The early morning sun spilled gold across the Rotterdam skyline, catching the wet surfaces of streets and buildings in a soft, reflective glow. Lukas walked alongside Elise, their pace unhurried, but the air between them was charged, quiet in a way that felt heavier than the busiest boardroom or the most dangerous mission. They weren’t in danger right now, not physically, but the tension of everything they’d endured in the past weeks lingered like a shadow they couldn’t shake.Elise adjusted the strap of her bag, though she hadn’t really been carrying anything heavy. It was more a gesture, a way to anchor herself. “I can’t believe it’s finally over,” she murmured, not expecting an answer.“Not over,” Lukas corrected gently, his gaze forward, but his hand brushed hers briefly as they walked. She didn’t pull away. “Just… calmer for now. Berg’s still out there. Otto’s still loose. But at least the genetic key is secured. That’s a start.”Elise exhaled slowly. She had to admit, despite th

The wind off the Antwerp docks carried a sharp, metallic bite, thick with the smell of cold water and diesel. Cranes towered like skeletal giants above the shipping containers, their long shadows stretching across the concrete as the sun dipped lower, staining the sky a bruised shade of purple. Elise stepped out of the SUV, her boots crunching against the gravel, her pulse thrumming in her ears.Every instinct she had was on high alert.Lukas emerged from the other side, scanning the perimeter with practiced precision. His face was unreadable—focused, contained, a quiet storm gathering behind his eyes. Margot joined them at the front of the convoy, her tablet slung against her chest, fingers working rapidly across the surface as she assessed the feeds from the surveillance drones circling silently overhead.“Elise,” Lukas murmured softly, drawing her closer. “We stay together. No splitting up unless absolutely necessary.”She nodded, exhaling slowly. “Agreed.”The case remained locked

The moment Krylov’s words echoed through the chamber, Lukas felt something inside him snap into place—sharp, cold, and terrifyingly clear. Not panic. Not rage. Resolve. The kind that turned every breath into a promise.He stepped forward slightly, enough for Krylov’s guards to tense and raise their weapons. Lukas didn’t flinch. His eyes remained fixed on Elise, on the subtle way her shoulders tightened, on the fear she tried to hide behind determination.“Elise,” Lukas said quietly. “Look at me.”She lifted her eyes. The lights above her cast stark shadows across her face, but nothing could dim the quiet fire in her gaze.“It wasn’t a choice,” she whispered. “He said if I didn’t come—”“I know,” Lukas said. “It doesn’t matter now.”Krylov laughed, descending a metal staircase with unhurried steps, his polished shoes clicking sharply. “Oh, it matters, Lukas. It matters very much. She came because she finally understands the stakes.”His gaze drifted to the glowing device behind her—the

The sky over Rotterdam had begun to lighten with the first hesitant touches of dawn, but the mist clung stubbornly to the canals and narrow streets, wrapping the city in a ghostly veil. Elise walked beside Lukas, their steps muted on the cobblestones, the weight of the previous night pressing against them like a living thing. Even with Krylov and his operatives neutralized, even with the core secured, there was no relief—only a simmering tension that refused to ease.Margot had insisted on staying close, her usual precision slightly frayed at the edges by exhaustion. Her tablet was constantly active, scanning for any remnants of Berg’s network, monitoring every known associate, every possible point of exposure. Elise could see it in her eyes: the calculated focus mixed with a subtle, personal weariness, the kind that only came from someone who had been in the trenches for years and had no choice but to remain alert.Lukas’s hand brushed against hers, and she grasped it without thinkin

The engines grew louder—low, rolling, predatory. The kind of sound that didn’t rush but announced itself, steady and deliberate, like whoever approached wasn’t worried about being detected.Lukas lifted his head first, eyes narrowing at the distant tree line. “They’re not bothering with stealth.”“Why would they?” Margot murmured as she tightened her grip on her rifle. “If Berg knows exactly where we are, she won’t bother hiding.”Elise knelt beside her brother, her pulse thudding so hard she could feel it in her fingertips. His breathing was shallow, uneven. Every inhale seemed stolen. She brushed more mud from his cheek, unable to stop staring, afraid that if she blinked, he’d vanish again.“Lukas,” she whispered without looking up, “we have to get him inside.”He crouched beside her, assessing the situation with a soldier’s cold precision and a man’s barely controlled concern. “We will. But we move carefully.”“We’re out of careful,” Margot said sharply. “Look.”The first vehicle a