Laura raised an eyebrow. “Is your memory coming back?”Zach closed his eyes briefly. “No. I just… followed a pull.”“You’ll remember soon,” she said softly. “Please, sit.”Zach took the seat and looked up. “What’s going on?”Bull stepped out, giving them privacy.Laura brought up her iPad. “We’re facing a security breach in our satellite division. Someone’s intercepting classified logistics. We don’t know who — not even how. We’ve locked down comms, but if we don’t figure this out soon…”She hesitated. “You always used to fix things in minutes. I don’t know if you can now — but I’ll try to come up with something soon. I just thought you should know.”Zach sat still for a beat, his eyes scanning the glowing data screens like they were speaking a forgotten language. The lines of code, the flickers of red alerts, the satellite activity — it was all vaguely familiar, yet unfamiliar. He tilted his head slightly, frowning.Laura watched him, her brows pulled together with a blend of concern

Barbara’s heels clicked sharply against the ground as she stepped out of her car, the breeze brushing against her cheeks like a warning whisper. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing here?” she barked, her voice bold and unwavering.But then, her heart stopped.The glint of metal caught her eye. Guns. They had guns.Her confident stride faltered. Her breath hitched. She instinctively turned, attempting to dive back into the safety of her car and grab the pistol she kept in her glove compartment. But before she could reach the handle, one of them dashed toward her.Bang!The door slammed shut in her face as his palm crashed into it.“Let go of me!” Barbara snarled, swinging her fist.But the man caught her hand mid-air with chilling ease, his grip like iron. Another grabbed her from behind. She twisted, adrenaline blazing through her veins, and rammed her knee into his side. He staggered back with a grunt, but the first one retaliated with a slap so hard, her vision blurred.She crumple

Lou sprang to her feet as if stung by a bee, her breath caught in her chest, and her heart pounded wildly. The emptiness of the diner seemed to echo her panic, growing louder with every dreadful thought that filled her mind.“This has never happened before,” Lou muttered under her breath, pacing in short, rapid strides. “What if something’s happened to her? What if she’s hurt—or worse?” Her voice cracked on the last word. Her palms were slick with sweat, her eyes wide, darting to the clock on the wall like it could give her answers.“Mrs. Lou, please,” Zach said with calm urgency. He reached for her gently. “Relax. I won't let anything happen to Daniella. I promise, I’ll find her and—”He paused abruptly as the door creaked open. Maya stepped in, casually dressed with a tote bag hanging off her shoulder. Her expression was unreadable, cool and unbothered, as she glanced around.“Daniella, where are you…?”“Maya…” Lou's voice was sharp with alarm. “Where’s my daughter?”“Aunt Lou?” Ma

Darius groaned, coughing blood as he lifted his head. The fury burning in Zach’s eyes was unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was wild. Unforgiving. The kind of rage that could level cities and salt the earth behind it.Yet, he laughed.Wiping the smear of blood from the corner of his mouth, Darius growled, “You think this ends here, Zach? No. You’ve just walked into something worse than a lion’s den. You’re not walking out of this in one piece.”He gave a sharp whistle and barked, “Kill him.”His men surged forward, snarling like wild beasts. They came at Zach with clubs, knives, iron rods—anything deadly within reach. The air thickened with violence.Zach didn’t flinch.He ducked the first swing, then drove his elbow into the attacker’s throat. Another came from behind—Zach twisted, grabbed his arm, and dislocated his shoulder before kicking him into the others.It was a storm. Bone cracked. Blood sprayed. Men dropped like sacks of flour.Darius’s triumphant grin faltered.One after

Barbara drove into the road in speed just as the sun dipped low, casting a warm golden hue across the sky. Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms clammy against the steering wheel. It was Mary who had told her the hospital and ward, her calm voice a stark contrast to the storm brewing within Barbara.As soon as she stepped into the hospital, the sterile smell hit her nostrils. It felt suffocating. Her fluffy mules slapped against the polished tiles as she hurried through the hallway. Her eyes darted across signs and numbers until she turned a corner—and almost bumped into Mary right outside a ward.“Oh, you arrived soon…” Mary said, her voice gentle but touched with surprise.“Thank you for responding to my call and informing me, Mary.” Barbara grabbed her hand, breathing heavily. “How’s Zach doing? Is he okay? Did he… did he get hurt in the fire?”Mary opened her mouth to answer, but Barbara cut herself off. “Goodness, how can I ask you that? I saw the news. He was bleeding… I—” H