“You see, Nathan? Lena is a distraction. Sarai is the key to Max’s destruction. You bring me Sarai, and I promise you, I will leave Max alone. I will take my daughter, and I will disappear. You get your friend back, and Max gets to keep his empire. A fair trade, wouldn’t you say?”Nathan felt the blood drain from his face. Kim wasn't just after Max's power; he was after Max's reputation. Giving up Sarai meant betraying Max, betraying the trust they had placed in him. Not giving up Sarai meant Lena died.“You can’t do that,” Nathan whispered, his voice cracking. “Sarai is under Max’s protection. You know what that means. Max will never agree to that exchange.”“But you will, won’t you, Nathan?” Kim challenged, his eyes gleaming. “Because Max isn’t here. You are. And you have to choose. The girl you love, or the man you serve. The life of Lena, or the life of Max’s empire.”“I’ll give you anything else!” Nathan pleaded, dropping his weapon to the floor with a clatter. “Money! My life! I

“I don’t know. But the message confirms everything. Kim didn’t want to destroy Max with the video; he wanted to distract Max with the video while he recovered Sarai to use as a bargaining chip for a much bigger player. He used Lena to draw you out, to force Max to reveal his position on Sarai. He was testing Max’s defenses.”“So, the whole thing—the Beckers, Lena, me—it was all a diversion for a larger operation?” Nathan asked, the exhaustion momentarily forgotten in the face of the revelation.“Yes. And if this message is right, Sarai is in danger right now. She’s not safe at the mansion. They’re planning to move her tonight.” Trisha pocketed the phone. “We have to get out of here and call Max. He needs to know his security detail on Sarai is compromised.”***Trisha helped Lena sling Nathan’s good arm over her shoulder. They moved quickly, Trisha leading the way back toward the utility tunnels.“Stay close, Lena. Don’t look at anything but the floor,” Trisha instructed.“Where are w

“No, Max,” Lena whispered. “But he was terrified of them. He said they were coming tonight.”Max walked over to the window, his back to them. He stood there for a long moment, the silence broken only by the distant wail of a siren.“I underestimated him,” Max finally said, his voice heavy. “I thought Kim was focused on revenge. I thought he was trying to break me. He was trying to dismantle me, piece by piece, and sell the parts.”He turned back to Nathan, his expression now one of grudging respect.“You disobeyed every order. You risked the entire operation. But you brought back the intelligence that saved Sarai and possibly the family. And most importantly Lena. You have my gratitude, Nathan. And my apology.”“I did what I had to do, Max,” Nathan said simply.“I know,” Max sighed. “But understand this: your actions have consequences. The Beckers are now fully engaged. The police are mobilized. We have a war on our hands, and we have an unknown enemy, ‘The Architect,’ who knows where

“And she’s doing it because she knows what will happen to her if she failed us,” Bobby finished. “Keep your head straight, Tommy. We need to be angry at Max for sending his man. We need to demand compensation. We need to look like we failed, but we won.”Tommy nodded, his expression hardening. “Right. Let’s call the mayor. We need to start spinning this story now. We need to make sure Max knows we controlled the situation, even if his little dog got a lucky bite.”They walked toward their armored SUV, ready to leave the scene of their bloody victory.Just as Tommy reached for the door handle, a convoy of black, unmarked SUVs sped onto the pier access road, kicking up dust and debris. They weren't police. They weren't press. They were too organized, too quiet.“Hold up,” Bobby muttered, his hand going to the sidearm holstered at his hip.The lead SUV stopped twenty feet away. The doors opened simultaneously, and a dozen men in dark suits, all wearing earpieces, stepped out. They were p

Bucky immediately moved to her side, sitting next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything, just held her while she cried into his chest.Max watched the scene, his expression softening slightly. Trisha and Nathan exchanged a knowing look.“Give her a minute, Max,” Nathan advised quietly. “She needs to process this.”Max nodded, stepping back. “Trisha, update me on the Architect’s phone. Anything?”“The encryption is military grade, Max. It’s taking time. But I’ve traced the communication back to a network that’s been dormant for years. It was used by a high-level intelligence agency that was supposedly shut down.”“Intelligence?” Max muttered. “So, not just a gangster. This is bigger than we thought.”While Max and Trisha discussed the technical details, Bucky continued to comfort Sarai.“It’s okay, Sarai. Let it out,” Bucky murmured into her hair.Sarai pulled back, her eyes red and swollen. “I feel so stupid. I kept hoping, even after everything, that