Romeo's Point of View The soapy water was cold. The past two decades were cold, but I continued scrubbing because Mrs. Chen was against dirty grout. My knees would be resting on the roughness of the tile in the bathroom, and there was a piercing pain in my lower back, which I had been taught not to complain about. No one was engaged in the sufferings of Romeo. I slipped the brush again into the bucket and struck the grout line between the floor tiles. Mrs Chen, In an hour would visit this bathroom, and in case she spotted a single spot of dirt, she would force me to repeat the process. The three years of married life had taught me what perfection just precisely resembled in her eyes and it was something I was never able to achieve. Still, I tried. This morning it was quiet in the mansion. Mr. Chen had been at his office trying to turn around his crumbling company, Margaret had been at a costly salon getting her nails done and Emma was still sleeping in the upper bedroom. The bedroom

Romeo's Point of ViewMy chest felt tight. For a split second, the air got stuck. My body froze stiff. My eyes locked on the screen of a dark car sitting near the Chen's big house. The men wore dark stuff, and they had this creepy vibe as they moved around. This wasn't by chance. This wasn't just folks dropping by. These men were predators, and they knew where to find food."Emma," I mumbled. Her name cracked apart, like something inside me just broke into pieces. "My wife sits inside that house.""I know," Vincent spoke. His voice stayed smooth, but his eyes jumped all over, figuring stuff out. "We got to go now. I got people headed there, but those men will get inside in five minutes. Maybe quicker."I jumped up so fast the chair tipped over and smacked against the floor. My brain ran wild. Three hours back, I scrubbed bathroom floors. Three hours back, my life felt small, wrecked, and trash. Now, man with guns chase Emma, and somehow that's all my fault. This happens because of me.

Romeo's Point of ViewEmma shifted, quite in charge. Her elbow to Marcus Black wasn't a wild thing. It found the spot to hurt him and make him weak fast. She knew just where to land it. She knew fighting like a book.That flash flip-flopped all I knew of my wife, totally.Marcus Black jumped back, and that was my shot. My body went on without my brain's say. Three steps got me there, and I kicked the gun from his grip. It sailed over and struck near the glass. Marcus swung to me, eyes full of rage, plus something new. It was fear."Vincent, deal with his group," I spoke out. The words felt so right, like bossing was old, not new. "No one moves now. No one shoots now."The guards moved up and took guns from Black's guys quickly. It flowed so smoothly, like they did it tons. Maybe they did. Vincent stood by me, a grin on his face, like he was proud. Like he was waiting for me his whole life.Emma stood tall now, breathing tough. Her ripped dress and lip made her look wilder, not beat. S

Romeo's point of viewTotal shadow was all around. My own hand vanished from sight. Loud alarms wailed on, and the house seemed to lose control. Steps echoed fast. Doors shut loudly. People yelled words I did not get. My heart raced fast like it might give up."Stick with me," Vincent said low. His tone stayed still as our world turned upside down. "Stand still. Hush now."I held Emma's hand in the shade. She stood next to me, like I was all she knew. She shook slightly, but held tight. She made no sound. She stayed strong when fear took over.Red lights blinked in time—on, off, on, off. Enough light to see dark shapes around. Files of my past lie all around us. The photo of Marcus Black, plus his lost twin, glared with blank eyes."Who slipped past our walls?" Emma said softly. "This spot can't be broken into.""Someone with secret keys," Vincent said firmly. "Someone who knew all of our system. Someone I trusted like kin."I knew what it meant then. Someone close to Vincent now. One

Romeo's Point of ViewI pushed Emma and Margaret down into the boat cabin as the first helicopter began firing. The sound was thunder, loud and awful and misplaced. Bullets screamed through the air above, tearing through the old warehouse like paper. Federal agents on the dock fired back, but there were too many helicopters, too many men. It was like fighting the sky."Start the engine!" I was yelled at by Sarah Chen. She was firing at the helicopters, distracting them. Her team was doing likewise around her, but I could see they were being pushed back. They were in danger. "Go!" "Get out of here!" I ran to the engine and turned it on as quickly as I could. Suddenly, the boat lurched forward, and I had to grab the wheel to stay upright. A bullet went through the windshield right next to my head, leaving a hole with cracks spreading out from it like a spider's web. I ducked down and kept the boat moving away from the dock and out into the open water. "Wait a minute!" I yelled a