The red emergency lighting pulsed like a dying heart, casting long, jagged shadows across the room. Tedmond stood in the center of the carnage he had begun, his silhouette massive and terrifying."The extraction team is three minutes out," Tedmond said, his voice a low, vibrating hum that rattled the metal instruments on the trays. He didn't look back at Persis; he knew she was already free."Lorenzo, I suggest you start praying to whatever god still listens to the Morettis.""Kill them!" Lorenzo shrieked, scrambling toward the reinforced door. "Don't just stand there, you idiots! End them now!"The three guards at the door finally snapped out of their shock. They didn't reach for guns; the room was too small, the risk of ricochet too high, and instead drew serrated tactical knives that gleamed crimson in the strobe of the red lights.Tedmond met the first guard halfway.It wasn't a fight; it was a demolition. He caught the man’s wrist, the sound of snapping bone echoing through t

She turned her head, her eyes softening as they landed on Tedmond.He was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in the deep, heavy rhythm that only comes after a total expenditure of violence. Even in sleep, his brow remained slightly furrowed, as if he were still trading blows with Moretti guards in his dreams. His eyes were hidden behind closed lids, long lashes casting shadows against high cheekbones. He looked younger when he wasn't carrying the weight of the Washington legacy, but the tension in his hand, curled loosely on the pillow near her hip, reminded her of his defiance.He had been adamant: No.Persis watched him for a long minute, a quiet conflict warring in her chest. She loved his protection, but she couldn't let his fear dictate the survival of their house. The hammer was going to get them both killed if she didn’t provide the scalpel.Carefully, moving with silence, she slipped from under the covers. Her feet made no sound as they hit the plush carpet. She

He glanced at her in the dim light of the dashboard. "I seriously hope you don’t get yourself killed. Because if the Sokolovs don't finish me for the trespass, Tedmond certainly will.”His gaze turned deadly serious.“If you die on my watch, I’m a dead man before I can even pull my service weapon. He won't just fire me; he’ll erase me from the family tree."Persis didn't smile. She was already pinning back her hair, her movements clinical."Tedmond won't kill you, Jax. He needs you to manage the fallout when I hand him the Sokolovs on a silver platter. Besides," she added, her voice dropping into a dangerous, low hum, "I have no intention of dying. I have too much work to do."***They reached Jaxson’s safe house: a stark, modern loft hidden behind the crumbling facade of an old textile warehouse. Inside, the walls were a hive of monitors displaying scrolling data and high-resolution surveillance of the city’s power players. The location was so deep off the grid that even the Bure

"Morning," Tedmond said, his eyes sweeping the room.Thomas looked up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "You're up early. Rough night?""Something like that," Tedmond replied, his voice still thick with the remnants of a restless sleep.He pulled out the chair at the head of the table but didn't sit. His gaze remained fixed on the empty place setting where a steaming cup of Earl Grey usually waited.Thomas paused, his fork hovering mid-air as he took in the sharp, restless energy radiating off the younger man."You look like you're ready to charge into a war zone, Tedmond. Sit. Eat. Albert's already tracked three more Sokolov shell companies while you were dreaming of demolition."Tedmond didn't move. His eyes narrowed, scanning the quiet corners of the breakfast nook. "Where is she, Thomas? Is she still in bed, or did she beat me down here?"Thomas blinked, genuine confusion crossing his weathered face."The Madam? No, young master. I've been down here since five-thirty prepping the

She looked at Katerina, her gaze steady and deceptively humble. "I don't have much left, Katerina. The estates are gone. The ledgers the Professor carries are all we have to bargain with for a new life. But I wanted to come home.”She paused, letting a soft, practiced vulnerability enter her voice. “I wanted to be among people who understand that power isn't about how much you can destroy... but how much you can preserve."Katerina Sokolov’s expression softened, her predatory suspicion melting into a satisfied, maternal arrogance. She relished the role of savior to a broken branch of her own dynasty, especially one that arrived bearing ledgers and secrets."You speak with a wisdom beyond your years, dear Portia," Katerina purred, reaching across the crystal table to lay her hand over Persis’s. "Your uncle was right to bring you to me.”“The other family and their ilk are a temporary storm; we are the bedrock. Since you’ve been under the Professor's care for so long, I think it’s ti