RYAN.Julian told the men waiting with us not to rush in.His voice was low but firm, the kind of tone that cuts through panic, “If we run into that open space, we’ll all die” he warned.The security leader beside him nodded sharply,“They won’t come into the bush yet,” he said. “They’re not sure how many we are. They’ll hold back until they think they can surround us.”Julian didn’t look convinced.He wiped sweat from his forehead and leaned toward him. “That doesn’t mean they won’t bring more men to push us” Julian said. “They outnumber us already.”The leader sighed. “It’s true,” he admitted, “but if they enter this bush blindly, we’ll cut down a lot of them. Our cover is the only advantage we have right now.”Gunfire exploded again from the direction of the tent. Bullets went through branches and leaves, knocking down pieces of bark everywhere.The forest echoed with the sharp cracks of their rifles.My men shot back immediately, keeping low, firing from between trees, doing whate

RYAN.The convoy cut through the road like a blade. Our engines were loud, the lights bouncing off the dark stretch ahead of us.All I could think about was Mary ,my sister, in that speeding car Elizabeth’s people were trying to take. The fear sat high in my chest, pushing everything else out of the way.My driver kept the vehicle steady while two other Cassian security cars closed in. We were gaining on the target.I could see the flashing taillights of the car carrying Mary, weaving, pushing to escape.Then gunshots cracked through the night.Elizabeth’s car ?her people inside, opened fire on us. My men ducked, returning fire as we stayed on pursuit. But I leaned forward between the seats.“Stop shooting!” I shouted. “They will kill Mary ,hold fire!”My men hesitated. I could feel their confusion and loyalty mixing.They wanted to protect me, protect the mission, neutralize whatever threat Elizabeth had sent. But this wasn’t a normal enemy. This wasn’t a normal situation.This wa

RYAN.After leaving Seraphine’s room, I headed straight for the lower wing of the Cassian headquarters the section where our satellite operations were monitored.The men there handled every transmission, every surveillance angle and every sky-level movement in and out of the city.If anyone could help me find the helicopter that took Mary, it was them.As I stepped inside, the room lit up with screens showing maps, heat signatures, drone feeds, flight paths.The lead operator stood quickly. “Sir.”“I need the footage from earlier today,” I said. “The helicopter that carried Mary away. Track it.”They got to work immediately. Fingers tapping keys and screens changing signals connecting. I crossed my arms, forcing myself to breathe.I kept thinking of Mary screaming, trapped in that damn car before it lifted into the air. I didn’t even know where she was now—alive, scared, hurt?“Found it,” one of the operators said.The screen zoomed in on the helicopter.It was moving fast.“Follow

SERAPHINE.I sat on the hospital bed, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around myself, and I couldn’t stop shaking.I didn’t speak to anyone. I didn’t even look at them. Every sound made my chest tighten, every shadow on the wall looked like danger. My whole body felt like it was still in that moment the gunshots, the shouting, the running.I tried to breathe, but it felt like my throat was closing.The nurses kept moving around me, checking machines, checking the drip, whispering like I couldn’t hear them. I just wanted the fear to leave, but it stayed with me like something holding my shoulders down.Then I saw something that broke me all over again.Two nurses passed the hallway carrying a covered body—one of the doctors who had been alive just hours ago.I knew he was gone.Death had walked through this place. It had touched us.My whole body froze. My breath stopped for a moment, then everything collapsed inside me at once. The shock hit so fast I couldn’t hold it. Tears came s

SERAPHINE.The moment I opened my eyes, the harsh white light of the hospital room stabbed them.My head throbbed with every beat of my heart, sharp pain radiating from the wound I barely remembered getting.Julian’s face hovered near mine, calm, collected, but I could see the tension in his eyes.I tried to sit up, only to feel a wave of dizziness.Outside the window, I caught sight of the Cassian Medical skyscraper.The building hadn’t changed.It stood tall and intimidating, a constant reminder of everything I’d been through. Ev I swallowed hard, the memory of the attack, the Chinese assailants, the chaos, the pain still fresh in my mind. My stomach churned, and I realized with a jolt that I had to get out.“I need to… pee,” I said, my voice trembling. It was more than that.I needed a way out and I wanted to escape before they locked me in completely.Julian helped me up, guiding me carefully to a private area within the hospital. I appreciated the care they were gentle, cautio