Kelly's POVThe city feels colder than usual tonight. Maybe it’s the weight of what I’m doing, or maybe it’s just the shadows playing tricks on me. Either way, I move fast, my boots crunching on broken concrete as I cut through side streets and alleys, always listening, always watching. Justin and Donald are out here somewhere. I can feel it.I start small places where rumors thrive. The hardware store near the old rail yard has always been a watering hole for the city’s underbelly. I push the door open, a rusty bell announcing me. The man behind the counter looks up, eyes narrowing before they soften into recognition.“You looking for tools, or trouble?” he asks with a grin that shows too many missing teeth.“Donald,” I say flatly, stepping closer. “I heard he passed through.”The man scratches his beard, pretending to think. “Maybe I saw him. Two days ago. Bought some rope, duct tape, and a crowbar. Didn’t say much, just looked like he had business to handle.”My jaw tightens. Rope.

The second I see the message on my phone, my stomach twists into knots. You’d better come alone. The words are like shackles clamping around my chest, dragging me into a pit of dread.For a second, I can’t breathe. My brother-in-arms, my most loyal soldier, shackled and tortured because of me. The image of Eddy’s death slams into me his lifeless body, the blood pooling around him, all because he followed my orders. Rage and guilt fuse together, threatening to tear me apart.“I’m going,” I whisper harshly. “I won’t let another man die because of me. Not again.”Before I can take another step, Olivia blocked my path, her face pale, her hands trembling as she clutches my arm. “No!” she cries. “You can’t go, Kelvin. If you walk into their trap, that’s exactly what Donald and Justin want. You’ll hand yourself to them, and then what? Kelly and Lopez die, and so do you.”“Don’t tell me to sit here while they suffer!” My voice rises, echoing off the walls. “I won’t abandon them.”Lydia moves

The warehouse battlefield dissolves into chaos, but not for long. The thunder of gunfire is deafening at first, ricochets bouncing off the steel walls, men shouting orders, Donald barking desperate threats. Yet within minutes, the tide turns.We have them surrounded our soldiers, our bodyguards, Olivia barking crisp commands like a general, Lydia calmly ensuring no one panics. Kelly slumps against a truck, barely able to stand, but alive. I keep him shielded while I, still gripping that fake detonator, watches Donald with grim satisfaction.Outnumbered, outgunned, Donald and his men fold under the weight of overwhelming force. Their weapons clatter to the ground one by one. Hands shoot into the air. Boots kick away their rifles. Shouts turn to groans as they’re shoved onto their knees, zip ties binding their wrists.For the first time in what feels like forever, silence descends. My chest heaves as I lower my weapon, the blood in my ears finally quieting. Donald glares at me, hatred b

The meeting room feels colder today at my office, though the air conditioning hums as usual. I sit at the head of the long table, watching everyone file into their seats. Lydia sits across from me, her posture rigid, her eyes as unreadable as stone. Ever since that night when I told her the truth about Brianna, she has carried herself with an icy composure that unsettles me. She says nothing unless it’s necessary, her voice clipped and formal, her warmth replaced with something sharper, almost distant.Olivia enters with her usual determination, her eyes flickering briefly toward Kelly. He’s already seated, his injured arm still strapped in a sling. I don’t miss the way her gaze softens for a split second before she steels herself again. Something is happening between them. It’s in the small details the way she pulls his chair a little closer when she sits beside him, the way he leans ever so slightly toward her, as if her presence steadies him. No one says it out loud, but everyone i

The bar is dimly lit, humming with chatter, the kind of place where secrets can slip between glasses and no one notices. I sit at a distance, watching as the night unfolds, though I don’t make my presence known. Kelly escorts Olivia inside first. She looks tense, her hair pulled back neatly, her eyes sharp, like a soldier bracing for battle rather than a woman coming for a conversation. A few minutes later, Lopez arrives with Lydia, who carries herself with her usual poise.For a fleeting second, I almost believe it might work that these two brilliant, stubborn women might finally put aside their differences.Kelly and Lopez exchange a glance. Without a word, they step back, leaving the table for Lydia and Olivia alone. I can see both women hesitate, as though even sitting across from each other is a challenge. Finally, Olivia lowers herself into a chair, her arms crossed, while Lydia follows with grace, placing her glass of whiskey carefully on the table between them.The first few m