Novels by Rachel Holt

Ethan didn't move.His eyes locked on Victor's blade, calculating the distance between them. Fifteen feet. Maybe sixteen. Too far to close before Victor could drag the knife across Claire's throat.And Victor knew it.The gang leader's smile widened, triumphant. "That's right. Stay exactly where you are."Ethan's mind worked rapidly, running through scenarios. Every possible angle of attack. Every way this could play out.None of them ended well.If he rushed forward, Claire died.If he tried to negotiate, Victor would stall until his men returned from the perimeter. Then Ethan would be outnumbered again, and any chance of getting Claire out alive would vanish.There had to be another option.But right now, with that blade pressed against Claire's throat, Ethan couldn't see it."Smart boy," Victor said, his voice low and pleased. "I can see you thinking. Running through all your little plans. But here's the thing—there's no move you can make that doesn't end with her blood on this flo

Victor's head snapped toward the gang member with the radio."What do you mean, movement?"The gang member pressed the radio closer to his ear, listening intently. "Perimeter patrol says they saw someone near the north fence. Could be nothing, could be—""Get out there," Victor ordered, his voice sharp. "Take everyone except two guards. Check it out. Now."The gang members moved immediately, weapons drawn, heading toward the exits in a rush of footsteps and muttered curses.Ethan watched from the catwalk above, his expression unchanging.He'd thrown the rock fifteen minutes ago, deliberately aiming it at the fence on the far side of the complex where he'd seen motion sensors. Old security equipment that probably didn't even work anymore, but the gang wouldn't know that.They'd investigate. Waste time searching the perimeter for a threat that didn't exist.And that would give Ethan the opening he needed.Within thirty seconds, ten of the twelve gang members had filed out through the lo

Ethan pulled back from the window and pressed himself against the wall, his mind working through the problem methodically.Twelve gang members. Maybe more hidden in other parts of the factory. All of them armed with at least knives, probably guns too.Victor Kane in the center, holding Claire hostage.Richard Langley somewhere in the background, likely unarmed but unpredictable.Direct assault was suicide.Ethan needed another way in.He circled around to the north side of the building, moving carefully through the debris and overgrown weeds that had reclaimed this part of the industrial district. The darkness helped. No streetlights out here. Just the faint glow of the moon and the distant lights of the city.As he rounded the corner, he spotted it.A rusted fire escape clinging to the side of the building like a skeleton. The metal was old, corroded in places, but it looked stable enough. More importantly, it led directly to a second-floor catwalk that ran along the interior of the

Ethan took a breath, forcing himself to stay calm when every instinct screamed at him to move, to act, to find Claire now. James was silent for a moment longer. Then he exhaled slowly. "If you're wrong about this—" "I'm not." Another pause. Then James's voice became sharper, more decisive. "Stay on the line." Ethan heard muffled sounds on the other end. James barking orders to someone nearby. Footsteps. A door opening and closing. Then James was back. "I'm mobilizing a trace team. It'll take about fifteen minutes to triangulate her phone's signal. Maybe less if we're lucky." "Fifteen minutes," Ethan repeated. His jaw tightened. Fifteen minutes felt like an eternity. "That's the fastest we can do it," James said. "The systems aren't instant. We need to filter through cell tower data, cross-reference GPS signals—" "I understand. Just do it." Ethan ended the call and stood in the middle of the room, his mind racing. Fifteen minutes. What could happen to Claire in fifteen minu

Ethan stared at his phone.The screen had gone dark after the call ended, but he didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stood there in the middle of his parents' old living room, replaying every word Claire had just said.Something was wrong.Very wrong.Her voice had been too controlled and too formal. Like she was reading from a script someone had forced her to memorize."I'm... delayed. There's been a situation."Claire don't speak like that. Not to him. She was direct, efficient, sometimes sharp. But never stiff. Nor hesitant in that particular way.And then there was the location she'd given."I'm at the old industrial district. East side. Near the abandoned Sterling facility."Ethan's jaw tightened.There was no Sterling facility in the east industrial district. Abandoned or otherwise.He knew because he'd spent the last few days learning everything he could about Sterling Global's properties. Claire had mentioned them in passing during their conversations. The company owned warehouse

"You want revenge," Victor said flatly."Yes! I want him to suffer like I've suffered!"Victor turned back to Claire, his expression thoughtful. "This Ethan Cross. He's important to you?"Claire's face remained perfectly composed. "He's a business associate."She couldn't let them go after Ethan. Couldn't let them use her as bait to hurt him.Richard laughed bitterly. "Business associate? Don't lie! He's just some ex-convict you've been helping for some reason!"He turned to Victor. "He was released from prison three days ago. He's nobody. Just a criminal with no money, no power, no connections. But for some reason, she's been protecting him!"Victor's eyes narrowed, studying Claire more carefully now."Is that so?" he asked quietly.Claire said nothing, her jaw tight.Victor smirked, nodded to one of his men. "Bring her phone."The man retrieved Claire's phone from a nearby table—they took it during the kidnapping—and handed it to Victor.Victor unlocked it. Claire's stomach sank. Th

The revelation that Bishop planned to capture Anna and force her to activate the artifacts hung in the air like poison. Jacob felt rage building in his chest, the kind of cold fury that had made him legendary on battlefields across the continent. They were not just planning to use Anna as a tool—they intended to weaponize her guardian abilities against her own homeland."We need to get you somewhere safe," Jacob said immediately, already running through locations that might offer adequate protection. "Somewhere Bishop cannot reach you.""No," Anna replied firmly, her initial shock at seeing her uncle's betrayal transforming into steely determination. "Running solves nothing. We need to stop this invasion, and that requires both of us working together."The surveillance feed continued showing the conspirators discussing logistics and timelines. Bishop was explaining how the artifact activation would work—Anna would be kept sedated but conscious, her mystical abilities channeled through

Anna stared at her uncle's face on the surveillance monitor, unable to process what she was seeing. Kelvin Tate had been at her wedding. He had congratulated her and Jacob, smiled warmly, and offered what seemed like genuine happiness for their union. And all the while he was working with the people planning to destroy everything."Are you certain?" Jacob asked gently, though he could see the facial recognition software had made a positive match with ninety-eight percent confidence."It is him," Anna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I recognize that suit. I gave it to him for his birthday two years ago."Jacob placed his hand on her shoulder, offering silent support while his mind raced through the implications. If Kelvin Tate was involved in the conspiracy, how much did the rest of Anna's family know? Was her grandfather Ben also compromised, or had he been kept in the dark about his son-in-law's treason?The surveillance feed showed the assembled conspirators taking seats ar

Jacob made the decision to establish a permanent surveillance position within an hour of discovering Bishop's underground fortress. The abandoned industrial complex provided numerous vantage points where observers could maintain visual contact with the facility's entrances without being detected themselves.They chose a partially collapsed warehouse three hundred meters from the main entrance to Bishop's compound. The building's structural damage made it appear too dangerous for occupation, which meant no one would investigate their presence. Leo's team reinforced the interior sections they needed while leaving the exterior looking as decrepit as before."We need to document everyone," Jacob said as they set up the surveillance equipment. "Every face, every vehicle, every piece of equipment entering or leaving. Build a complete picture of Bishop's organization."Anna helped position cameras at strategic angles, ensuring they captured clear images of anyone approaching the facility. Mi

Jacob's concern about Marcus detecting the tracker proved unfounded during the first twelve hours of surveillance. The red dot on their monitoring screen moved steadily northward through Seron's outskirts, following back roads and rural highways that suggested Marcus was being cautious but not actively trying to lose potential followers."He stopped," Leo announced from his position at the tracking station. "Small town about sixty kilometers from here. The signal has been stationary for twenty minutes."Anna leaned over Leo's shoulder to examine the map display. "What is in that location?""A gas station and convenience store," Leo replied, pulling up satellite imagery. "Nothing that would indicate significance. He is probably refueling and getting supplies before continuing."Jacob studied the imagery carefully, looking for anything that might indicate an ambush or trap. But the location appeared genuinely mundane—a simple roadside stop that travelers would naturally use during a lon

Leo's announcement about five hundred hidden Argo soldiers transformed the interrogation room's atmosphere from tense to apocalyptic. Jacob stood perfectly still for several long seconds, processing the implications while his mind raced through tactical scenarios."How did you confirm this?" Jacob asked, his voice dangerously calm."Facial recognition software running on security cameras throughout the city," Leo explained, pulling out his tablet to show the data. "I cross-referenced visitors entering Seron over the past three months against Argo military databases. The matches are undeniable—these are trained soldiers posing as civilians."Anna moved closer to examine the tablet screen, seeing dozens of faces tagged with military identification codes. Young men of fighting age, all entering the city through different points of entry over an extended period. The infiltration had been systematic and carefully orchestrated."They are preparing for internal sabotage," Jacob said, unders

Jacob stood frozen, the weight of Marcus's revelation crushing down on him like a physical force. Verons Heis's brother. The memory surfaced unbidden—a brutal engagement in the northern mountains ten years ago, when Jacob's unit had been ambushed by Argo special forces. The enemy commander had been skillful, ruthless, pushing Jacob's team to their absolute limits."His brother was leading a massacre of civilians," Jacob said quietly, more to himself than to Marcus or Anna. "Three villages burned. Women and children executed. I stopped him.""You killed him," Marcus corrected. "In single combat, according to the reports that reached my father. Verons has been obsessed with avenging that death ever since. This is not just about Seron for him anymore. It is personal."Anna squeezed Jacob's hand, understanding immediately how this complicated everything. They were not just facing a military invasion or a conspiracy to steal artifacts. They were dealing with a powerful enemy driven by pers

The observation deck at the top of the crystalline spire had become Jack's favorite place to think. From here, he could see the entire city spread out below—rebuilt stronger and more beautiful than it had ever been, filled with people living lives that would have been impossible without the protection his network provided.But tonight, as the dual moons cast silver light across the transformed skyline, Jack wasn't admiring their achievements. He was remembering where it all began."Hard to believe it started with Charles Oliver's execution," he said aloud, knowing his friends would hear him through their permanent mental link even though they were scattered across different dimensions on various missions."You mean it started with a weak boy nobody wanted," Lucy's voice replied warmly through their connection, her protective instincts wrapping around the memory with fierce affection.Jack smiled, pressing his hand against the medallion that had become part of his chest. The golden sur

The war room deep within the crystalline spire had become the nerve center for the most ambitious defensive project in dimensional history. Holographic displays showed the status of their entire universal cluster—thousands of realities connected by the portal network, each one now monitored by their expanded consciousness.Jack stood at the center of it all, no longer the weak boy who had once struggled to survive in a world that saw him as worthless. The medallion had become so integrated with his being that its golden surface was visible beneath his skin, pulsing with the rhythm of dimensional currents across countless worlds. But unlike the corrupt artifacts that had consumed previous wielders, his medallion was sustained by the bonds that connected him to his friends."Protocol Seven is now fully operational across all monitored dimensions," Sierra reported, her tactical awareness coordinating defensive measures on a scale that would have been incomprehensible months ago. "Early w

Six months after the dimensional crisis, their city bore little resemblance to the place that had nearly been destroyed by Vale's invasion. The rebuilding hadn't simply restored what was lost—it had created something entirely new.Where the old council headquarters had stood, a crystalline spire now reached toward the sky, its faceted surface designed to detect dimensional anomalies from hundreds of miles away. The building served as headquarters for the Dimensional Monitoring Initiative, the organization Jack and his friends had established to prevent future crises."Seventeen minor rifts detected across the northern sectors this week," Sierra reported during their morning briefing, her tactical awareness processing data streams that would have overwhelmed any individual mind. "All within normal parameters, but the frequency is increasing."Jack nodded, his consciousness simultaneously monitoring the reports while maintaining awareness of dimensional currents across their entire real

As the final seconds of his transformation ticked away, Jack felt his consciousness crystallize around a revelation that changed everything. The medallions' power didn't have to choose between perfect guardianship and human connection—it could create something entirely new."What if the burden doesn't have to be mine alone?" he said through their shared mental link, his voice carrying wonder despite his fading physical form. "What if we've been thinking about this wrong from the beginning?"Through their psychic connection, his friends felt his idea taking shape—not one guardian managing impossible responsibilities, but a network of consciousness that could handle the dimensional network's complexity while remaining anchored to humanity."You mean permanent integration?" Sierra breathed, her enhanced understanding immediately grasping the implications. "All of us linked directly to the dimensional network?""The ancient guardians failed because they became isolated from the people the

Jack's consciousness spread like spilled mercury across the dimensional network, his awareness touching worlds he'd never imagined. He could feel the pulse of life on countless planets, sense the delicate balance that held reality together, perceive threats to dimensional stability that existed light-years away.It was overwhelming and magnificent and terrifying all at once.Through his expanded perception, he could see their own world as just one node in an infinite web—small, fragile, but pulsing with the fierce determination of beings who refused to surrender to despair. He could feel Mrs. Sophie organizing relief efforts in the ruined city, Lord Rasmus's surviving soldiers helping with rescue operations despite their old conflicts, even the corrupted treasure hunters slowly recovering their humanity as the dimensional toxins were purged from their systems.But he could also feel himself slipping away from all of it. His connection to individual human concerns was fading as cosmic

The moment Jack's hand closed around Vale's dark medallion, reality screamed.Two opposing forces—one meant to protect, one designed to consume—collided within his consciousness with the fury of colliding stars. Jack felt his sense of self being torn apart and rebuilt simultaneously, his awareness expanding beyond the boundaries of single-dimensional existence.Vale's eyes widened in shock as his dark artifact began resonating with Jack's medallion, the two pieces fighting for dominance within the same host. "What are you doing, you fool? You'll destroy us both!""Maybe," Jack gasped, feeling the competing energies threaten to tear his mind apart. "But at least I'll take you with me."The dark medallion's hunger crashed against Jack's consciousness like a tidal wave of pure malevolence. It whispered promises of power beyond imagination, showed him visions of ruling infinite realities, offered him the ability to reshape existence according to his will. The corruption was overwhelming,