Kai stepped back inside the safe house, his arm still tingling from where Lila had clung to him. The door clicked shut behind him, sealing out the cold night air. Julie stood in the center of the room, arms crossed, her injured arm cradled against her chest. Her eyes were fire."Are you out of your mind?" she said.Kai stopped. "Julie—""She's his daughter." Julie's voice rose, sharp enough to cut. "Marcus Blackwell's daughter. The man who killed our mother. And you're out there holding her like she's the victim.""She is a victim," Kai said evenly.Julie's laugh was bitter. "She's his blood. His weapon. How can you possibly trust her?"Kai moved further into the room, keeping his voice low. "She didn't know. You saw her face. She didn't know.""Or she's a really good liar," Julie shot back. She turned to the others—Helen, Reece, Nadia—all watching in silence. "Am I the only one who sees this? He's known her for what, a few weeks? And now he's ready to bet all our lives that she's not

The black car arrived exactly at six-thirty. Sleek, expensive, with windows tinted so dark they looked like oil. Lila stood on the porch of the safe house, wearing the only nice dress she had—simple, black, professional. Underneath, she was wired with devices that felt like insects crawling under her skin.Kai stood beside her, his jaw tight. "Last chance to back out.""No, it's not," Lila said quietly.The driver stepped out—tall, broad-shouldered, earpiece visible. He opened the rear door without a word. Lila walked toward the car, her heels crunching on gravel. She didn't look back. If she looked back, she'd lose her nerve.She slid into the leather seat. The door closed with a heavy thunk, sealing her in. Through the window, she saw Kai watching, his hands in fists at his sides. Then the car pulled away, and he disappeared.Inside the safe house, Helen's voice came through everyone's earpieces. "Tracker active. Following signal now."Kai stared at the tablet in Helen's hands, watc

The black car pulled up to the safe house just after midnight. Lila sat in the back seat, staring at her hands. They were shaking. They hadn't stopped shaking since she left the penthouse.The driver opened her door. She stepped out into the cold night air and walked toward the house. Every step felt heavier than the last.Inside, they were waiting.Kai stood by the window, arms crossed, his jaw tight. Julie sat on the couch, her broken arm in a sling, her eyes red-rimmed. Reece leaned against the wall, pale and exhausted. Nadia stood near the kitchen, her expression unreadable. And Helen sat at the table, the tablet in front of her, the audio feed still playing on a loop.The door opened. Everyone turned to look at Lila.She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. For a moment, no one spoke. Then Kai's voice cut through the silence, low and dangerous."Tell me you're not actually considering it."Lila met his eyes. "I'm considering it."Julie shot to her feet. "Are you out of

The warehouse was silent except for Reece's labored breathing and Derek's muffled sobs. Kai stood by the window, staring at his phone. Lila's contact information glowed on the screen. He pressed call.It rang twice then went to voicemail."Lila, it's me, call me back please."He hung up and tried again but same result.Behind him, Helen stood with her arms crossed, her face carved from stone. "Let Derek die."Kai turned. "What?""You heard me," Helen said. "My son made his choices. He killed someone and walked away. He's complicit in everything Marcus did to control me. He's not worth Lila's life."Julie nodded from where she sat against the wall. "Derek helped destroy our family. He stood by while Marcus ruined us. Why would we trade Lila for him?"Reece lay on the table, pale and sweating. The field medic had extracted the bullet and bandaged the wound, but infection was already setting in. His voice was weak but steady. "It's not about Derek. Marcus doesn't want him. He wants you o

The Sterling Pharma factory rose out of the industrial wasteland like a corpse. Burned-out windows. Rusted metal. Graffiti-covered walls. The place had been abandoned for eight years, left to rot after the OxyElite lawsuits bled the company dry. Now it was a monument to suffering—thousands of lives destroyed, packaged and shipped from this very building.Kai stood at the edge of the property, staring at the ruins. The last time he'd been here was ten years ago. Half a mile down the road, at the intersection where his mother's car had been found. Twisted metal. Shattered glass. Blood on the asphalt."Kai." Nadia's voice pulled him back. "We're moving."It was six p.m. Six hours until midnight. Six hours to turn Marcus's trap into theirs.They moved as ghosts through the fading light. Reece limped toward the building across the street—five stories, flat roof, clear sightline to the factory's main floor. His leg was wrapped tight, but blood still seeped through the bandage. Nadia tried t