there was nothing between us anymore. The driver died instantly, causing the man on the passenger side to start throwing fits of panic. Confused betwee
Sierra’s POV The day after Jordan stood me up, Dominic came over to check on me. No, he didn’t tell me he was coming, which was a classic Dominic move, but my bodyguards weren’t having it. When I got downstairs, I saw Dominic threatening to blow Andrew’s brains out if he didn’t let him into the house. It wasn’t until I signaled to Andrew that he let Dominic through. Intentionally, Dominic bumped into Andrew as he passed him and made his way towards me. “Aren’t you gentlemanly this morning?” I said sarcastically. Dominic half-smiled at me and revealed some flowers and bags he had been hiding behind him. That was when I noticed he actually came bringing gifts. I looked at him suspiciously before asking, “Are those for me?” “What do you think? Beautiful presents for a beautiful lady.” “I wonder what Jordan would think when he finds out that his brother is buying me gifts.” I eyed him playfully. “Oh, please. It’s nothing serious. I’ve come to apologize for my behaviour la
Sierra’s POVAfter the weird lady left, Dominic came back and dragged me with him to the dance floor, but that was after I slid the note into my bag. I decided to let loose and have some fun. As we danced together, we had more and more drinks until Andrew came and muttered something to Dominic, spoiling the fun.For the first time ever, Dominic listened to Andrew and allowed him to lead me outside to the car with Dominic trailing behind us. After fixing my seatbelt in place, I turned to wave at Dominic. He gave me a grin and kissed me on the cheek. The following morning, I woke up with a banging headache. Thank goodness I usually sleep with a bottle of water on my bedside. All I had to do was take out some painkillers from the drawer by the bed and chug them down with a bottle of water. Realizing I still wasn't aware of the content of the note, the weird lady, or should I say Charlotte, slipped into my palm, I reached for my bag in search of it. The handwriting splayed on the note w
Jordan’s POVI didn’t know what I was expecting, but I hadn’t factored a hard slap into my imaginations. “Ouch,” I said, rubbing my cheek. “A ‘welcome home’ would have been nicer, Sierra.” My poor attempt at easing the tension between us.“There’s nothing funny about any of this, Jordan. You left me in this big house all by myself for five days without a word of where you were or when you’ll be back. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?!” Sierra charged in my direction.“I know, Sierra. I’m sorry.”“You say sorry? You’re sorry? Sorry for what exactly, Jordan? For abandoning me? For disrespecting me?” She began walking back and forth, breathing heavily, with tears lurking around her eyes. “Sierra, I—”“No, Jordan. You don’t get to do that. I won’t allow it. Don’t pull the sorry card on me. I went around, begging your bodyguard for any information he could give me on your whereabouts, and you know what he said?” She laughed hysterically, hands akimbo, she looked at me, “I’m su
Sierra’s POV Jordan turned to look at me with glassy eyes. No words were shared between us after that. I slammed the door shut and went back to bed. I didn’t fall asleep immediately. Scratch that. I couldn’t fall asleep. For a while, I mulled over the experience Jordan shared with me and I instantly felt sorry about what I said to him. But Jordan could be so overbearing. All he had to do was say yes and station some guards around Charlotte’s house. Now, I would have to walk on eggshells around the house. When my eyes finally decided to call it a day, I quickly sent a text to Andrew, requesting that he made arrangements so Jordan could have something to eat. I might be mad, but the man was still my husband. The following morning, I heard a knock on my door. I knew it was Jordan so I didn’t bother getting out of bed. He was going to let himself in. True to my words, my husband strolled in looking more glorious than I remembered. I wasn’t gonna lie, he did clean up nice. He didn
Jordan’s POVAmelia held Sierra close, her shaking hands absolutely revealing that her fear ran very deep. It was deeper than we thought possible.The two women broke out in small shivers and their eyes darted from each other to the lifeless corpse lying motionless on the floor. In the safe house, the room was dimly lit and the silence that had settled inside the room was almost unbearable. The whisper of the wind outside was the only sound amidst the gravity of the moment. Andrew’s body was lifeless, a chilling reminder of the chaos he had wrought in our lives. I gazed down at him, my breaths coming out in sharp bursts as the adrenaline from the scuffle started to wear off. Whatever sick game Andrew had been playing, I was very sure that I had aborted it before it had a chance to take root. Funnily enough, I felt no sense of empathy or remorse for his death yet. The only thing that bugged my mind were several questions whose answers I guessed the Moretti family would have answers
Jordan’s POVI turned away, unable to hold her stare anymore. I glanced back at Amelia, who was biting her lip to stop herself from speaking, yet no words came out. Her pain was visible, her hands gripping the edge of her seat as if preparing for a crash.The engine was silent now as the car came to a slow stop. I looked out the window, grateful for the short distraction. It was obvious that we had arrived at the safe house. The sun left its presence on us as we alighted. I stepped outside and took a deep breath, the cold air doing nothing to settle my own inner chaos. As Amelia’s whispered cry of Andrew’s name echoed in my ears, Sierra’s accusation that Andrew’s betrayal was not a choice but a result of desperation rattled through my body.Sierra stepped out of the car behind me, looking over the horizon. “You can hate him as much as you want,” she said softly, as if reading my mind. “But remember sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons. And sometimes they don’
Jordan’s POVWith Sierra’s head resting against my shoulder, the gravity of the moment began to sink in deeper than I expected it would. For a man who spent years training himself to extinguish every flame of emotion, this was something else. Her delicate but stubborn presence was a reminder of what I was actually battling for. But I didn’t dare show it. Not here, not now.The engine of the SUV sang as it rocked over the bumpy terrain and nothing but the occasional crackle of the radio broke what was otherwise an impenetrable silence. My team was too disciplined to pry or comment, but I sensed their watchful eyes in the rearview mirror.So, I kept my eyes out the window, pretending not to see how her breathing slowed as she moved in closer. Ignoring that faint catch in her voice as she started to mumble some incoherent words muffled by the sound of tyres on gravel.“What is it?” I whispered, my voice soft enough for her alone.Sierra did not reply right away. Her words were a jumble,
Jordan’s POVI was happy that my wristwatch was not hijacked from me like every other thing was. I looked at the time on my wrist and tapped my feet on the floor almost simultaneously like one who was too impatient to wait.Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. It came from outside and it was almost deafening. Following the noise were the numerous shouts of despair. Metal crashing on metal interrupted reverberating in the atmosphere. Everyone in the cell with me stood at attention. All I did was just allow myself to relish the chaos of the moment with a smirk stealing a spot on my face. Just then, a hand fiddled with the padlock of the door to the cell where we were kept. He was fully armed. He tried to force open the door to the cell. My heart rate sped up but my outward composure remained steady. Alessandro’s men were shouting over the bedlam of gunfire. From the corridor, I could hear them screaming at the top of their voices.“Cover the east entrance!” one voice barked, panicked. “Do
Jordan’s POVAlessandro basked in that moment of perceived victory while I was frozen with my hands secured and muscles rigid. His smug smile widened, his injured leg not quite being able to hold his weight as he barked orders to his men. The scene might have been laughable if the stakes weren’t so high.But that’s precisely how I wanted him to feel: powerful.And I let him keep a tight grip on the illusion of control, which only played into the delusion that he had me, Amelia, and Sierra completely and utterly in his power. Well, if only he knew. Perhaps, he wouldn’t have shown off himself this much. I stifled a chuckle as I looked at Sierra and Amelia, defiance etched on their features, even though we were in desperate straits. They also didn’t know the whole plan, but they trusted me completely. That trust was everything to me and I knew that in a matter of time, all would be laid bare.The cell door closed behind us with a cold metal groaning sound. The door lock was rusty in a
Sierra’s POVWe were in the pit for what seemed like forever and the darkness spread around us like a blanket. None of us was comfortable with the situation as we couldn’t sit nor could we even lay down. We simply stood all through. My muscles throbbed with such a tension that it felt like I was literally standing on my bones, I felt fatigue in the trap, and my mind whirled with queries and fears. My whole body felt like they weren’t my own. I hadn’t been this way in a long time. It wasn’t such a good feeling to have, believe me. And then, all of a sudden, the net under us shook vigorously and began to levitate slowly.“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice drowned out by the groan of the apparatus raising us.The net started to rise, dragging us slowly up, out of the bowels of the pit. It heaved with every step, the sensation churning my stomach, but I tried to steady my breath as I bit my lips. I shifted my body many times in a row to find balance.As we climbed higher, a dim spec
Sierra’s POVI released my grip from Andrew's hand immediately because I felt that I needed enough space to run off and hide as we fled the scene of Alessandro’s hideout. My breath was coming in gasps and it was unrhythmic. My chest ached and my legs burned but as I kept a high pace of flight, motivated by that inherent gut instinct for survival.As we bolted away, we heard Alessandro’s muffled profanities trailing behind us, then a definite thud almost as though his body had dropped to the floor.Jordan’s shot to his thigh had done its work. He wasn’t going to be chasing us anytime soon, but that didn’t mean we were out of the woods. We were still very much within his territory and that foretold danger.The night was uncomfortably still, except for the sound of gravel giving way beneath our panicked feet. My mind whirred with thoughts of Luca and what he might be possibly doing in the underground hidden safe place where he was stowed. I could imagine how blanched his face would be.
Jordan’s POV The room erupted into chaos. In a flurry of action, Andrew and I ran forward, guns drawn, footfalls in sync. The men surrounding Alessandro weren’t able to respond. I looked at their shocked faces, to find out we had taken them by surprise. They didn’t recognize us, but it didn’t matter. The element of surprise was on our side. The first shot broke the quiet, a loud jolt that ripped through the night. I had not thought, nor had I hesitated. I fired true, and bagged one of the men who had lunged for his weapon. Andrew was next to me, moving me quickly and efficiently. He took another man to the ground, disarming him before a second shot brought him down. Alessandro’s gaze caught mine from across the room, and for half a second all was still.’ I couldn’t afford to let the moment wash over me, but I felt it the rush of relief, of knowing he was alive, that he was here and we were taking him, taking him out. However, there was no time for relief. Not yet. Not until
Sierra’s POVWe kept driving until we reached a safe house far away from the just-blown-up new hideout. Shortly after we stepped in, Jordan barged into the house too. He looked so battered and unkempt.I was at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, trying to steady my nerves. The heat of the cup didn't soothe the storm raging in my veins. It wasn’t just the fear of Luca, or for Jordan, or even for me. It was this great unknown of what we were going to deal with. The stakes were higher than ever, and the cost of failure was unimaginable.In the next room, Amelia suited up and went over her equipment like a well-oiled machine, fluid and precise. She needed this moment when everything was on the line. I carefully tucked Lucas into an underground hide-out within the safe house with some snacks to quench the rage of hunger before we returned.Jordan, too, was quiet. He sat opposite me, his face taut with a slanting glare, his eyes dull from staring into a vacuum. He w