The coalition war room had expanded to fill James and Elena's entire living room, screens mounted on every wall showing surveillance feeds from Berlin, tactical maps, personnel rosters. Victoria worked from her mobile command center positioned in their driveway, coordinating intelligence while the core team planned inside."Helena's location confirmed," Victoria said, projecting images onto the main screen. "Upscale apartment in Charlottenburg. Third floor, corner unit. Surveillance shows four-person security team rotating eight-hour shifts. She's been there for three days."Cole studied the building layout Victoria had acquired through channels James didn't ask about. "Four guards is manageable. Standard protection detail, nothing extraordinary. Entry through service entrance, bypass internal security, breach apartment, extract Helena before she can activate any contingencies.""It's too easy," Marcus said from his position near the window. He'd flown in from London specifically for

The old obstetrics ward occupied the third floor's east wing, marked by faded signs pointing toward "Geburtshilfe." James's mother pushed through double doors, supporting Elena with Dr. Chen on the other side. Marcus and Victoria followed, immediately assessing the space for defensive positions.The delivery room looked frozen in time—equipment from the 1990s, outdated monitors, examination tables that had delivered thousands of babies before renovations shuttered the building. Dust covered surfaces, but the bones of a functioning medical facility remained."Here," James's mother said, guiding Elena toward the delivery table. "We can work with this."Elena collapsed onto the table, another contraction hitting with force that made her scream. Dr. Chen checked dilation while James's mother activated the old monitoring equipment, praying the power systems still functioned."Eight centimeters," Dr. Chen said. "Labor's progressing rapidly. These twins are coming whether we're ready or not.

Helena's weapon remained trained on James while her mercenaries covered everyone else in the delivery room. The twins' weak cries provided soundtrack to the standoff—newborn sounds that should have been joyful but instead marked the moment someone planned to steal them.Elena lay on the delivery table, blood pooling beneath her from postpartum hemorrhaging, her body depleted from delivering twins prematurely under impossible conditions. Dr. Chen had been treating her when the door exploded open, and now stood frozen with medical supplies in hand, unable to help.James calculated odds—four armed mercenaries, Helena with weapon aimed at him, three defenders who'd never win a straight firefight. His mother held the twins against her chest, their tiny bodies wrapped together, both breathing shallowly but alive. If shooting started, if bullets flew in this confined space—Elena moved.Everyone had dismissed her as incapacitated—bleeding, exhausted, barely conscious moments ago. But materna

The armored vehicle carrying Helena Ashcroft to long-term detention never reached its destination. The attack happened on a service road three kilometers from the maximum security facility—two unmarked vehicles blocking the route, armed personnel overwhelming the transport guards with precision that suggested military training.Victoria showed James the surveillance footage twelve hours later. Professional operation, inside assistance confirmed when investigators discovered the transport guards had been bribed or coerced. Helena had walked away from the ambush scene without a trace."She's gone," Victoria said, reviewing the investigation reports German authorities had shared with Marcus. "No border crossings under her identity or known aliases, no financial transactions, no digital footprint. Professionally disappeared."James stood in the safe house's main room, holding Catherine while she slept against his chest, and stared at the surveillance images showing Helena's escape. One mo

The coalition’s war room had relocated to the safe house’s converted garage, screens displaying satellite imagery of the Maldives resort where Helena’s team had established operations. Cole pointed to the luxury villa compound occupying a private section of the island.“Problem is context,” Cole said. “Two hundred civilian guests at the resort. Families, honeymooners, people on vacation. We can’t assault the villa with tactical teams—collateral damage would be catastrophic.”“So we go surgical,” Tanaka said, studying the layout. “Small team. Infiltration. Quiet extraction of Helena and her Council before they know we’re there.”Marcus frowned from his position at the video screen. “How small?”“Four people,” Cole said. “Any more draws attention. We pose as wealthy tourists, book rooms near the villa, establish surveillance, then strike when opportunity presents.”James stood at the back of the room, holding William while the baby slept against his chest. He’d been listening to the tac