Federal agents moved to secure Marcus Anderson, but the moment their hands touched his arms, the old man collapsed violently onto the stone floor. His body convulsed with seizures while foam appeared at the corners of his mouth. The sudden medical emergency transformed the arrest into a crisis within seconds."He is having a seizure!" Agent Hayes dropped to her knees beside Marcus, checking for a pulse while her training took over. "Someone call the medical team from the helicopters!"Detective Chen pushed through the crowd with suspicious eyes scanning Marcus's symptoms. "Wait. Something is wrong here."But the federal agents were already administering emergency care while Colonel Mitchell's soldiers secured the perimeter for medical evacuation. In the chaos of a medical emergency, procedural safeguards dissolved as everyone focused on preventing a death that would raise impossible questions.Vincent Cross grabbed Ral's arm and pulled him toward the tunnel entrance. "Boss, this is a s

The south tunnel terminated at a reinforced steel door that Vincent identified as military-grade security. Beyond it lay the Anderson estate's panic room, a bunker built during the Cold War and upgraded with modern technology over the decades. Getting through that door without specialized equipment would be nearly impossible.Getting through it while contractors hunted them from behind would be suicide."Tony, we need the access code for the panic room," Ral spoke into Vincent's radio while the others established defensive positions in the narrow passage."Already tried hacking it. Marcus changed all the codes when he took control of the estate. The system is completely isolated from external networks.""Can we blow the door?" Agent Hayes suggested."Not without bringing the entire tunnel system down on our heads," Vincent replied after examining the structure. "Marcus was paranoid about security. This door is designed to withstand direct assault."Louis studied the access panel with

The message on Ral's phone cast a shadow over what should have been their moment of victory. Vincent was alive but captive, and Marcus's network was making one final desperate play to reclaim their leverage. One hour to decide between saving his closest friend or protecting the evidence that could bring down an empire of corruption.Louis read the message over his shoulder and immediately understood the trap. "You cannot go alone. That is exactly what they want.""I know," Ral said quietly, watching European security forces secure Marcus in the medical helicopter. "But if I do not go, Vincent dies. If I go with backup, Vincent dies. Either way, I lose the man who saved my life."Tony Martinez was already working his tablet, trying to trace the message's origin. "Boss, this could be a bluff. They might have killed Vincent already and are using the threat to lure you into an ambush.""Or Vincent is alive and suffering because of choices I made," Ral countered. "He stayed behind to buy u

Three days after the assault on the Anderson estate, Ral woke in a private hospital room with broken ribs that screamed with every breath and memories that hurt worse than any physical injury. Louis sat in a chair beside his bed, her face drawn with exhaustion and something that looked disturbingly like doubt."How long have you been sitting there?" he asked, his voice rough from medications and disuse."Since they brought you out of surgery to repair internal bleeding you did not tell anyone about during the rescue." Her words carried an edge that cut deeper than concern. "The doctors said you could have died if you had waited another hour.""I had to make sure Vincent was safe first.""And that is exactly the problem, Ral." Louis stood abruptly, pacing the sterile room with barely contained emotion. "You are so committed to your mission, to your revenge, to your sense of justice that you will literally die rather than admit you need help.""That is not fair.""Isn't it?" She stopped

The coffee shop looked exactly as it had five years ago when Robert Allen had first approached Louis Carter with a smile that was genuine even if his name was not. Ral arrived thirty minutes early, his broken ribs protesting every movement, and chose the same corner table where their first conversation had turned into three hours of unexpected connection.He ordered two coffees—one black for himself, one with entirely too much cream and sugar for Louis—and waited with the kind of anxiety that no amount of tactical training could prepare him for. Facing armed contractors had been easier than this moment where words would determine everything.Louis arrived exactly on time, wearing a simple blue dress that he recognized from their second anniversary dinner. The deliberate choice of that particular dress suggested either sentimentality or cruelty, and Ral could not determine which until she sat down across from him."Thank you for coming," she said, her voice carefully neutral."I would