The atmosphere in the war room was thick with tension. Alejandro’s grip tightened around the phone as Valentina’s smirking face burned into his mind. His closest friend his brother was in her hands. And she was daring him to make a move.A mistake on her part.“She wants to lure us in,” Miguel said, voice low and serious. “She knows you won’t let this slide, Alejandro.”“I won’t,” Alejandro confirmed, his voice cold. “But I won’t play into her hands, either.”Juan frowned. “Then what do we do?”“We don’t rush in blindly,” Alejandro said, eyes dark with calculation. “She wants me to come charging in, but she underestimates me. We make our move, but on our terms.”Miguel crossed his arms. “I can get my contacts to track where the video was filmed. We find her base, figure out its weak spots, and hit hard.”Alejandro nodded. “Do it.”Juan exhaled sharply. “And Jace?”A flicker of something unreadable passed through Alejandro’s gaze. “We’ll get him back. But first, we destroy everything s
The air was thick with tension as Alejandro and his men gathered around the large map spread across the conference table. Miguel had tracked Valentina’s location to an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the city, heavily guarded, with multiple escape routes.“She’s prepared for an ambush,” Juan muttered, scanning the blueprints.“She knows we’re coming,” Alejandro said, voice ice-cold. “But she doesn’t know when.”Miguel nodded. “Her biggest weakness is arrogance. She thinks she’s already won.”Alejandro’s eyes darkened. “Then we make her regret underestimating us.”Juan glanced at his boss, a flicker of concern crossing his face. “And Jace? If we don’t move fast, she might ”“We’ll get him back,” Alejandro cut in sharply. His hands clenched into fists. “Alive.”Juan didn’t argue.He knew better than anyone Alejandro never made empty promises.Aria paced the length of her bedroom, heart pounding in her chest. The moment she woke up and realized Alejandro was gone, a sense of dread set
Aria sat on the edge of her bed, unable to sleep. The estate was quiet, but the tension in the air was suffocating. She had waited all night for Alejandro to return, and now that he was back, he had locked himself in his study without a word.She wanted to see him.Needed to.Her heart felt heavy, her chest tight.Something had changed.She could feel it.Taking a deep breath, she left her room and walked toward his study.The door was slightly ajar.She hesitated, then pushed it open.Alejandro sat behind his desk, staring at a glass of whiskey he hadn’t touched. His face was shadowed, his expression unreadable.“Why are you awake?” His voice was low, rough.Aria stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “I was waiting for you.”He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I told you not to.”“I don’t take orders from you,” she whispered, stepping closer.His eyes met hers. Something flickered in them something dark, conflicted.“I killed Valentina,” he said suddenly. “She
Aria sat on the bed long after Alejandro left, staring at the empty space he had occupied. The warmth of his body still lingered on the sheets, but he was gone. Again.Her heart ached, but she refused to cry.Not this time.She threw on a silk robe and made her way to the window. Below, the estate was buzzing with quiet activity guards moving in formation, cars being checked, the tension in the air thick as ever.Something was brewing.And she had no idea what it was.A knock on the door made her turn.Maria stepped inside, her face tight with worry. “You need to see this.”Aria frowned, following her out of the room.They moved quickly through the hallways, the grand mansion suddenly feeling too small, too suffocating. Maria led her to the control room one of Alejandro’s many security hubs where Jace and Juan stood in front of a large screen.Jace glanced at her, his jaw tense.“We intercepted a call this morning,” he said.Aria’s pulse quickened. “From who?”Juan pressed a button, a
The car sped through the dark, empty road, tires screeching as Aria pushed the accelerator to its limit.Maria sat beside her, gripping the dashboard. "Aria, slow down! If we crash, we won’t be able to help him!"Aria didn’t answer. She couldn’t.Alejandro was out there, bleeding, maybe dying. The thought made her chest tighten.The message had been brief He’s hurt.No details. No explanation. Just two words that sent her entire world spiraling.She clenched the wheel tighter.Not him.Not now.Maria glanced at her with concern. "We should have waited for backup.""No time," Aria muttered.The estate was over an hour away from where Alejandro had gone to meet Miguel, but at the speed she was driving, she’d cut that time in half.She just had to get to him before it was too late.Alejandro lay on the cold ground, his body aching, blood seeping through his shirt. The pain was sharp, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to show weakness.Miguel stood over him, a gun in his hand, a smirk on
The ride back to the estate was a blur of panic, blood, and desperate prayers.Alejandro lay in the backseat, his head resting on Aria’s lap, his breathing uneven. His shirt was soaked in blood, the wound on his side deep and angry.“Stay with me,” Aria whispered, stroking his hair, her fingers trembling. “You’re not allowed to die. Do you hear me?”Alejandro gave a weak smirk. “Bossy…”Aria’s heart clenched. Even like this, he was trying to be his usual arrogant self.“Save your energy,” Maria said from the front seat, her voice tense. She kept looking back at them, fear flashing in her eyes.Juan was gripping the steering wheel like he wanted to rip it apart. “We’re almost there. Hang on.”Aria pressed her hands harder against Alejandro’s wound, but the blood kept coming. Her vision blurred. “You promised me,” she whispered.Alejandro blinked up at her, his golden eyes dimmer than she’d ever seen them. “Promised what?”“That you wouldn’t die on me,” she said, swallowing the lump in h
Aria walked down the dimly lit hallway with purpose, her heels clicking against the cold marble floor. Juan walked beside her, his face unreadable, though she could feel the tension radiating off him. The moment they stepped into the strategy room, all eyes turned to them.The room was filled with Alejandro’s top men, each one seasoned in cartel warfare. Some nodded in acknowledgment, but others hesitated. She wasn’t just another soldier she was Alejandro’s woman, and her presence in a meeting like this wasn’t common.Juan cleared his throat. “Aria is here because she’s leading this mission.”Murmurs spread across the room. One of the older lieutenants, Hector, scoffed. “With all due respect, why? Alejandro is still in charge.”Aria narrowed her eyes. “Alejandro is recovering. And I don’t need his permission to take down Miguel.”Hector’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing. He knew better than to openly challenge her when Juan was standing beside her like a damn shield
Aria woke to the warmth of Alejandro’s body beside hers, his arm draped protectively over her waist. His steady breathing filled the dimly lit room, and for a brief moment, everything felt peaceful like the chaos of their world didn’t exist.But reality came crashing back the second her phone vibrated on the nightstand.Careful not to wake Alejandro, she slipped out of bed, grabbing the phone. The screen flashed with a message from Juan.“They took the bait. Miguel’s men are moving.”Her pulse quickened. It was happening.She turned back to Alejandro, who was still asleep, his features softened in rare vulnerability. He needed rest. She wouldn’t wake him not yet.After dressing quickly in black jeans and a fitted top, she grabbed her gun and stepped into the hallway, where Juan was already waiting.“You sure about this?” he asked, his expression unreadable.Aria nodded. “They walked right into our trap. We end this tonight.”Juan smirked. “That’s what I like to hear.”The docks were e
The sharp scent of blood still lingered in the air, soaked into the floorboards of the safe house like a curse no fire could burn away. The room was silent, too silent except for the faint dripping from a busted pipe somewhere in the back wall and the occasional groan of pain from the injured men sprawled across makeshift cots. Alejandro stood in the center of it all, shirtless, his side bandaged but his face unreadable. The world was spinning on a new axis now, one tilted by betrayal, vengeance, and the crackling tension between him and the woman whose presence still lit a fire inside him even in the darkest of hours.He hadn’t spoken since the boat. Not since the last body dropped into the sea and silence returned. Not since he saw the horror in Aria’s eyes when the bullet narrowly missed her skull. His arms had wrapped around her then, not because he had to because he needed to. Because every breath he took without her felt like an echo in an empty room.Aria sat on the edge of the
The sky was bruised with the colors of dusk as the safehouse lights flickered to life one by one, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floors. The quiet buzz of electricity hummed through the air, but inside the living room, the tension was louder. Alejandro stood by the window, his silhouette sharp against the crimson-stained sky. His arms were folded across his chest, but his posture wasn’t calm. It was coiled like a storm waiting to be unleashed.Aria watched him from the couch, her fingers gripping the throw pillow tightly. She had seen him silent before, even cold but this was different. His silence wasn’t an escape from emotion it was soaked in it. His eyes weren’t empty; they were burning. And the fire in them made her own chest ache.Valentina entered the room with two mugs of tea, one for Miguel who was finally beginning to look like himself again and one for herself. She paused briefly, her eyes flitting between Alejandro and Aria. There was something simmering be
The gunfire had stopped, but the silence it left behind was heavier than any explosion. Smoke curled in the trees, the scent of scorched leaves mixing with the acrid tang of gunpowder. Alejandro stepped forward, scanning the tree line, his jaw clenched. His finger hovered near the trigger, ready for a second wave. But none came.Just the eerie stillness.“They’re retreating,” Jace murmured, lowering his rifle. “That wasn’t a full hit squad. Just scouts. They were testing us.”Alejandro nodded grimly. “Santiago’s gauging how far we’re willing to go. But he’s about to find out we don’t break.”He turned toward Aria.She was crouched behind the jeep, breathless but sharp-eyed, her hand still wrapped tightly around the grip of her pistol. Her hair was windswept, her clothes covered in dirt, but there was fire in her gaze.“You didn’t listen to me,” Alejandro said as he walked over.“I didn’t have time to,” she replied, standing. “They were aiming at Jace. You would’ve done the same.”He s
The sun was only just beginning to rise over the sea as the boat finally coasted into the narrow inlet behind the safe house, hidden beneath a thick veil of jungle and rock. Mist clung to the trees like a breath held too long, and the cries of birds echoed somewhere in the distance, far too peaceful for what they had just survived. Alejandro’s grip on the steering handle loosened slowly, but the tension in his shoulders remained stiff, locked in place by the blood, gunpowder, and adrenaline still coursing through him. His knuckles were scraped, his shirt torn, and his eyes bore the weight of a hundred battles this one had merely added more shadows to the collection.Aria hadn’t let go of his hand since the last bullet had been fired. Her palm was warm in his, her grip steady, even though her breathing was still uneven and shallow. She hadn't cried. She hadn't screamed. She had fought sharp, fast, fearless. But he knew her silence wasn’t peace. It was survival. And survival always came
The safehouse was quiet, too quiet. Alejandro stood by the window, arms folded across his chest, his jaw tense. The candlelight flickered across his features, casting shadows that made him look more like a war general than a man trying to find peace. Outside, the world slept under a cloak of darkness, but inside these walls, no one could rest. Not really. Not with Santiago still out there. Not after everything they’d lost.Aria sat on the edge of the bed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She could feel the storm building in him again, could hear it in the silence between his words, in the way he hadn’t looked at her since they arrived. He was slipping back into that place the one where he tried to bear everything alone. The place where he pushed everyone away, even her."You haven’t said anything since we got here," she said softly, not accusing, just tired.Alejandro’s gaze flicked toward her, the dim light catching the torment in his eyes. “Because there’s nothing left to say,” he mu
The car sped through the quiet countryside, the black SUV slicing through the night like a predator in pursuit. Inside, silence pressed heavily around Alejandro and Aria. The engine’s growl was the only sound, accompanied by the occasional crackle of the radio as updates came in from Alejandro’s men. They had left everything behind the mansion, the safety of known walls, the illusion of control. They were fugitives now.Aria stared out the window, her hands gripping the seatbelt tightly. The road ahead was endless, but it wasn’t the destination that haunted her. It was the storm raging inside her chest. Her world had been turned upside down too many times to count, but this this felt final. Like the line had been drawn and they had crossed into a reality where hope had teeth.Alejandro hadn’t spoken since they left the city. He sat beside her, one hand on the wheel, the other resting near his gun. His mind was clearly far from here. She could feel his tension in every breath he took.
The weight of Alejandro’s words lingered long after the silence had settled between them. Aria could still feel the heat of his touch, the strength in his embrace, but there was no denying the cold reality that hung in the air the danger that threatened them both at every turn. Santiago’s army was closing in, and they had no choice but to prepare for what was coming.Alejandro’s resolve had hardened since their conversation, and though his actions seemed colder, Aria could feel the turmoil simmering just beneath the surface. There were times when he seemed distant, lost in thought, and other times when his focus would snap to her with a quiet intensity, as if trying to gauge her every emotion. She knew he was battling not just the cartel, but the remnants of the man he used to be the one who had loved her without reservation before everything became entangled in violence and deceit.But what struck her the most was the fear she saw in him when they spoke of their future. The fear of l
The days following their quiet conversation were filled with an unsettling stillness. It was as if time had stopped, waiting for something anything to happen. The world outside continued its relentless march, but inside the walls of their temporary refuge, there was a sense of suspended animation.Aria had hoped, even in the depths of her heart, that something would change that Alejandro would finally let go of the weight he carried, the burden of the world that he thought he had to bear alone. But, as always, the walls he had built around himself remained unyielding.She spent her days walking the halls, her mind constantly at war with her heart. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was wasting her time, if the man she had fallen in love with had truly been lost to the shadows of his past. And yet, every time she looked at him, there was a flicker of hope a fleeting glimpse of the man she knew he could be.But that hope was constantly overshadowed by the brutal reality they both faced
The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, muffled by the thick carpet, but unmistakable. Aria stood by the window, her eyes scanning the horizon as the sun dipped below the skyline, casting the room in a soft, golden light. The tension of the past few hours still hung in the air like a storm cloud, but the world outside seemed deceptively calm.Alejandro walked into the room, his presence undeniable. Even with the weight of the battle they had just fought, his posture was straight, his movements deliberate. There was no weariness in him, no sign of the struggle he had just endured. But Aria knew better. She could see it in the tight set of his jaw, in the hardness of his gaze, the way he seemed to hold himself back.She turned away from the window, meeting his eyes as he approached. “Are we done?” she asked, her voice low, her heart still pounding from the adrenaline.Alejandro didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked past her, his hand brushing against hers as he made his wa