Thane’s POVThe night in Washington was draining. It looked as if the entire city had stopped breathing. The way the rain tapped softly against the hotel window blurred my vision for a while, and I could see the glowing red and blue lights from the police sirens far away.I sat on the couch, staring slowly at the television screen while the glow of the light spread across the room. Theresa sat at the edge of the bed, her head bowed as she slowly folded her hands tightly on her arm. She hadn’t spoken much since we arrived.There was a bit of silence between us, and it felt awkward. I knew what it looked like to be raped, so I didn’t pressure her with too many questions.We were hiding in plain sight, in a small hotel off Jefferson Avenue. I had refused to go back to Campbell City Barracks. Facing Viktor and Damien right now would be suicide.They would twist every one of my words and use anger to finish me completely. They’d also question why I lost so many soldiers on the secret missi

Thane’s POV“This is danger,” we both said quietly, staying completely still and silent.The silence between us was too quiet, but the sound of my own breathing felt too heavy for the room.For a bit, the lights flickered once, then died again, leaving the room wrapped in darkness from the emergency bulb above the door.Theresa's eyes met mine, her body tense for a bit, her hand already on her pistol. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.“I did,” I muttered. “Someone's here.”We suddenly heard the sound of boots pounding loud down the corridor. Whoever it was, they already knew this place, and they weren’t sneaking, they wanted us to know they were coming.I raised my weapon slowly, already on alert, motioning for Theresa to stay behind me.“Don’t move unless I say,” I whispered.She frowned while saying, “I’m not hiding behind anyone.”I didn’t bother arguing with her. I left her for a while.The door knob stopped once for a while, and after a second later, the handle twisted again, b

Thane’s POV“Adrian.”My heart almost froze for a moment. That’s impossible.Before I could say anything else, the door handle started twisting little by little — not once, not twice.Theresa stepped back while still holding the knife in her hands with a tight grip.“He’s trying to get in,” she said in fear.I pointed at her to stay quiet while I turned off the light, letting the room fall into complete darkness instead.I moved closer to the door, still trying to check if I could hear any sound.But then, for a while, it stopped. I didn’t notice any movement again.“Back away from the door,” I mouthed.Theresa obeyed, retreating quietly toward the corner.The door opened just an inch.I moved faster, raising my gun toward the small opening, but instead of Adrian’s masked face, a young hotel attendant stood dull in the doorway, his eyes wide and terrified.“Room service?” he stammered, clearing his throat.Theresa almost stabbed him with the knife, but I grabbed her before she could s

Thane’s POV“Theresa!” I shouted in shock and terror. “No, please no!”I crawled to her side immediately, my hands shaking so hard I almost dropped her head on the ground.Her eyes were closed for a while.“Theresa, please say something!” I cried out loudly as blood covered my hands. For a moment, it didn’t even look real—until I noticed the bullet had stopped at her shirt. The vest under her clothes was torn but still intact.She gasped suddenly and opened her eyes slowly. “Thane…” she whispered weakly.I froze for a second, then relief rushed through me. “You’re alive!” I shouted.She coughed twice and nodded weakly while I asked a thousand questions at once, trying to understand how she survived the shot.“I wore a bulletproof vest under my shirt,” she said quietly. “Just in case. The bullet hit the vest instead.”I exhaled sharply, tears and laughter mixing as I hugged her tight. “You scared the hell out of me,” I said, still shaking.“I’m safe now,” she said softly, kissing my fo

Thane’s POVThis was the first time that night I felt something close to peace. I knew sooner or later I would find out about Shawn's secret, and my thoughts about her were getting too much.But tonight, I just had to believe everything would fade soon. Still, the disappearance of President Mark was too suspicious. The media couldn’t show his current look or where he was, and there was no evidence about the prison he was being reprimanded in.I guessed the higher-ups had found a way to bribe the press and the police, but no matter what, the truth would be revealed soon—immediately after I showed the world what was inside the drive Dylan gave me before he died.I chuckled a bit, looking for what to eat. Theresa had already slept on the bed, while I was still sitting on the sofa. She was fast asleep, and I could hear her loud snore, which meant she’d had a tiring day as well.But I was glad she was adapting to military life experiences.I had to figure out how to end this soon. The bird