The flames still burned in Aria’s mind. The warehouse. The explosions. Valentina escaped once again. The sense of failure clung to her skin like smoke.She sat in Alejandro’s office, staring at the screen in front of her. The glow of multiple encrypted messages illuminated her face, but her thoughts were scattered.Miguel had a plan. A bigger one. And she was running out of time to figure out what it was.Alejandro stood near the window, his body tense as he spoke to Jace.“She won’t hide for long,” Alejandro muttered. “She’s desperate now. And desperate people make mistakes.”Jace sighed. “We should’ve finished her back there. She knew exactly when to trigger those bombs.”Alejandro clenched his fists. “She had an escape planned. She always does.”Aria barely heard them. She scrolled through the encrypted messages, her fingers moving fast across the keyboard.Then something caught her eye.A message, heavily coded but with a pattern she recognized.Aria’s pulse spiked. “Wait.”Alejan
The explosion erupted like a violent storm, throwing fire and debris into the night sky. The force sent Aria sprawling backward, her ears ringing, her vision blurred. The world around her spun in chaos, flames licking the edges of the wreckage.She gasped, pushing herself up from the ground. Smoke filled her lungs, but her mind was clear she had to find Alejandro.“Alejandro!” she shouted, her voice hoarse.Through the thick smoke, she saw him. He had been thrown a few feet away, his body sprawled across the dirt. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead.Panic clutched at her chest as she stumbled toward him, dropping to her knees beside him.“Hey, hey, wake up,” she whispered, shaking his shoulders.His eyelids fluttered before snapping open. He groaned, trying to sit up, but she held him steady. Relief flooded her veins. He was alive.Behind them, gunfire cracked through the night. Miguel’s men were still standing, still fighting.Jace’s voice roared through the chaos. “We need to
The wind howled as the private jet cut through the darkened sky, its engines humming steadily. Inside, the air was thick with anticipation. Aria sat beside Alejandro, her fingers laced tightly in his, their hands resting on his thigh. Despite the warmth of his touch, a chill ran through her.They were heading straight into Miguel’s territory, Costa Roja. A place where danger lurked in every shadow.Across from them, Jace was studying the digital map displayed on his tablet. “Miguel’s safe house is heavily guarded. If we go in blind, we’re dead before we even set foot on the island.”Alejandro’s jaw was set, his gaze locked on the screen. “Then we don’t go in blind.”Sophia leaned forward. “We need a distraction.”Jace smirked. “I was thinking the same thing.” He pointed to a small airstrip near the jungle’s edge. “If we land here, we can use the terrain to our advantage. The jungle gives us cover, and Miguel won’t expect a ground approach.”Aria studied the map. “But his forces are sp
The waves crashed gently against the shore, the salty breeze filling the air as the first rays of sunlight painted the sky in shades of gold and crimson. Aria stood at the edge of the water, her bare feet sinking into the damp sand. The warmth of the rising sun touched her skin, but it was nothing compared to the warmth radiating from the man standing behind her. Alejandro. His presence was strong, steady, and familiar. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him. She leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes as she let out a deep breath. “It’s over,” she whispered. Alejandro rested his chin on her shoulder, his lips brushing against her ear. “It is.” She turned in his arms, looking up at him. His dark eyes held something she hadn’t seen in a long time. The war was over. Miguel was gone. The shadows of the past no longer loomed over them. But now, a new question remains. “What happens next?” Aria asked softly. Alejandro exhaled, his thumb brushing over he
The air was thick with tension as Aria stood at the center of the dimly lit room, her fingers gripping the edge of the worn wooden table. The scent of saltwater drifted through the open windows, mixing with the lingering traces of gunpowder and blood that still clung to the walls. It had been days since Miguel’s downfall, but the weight of their victory hadn’t lifted; it had only revealed the dangerous reality of what came next.Alejandro sat beside her, his dark eyes scanning the map spread across the table. His expression was unreadable, but Aria knew his mind was already working ahead, plotting their next move. Jace leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, while Sophia paced near the door, her heels clicking against the wooden floor with restless energy. Valentina remained silent, her sharp gaze darting between each person in the room.“We’re in control now,” Jace finally spoke, breaking the silence. “But that won’t last long if we don’t move fast.”Aria inhaled sharply, her fing
The sun had barely risen when Alejandro’s phone buzzed against the nightstand. The soft vibration should have been easy to ignore, but years of survival had trained him to always be alert. His eyes flickered open, scanning the dimly lit room. Beside him, Aria lay curled against his chest, her steady breathing a rare moment of peace.He exhaled slowly, reluctant to disturb her. But the buzzing continued.Carefully, he reached for the phone, swiping across the screen. Jace’s name flashed on the display.Alejandro answered, his voice low. “This better be good.”Jace’s response was sharp. “We have a problem.”Alejandro sat up instantly, his muscles tensing. “What kind of problem?”Jace hesitated for half a second too long.“The kind that doesn’t end with Miguel.”Alejandro’s jaw tightened. “Talk.”“Someone’s making moves. Fast. They’re picking up the pieces Miguel left behind, but not just that they’re wiping out anyone associated with him. His former lieutenants, his allies, even the men
The drive back to the estate was silent, except for the low hum of the engine and the occasional screech of tires on wet pavement. Alejandro gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity, his mind calculating every possible scenario. Aria sat beside him, her lips pressed into a tight line as she stared out the window. The tension between them was thick, not because of anger but because of the impending chaos they were about to face.Santiago Herrera wasn’t just another enemy. He was the kind of man who didn’t just kill he destroyed.When they reached the estate, Jace was already waiting for them at the entrance, his stance rigid, his hand resting on the gun at his hip. The second Alejandro stepped out of the car, Jace’s sharp gaze met his.“You heard?” Alejandro asked, shutting the door with a controlled slam.Jace nodded, his jaw clenching. “Luis called me after you left. If Santiago is really alive, then we’ve got a problem.”Aria stepped forward, her voice firm. “Not jus
The deafening sound of gunfire shattered the silence, echoing off the steel walls of the warehouse. Alejandro barely had time to shove Aria behind a stack of crates before bullets tore through the air, splintering wood and sending metal debris flying."Stay down!" he barked, drawing his gun and returning fire.Jace and Valentina had already taken cover, their weapons spitting lead at the unseen attackers. Shadows flickered in the dim light, movement barely perceptible as Santiago's men tried to flank them.Aria’s breath came in short gasps as she pressed herself against the cold surface of the crate. Her fingers itched to reach for a weapon, but Alejandro had made it clear she was not to take unnecessary risks. Still, she wasn’t the kind of woman to sit and do nothing.She peered through a small gap between the crates, her sharp eyes scanning the area. There a flicker of movement. She barely had time to react before she saw a gunman creeping toward Alejandro’s blind spot.Without thin
The forest was eerily quiet as dawn bled through the twisted silhouettes of trees. A thick mist hugged the earth, softening the edges of bloodshed and ash that had stained the night. Alejandro sat by the fire they barely had time to light, his eyes locked on the flames like they might offer absolution. Across from him, Aria wrapped a torn blanket around her shoulders, shivering not from the cold but from the storm inside her chest. Jace was resting nearby, his wound stitched with trembling hands and the pain dulled by makeshift medication. For now, they were alive. But they were cornered.Aria's mind wouldn’t rest. Dario’s words echoed relentlessly: "She doesn't even know what she's carrying." What did it mean? She stared at the data drive again, holding it as if it might explode with answers. Somewhere within its encrypted layers lay a truth powerful enough to drive a cartel mad. A truth they were now willing to kill for.Alejandro noticed her grip tightening and stood, walking to he
The night air was thick with tension, so much that it clung to Aria’s skin like a second layer. The distant crunch of footsteps on gravel made her grip the pistol tighter. Every shadow seemed to pulse with danger, every sound a possible threat. From where she crouched beside the jagged cliff edge, she could make out the dark shapes of their enemies disembarking from the boat, weapons drawn, eyes sweeping the terrain.Beside her, Alejandro’s breathing was calm, calculated. He crouched low, his back against the rocks, a rifle balanced on his knee. Though the moment was dire, there was a stillness in him, like the eye of a storm. His hand brushed Aria’s shoulder gently a silent promise that they would survive this. Not just for themselves, but for everything they had endured together.She turned to look at him, their eyes locking in the darkness. His gaze held fire, but beneath it, she caught something unexpected. Regret.“Alejandro,” she whispered, “if we don’t make it ”“We will,” he c
The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the water, but the night felt darker now heavier. Aria’s breath came in shallow bursts as the boat jolted through the waves. Every second felt like an eternity as the engines of their pursuers roared in the distance. The sound was a constant reminder of the danger they were in. But even as they neared the narrow mouth of the cove, there was a sense of urgency in the air. This was it the moment of reckoning.Alejandro stood tall, his figure unwavering against the pressure that weighed down on them. His eyes never left the distant horizon as he clutched the wheel, steering them with precision and determination. He was a man used to fighting for survival, but Aria had seen enough of his vulnerability over the past weeks to understand that even he didn’t know if they would make it out of this alive."We’re almost there," Jace called out from the back of the boat, his voice strained. "But they’re right behind us. We won’t have time to
The boat rocked gently in the moonlight, its hull cutting through the water like a knife slicing through soft fabric. The soft sound of waves was a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded hours before. Aria stood at the edge, her hands gripping the cold metal of the railing as she looked out over the vast ocean. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, much like the storm that raged inside her.Alejandro stood behind her, his presence solid, unwavering. He hadn’t spoken much since the ambush, his mind undoubtedly weighed down by the same fears and worries that gripped her chest. But he had said one thing that had lingered in her mind: "We can’t keep running."She couldn’t help but wonder if he was right."We need to face him," Alejandro had said earlier, his voice low but certain. "Santiago will never stop. He’s too dangerous, and now that we’re marked, there’s no escaping it."But how did one face a man like Santiago De La Cruz? A man who had no morals, no hesitation, and no fear in h
The morning crept in like a thief, casting a faint glow over the broken windows and dust-covered floors. Aria sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as if she could wipe away the exhaustion that clung to her bones. She hadn't slept not really. She'd closed her eyes, listened to Alejandro’s soft, steady breathing beside her, and tried to convince herself they were safe. But her mind had spun in endless circles, haunted by what might come next.Alejandro was already up, pacing near the window. His shirt was wrinkled, his jaw unshaven, and his eyes had that dark gleam again the one that made her nervous, the one that said something had shifted inside him overnight.“What are you thinking?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.He didn’t turn to look at her. “I’m thinking we might not have as much time as I hoped.”Aria swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor. “Why? What happened?”“There was a black SUV parked on the road this morning,” he said. “It wasn’t there
Aria stood by the car, her heart racing as Alejandro moved toward the house. The darkness around her felt suffocating, and the air, thick with silence, seemed to press in on her from every side. She watched Alejandro’s silhouette disappear into the shadows, his movements deliberate, confident, but there was something about his presence that felt fragile, as though the weight of everything that had been left unsaid was finally beginning to break through.Her mind churned with questions—questions she couldn’t yet answer. Why this house? Why was it abandoned? Who was he running from, really? And why was she, too, caught up in this whirlwind of chaos and danger? She had no answers, and the uncertainty gnawed at her, making her feel more isolated than ever.She hugged her arms to her chest, her eyes scanning the property. The house loomed before her, its broken windows and decaying structure standing like a silent sentinel in the night. The wind howled through the trees, a mournful sound t
The night seemed to stretch on forever, the hum of the engine becoming a low, constant reminder of the tension that hung thick between Aria and Alejandro. They were driving into the unknown, each mile taking them further from the world they had once known, but closer to something darker, something that Aria couldn’t quite understand.Alejandro’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles pale as he navigated the road with a precision that spoke of years of experience. But despite the calm exterior, Aria could see the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror every few seconds. They were being followed—she could feel it. And she had a sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.The phone call had left a bitter taste in the air, and Alejandro hadn’t spoken since. He had only snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the passenger seat beside him, his gaze locked on the road ahead.Aria, unsure of what to say, sat in silence, her fingers nervously
The weight of uncertainty hung in the air as Aria and Alejandro slipped through the alleyway, the shadows of the night swallowing them whole. The city around them, once familiar and comforting, now seemed like a labyrinth, its streets twisted with danger at every turn. Every sound, every movement felt like a threat, a warning that their time was running out.Alejandro had said they were leaving, but Aria wasn’t sure where they were going. She only knew that they had to get as far away as possible from the building where they had just been, from the people who were closing in on them. Her heart pounded in her chest, every step feeling like a race against an unseen enemy.They walked quickly, but there was a purpose in their movements—Alejandro leading the way, his every sense alert, eyes scanning the surroundings like a man trained to survive. Aria, however, felt like a stranger in this world. She had never known such fear, such chaos, yet in the midst of it, she felt a sense of connec
The streets of the city blurred in a haze of dim light and looming shadows as Aria and Alejandro moved through the night. Her heart was still racing, her breath shallow, but she couldn’t afford to slow down. They had escaped the immediate danger, but the night was far from over. The enemies who had been chasing her—the ones who had now turned their attention to Alejandro—would not stop. They would hunt them down relentlessly until they had what they wanted.What did they want? That question had lingered in Aria’s mind for days. What did they want with her? What did Alejandro have that they were willing to risk so much? Each time she tried to think it through, she ended up with more questions than answers, but one thing was painfully clear: they were all caught in a game—a dangerous, deadly game—and the rules had changed.Alejandro’s hand was firm on hers, guiding her through alleyways and side streets as they moved with purpose. Every step felt like a race against time. His silence wa