The door clicked shut behind Kaelen, and Kaine stood there for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the space where the kid had been standing. The silence that followed was the kind that made you think. Not uncomfortable, just... present. Like it had weight. "Well?" Kaine said to the empty room, his voice low and even. "What do you make of that?" Nothing but quiet. Then movement. Fast enough that most people would have missed it, but Kaine had trained his eyes for these things. A figure peeled away from the corner of the wall where the shadows were thickest. Garrett moved like water, all smooth edges and no sound. His camouflage attire was top of the line, the kind that bent light and made you look past him without thinking. He was one of Kaine's best. Been with him for fifteen years. "He's got a plan, sir," Garrett said, stepping closer now. "You could see it in how he held himself. Like he was playing a game and already knew the next three moves." Kaine nodded slowly. He'd seen it t

Kaelen stood completely frozen, the cold plastic of the phone pressed so hard against his ear that his skin began to sting. He could not believe what he was hearing.The voice on the other end was too small and too sweet to belong to anyone else. It was his daughter."Mirella?" Kaelen said, his voice barely a whisper."Daddy?" she asked again, her voice sounding a little clearer this time. "Is that really you?"His legs felt incredibly weak, almost like they were going to give out under his weight. He pushed his chair back with a loud scrape, nearly knocking his tray of food off the edge of the table.He stood up shakily and walked away from his table, not even caring about the food anymore. Several soldiers in the cafeteria turned their heads to watch him with curious, quiet gazes.He did not care about their stares or what they thought of him. He just needed to find a place where he could speak without everyone listening to his trembling words.He walked quickly to a dark corner of

Firman adjusted his tie and stared at the man sitting behind the desk. He believed he was completely in the right and had not done or said anything outrageous.His demands were supported by legal documents, and he was just doing his job. He did not appreciate being laughed at by a mere manager who should be trembling in his seat."What exactly is so funny, Jonah?" Firman asked, his voice sharp and rude. "You need to tell me what you are laughing at right now."Jonah did not answer immediately, he just kept his eyes on Firman while a small chuckle escaped his lips. The sound made Firman's stomach twist with an uncomfortable mix of anger and confusion."You might have actually gone crazy," Firman said, leaning forward to press his hands onto the desk. "But you should really remember our condition here.""Our condition?" Jonah asked, his chuckle finally dying down."Yes, our condition," Firman snapped, shaking his head. "You are on the losing side of this battle, and I have the power to

"I honestly wonder if you're a detective or just a common gossip monger, Miranda," Aurora said, her voice dropping into a harsh tone. "Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"Aurora scoffed loudly, crossing her arms over her chest to create some distance. She stared right at Miranda, her eyes narrowing as she felt her patience completely thin out.Miranda immediately threw her hands up, her face twisting into an expression of exaggerated hurt. She leaned back against the armrest of the sofa, letting out a dramatic sigh."Ouch, that hurts my feelings," Miranda said, though her eyes were completely calculated. "I'm actually asking this because I care about the reality of the situation here.""What reality?" Aurora demanded, her jaw tightening. "You're just making up stories because you're bored.""Kaelen isn't someone who seems ready for a relationship right now," Miranda said, her voice turning surprisingly serious. "He's a man with a singular passion driven by his daught

AriannaJonah saw the look on my face and opened his mouth, clearly about to say something to defend his stupid logic. Before he could even get a single syllable out, Miranda beat him to it and stepped right between us."Look, Arianna, just listen for a second," Miranda said, her voice dropping the playful edge completely. "Jonah might be incredibly insensitive with his words, but in essence, we're actually trying to protect her.""Protect her by leaving her with a lunatic?" I countered, my hands still shaking with rage. "That's your brilliant plan?""Think about it realistically," Miranda pushed, pointing a finger toward the laptop screen. "The only reason she managed to get that information and send it to us is due to the fact that she's completely overlooked by them.""They see a sick kid in a wheelchair, so they don't lock their laptops or hide their paperwork," Miranda argued. "She's invisible to Darren, and that invisibility is her shield right now."I tried to interrupt, my ch