The night shrank to a single point of focus. Gabriel’s eyes, Gabriel’s rifle, Gabriel’s silence. Alan stared down the barrel, every muscle in his body taut, every breath caught in his throat. The convoy’s armored van thundered down the industrial highway, bullets still flying, but none of it mattered.Nothing mattered except that his brother, the boy he had once sworn to protect, the boy whose laughter had been the only warmth in their childhood hell, was aiming at him like a stranger.Alan’s voice cracked through the chaos, raw and trembling. “Gabriel, don’t.”But Gabriel’s gaze didn’t flicker. His shackled hands braced the rifle, and the muzzle never wavered. The first shot came. Bang!Alan flung himself back into the van as the bullet tore past his face, grazing his cheek, shattering the rear-view mirror. His sister screamed, jerking the wheel, the van fishtailing across two lanes.Horns blared, sparks screamed as tires scraped the divider. Alan’s blood ran cold. His brother had fi

The lighter trembled in Alan’s blood-slick fingers, the silver casing glinting in the firelight. A river of gasoline stretched between him and Ethan’s encroaching soldiers, shimmering black under the glow of the flames.One flick, one spark, and the whole world would go up in fire. Ethan’s smirk was carved in stone, unyielding and cold. “Do it,” he whispered, his voice carrying through the smoke like a snake’s hiss.Alan’s chest heaved. His vision blurred with pain and exhaustion, but his grip on Gabriel tightened. His brother’s limp body was heavy against him, shackled wrists dangling, breaths shallow but still there. Still alive.Alan’s heart hammered. He didn’t want to risk Gabriel. He didn’t want to risk everything. But Ethan had left him no choice. Alan snarled through gritted teeth. “You think I won’t?”“Of course you will.” Ethan’s eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. “Because you’re desperate. Because you’re reckless. And because you’re mine, Alan, every move you make, every bre

The knife came for his heart. Alan barely twisted in time. Steel kissed his ribs, opening a searing gash that spilled blood down his side.Pain jolted through him, white-hot, but it was nothing compared to the sight before him: Gabriel, his own brother, lunging at him with murder in his eyes.“Gabriel!” Alan’s voice cracked, raw with disbelief. “It’s me!”But there was no recognition. His brother’s pupils were wide, his movements jerky, unnatural, as though invisible strings yanked him forward.The blade slashed again, this time grazing Alan’s cheek. He staggered back, heat rising in his chest, grief and rage burning together.From the shadows, Ethan’s voice slithered like oil. “Yes… let him carve you open. Let your love eat you alive.”Alan caught Gabriel’s wrist just as the knife arced toward his throat. The blade stopped an inch from his skin, pressing hard enough to draw a bead of blood.Alan’s muscles trembled with the effort of holding it back. “Fight it!” Alan roared, sweat sti