Damien stepped off the plane and felt the weight of California lift from his shoulders. The lawsuit was over and TechFlow had backed down and he could finally breathe again.But home did not feel peaceful. The moment he walked through his front door he saw it. Wedding magazines were stacked on the coffee table. Fabric swatches pinned to the bulletin board. Lists in Simone's handwriting cover the kitchen counter.Simone looked up from her laptop with exhausted eyes. "You are back. Good. I need you to approve the final menu by tomorrow or we will lose the caterer."Two months. That was all the time left until the wedding and Damien realized with guilt how much had fallen on Simone while he fought battles three thousand miles away.He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I am sorry. I should have been here helping you with all this."She leaned into him but her shoulders stayed frozen. "It is fine. Lisa helped a lot and your mother sent her opinions via email ab

Damien left his wedding reception at midnight. The honeymoon to Napa Valley was canceled before it even started. He and Marcus caught the first flight to California at six AM.Simone had kissed him goodbye at the airport with tears in her eyes. "Come back to me. Come back to us."Now Damien sat in CloudTech's emergency boardroom with Marcus beside him. Patricia Wong stood at the head of the table with papers scattered everywhere and her usually perfect hair falling loose."The breach exposed sensitive financial data of over three million small businesses. Bank account numbers, Tax ID numbers, and Payroll information. Everything." Patricia's voice was razor-sharp with anger "We are facing lawsuits in seventeen states. The SEC has opened an investigation and the FTC wants answers we do not have yet."Damien felt his stomach turn over. Three million businesses. Millions of people whose trust he had promised to protect.Marcus spoke up from beside him. "What about criminal charges?"Patri

The taxi pulled up to Damien's house at two in the afternoon. He paid the driver and stepped onto the sidewalk with his carry-on bag feeling like he had aged ten years in three days.His home looked different. Security cameras now cover every angle of the property. Their sleek black bodies pointed in all directions like watchful eyes that never blinked.New locks gleamed on the front door. Heavy deadbolts that caught the afternoon sun. Two plainclothes FBI agents sat in an unmarked car across the street pretending to read newspapers.Damien's key turned in the unfamiliar lock with a solid click that felt wrong. This was supposed to be his safe place. His refuge from the world.The door flew open before he could turn the handle. Emma launched herself at him with a shriek of joy that made his heart crack open."Daddy! You are home! You are finally home!"He dropped his bag and caught her. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She smelled like st

Damien traced the call using an app Marcus had installed on his phone years ago. A safety measure from when the gambling was at its worst and people needed to find him.The location pinged two hours outside San Francisco. A casino called Golden Gate Reserve. The kind of place that stayed open twenty-four hours with no windows and free drinks.Damien drove through the night with his hands gripping the wheel so tight his fingers went numb. The highway stretched empty and dark ahead of him.He reached the casino at two in the morning. Neon lights blazed against the black sky promising fortune and excitement. Inside the air smelled like cigarette smoke.Damien found Marcus at a poker table in the high-stakes room. He was surrounded by towers of chips. His eyes had that glassy look Damien remembered from years ago.The gambling fever. The certainty that the next hand would change everything.Eight months sober. Destroyed in one night.Marcus did not see Damien approaching. He was focused e

Agent Torres stared at Damien across the kitchen table like he had lost his mind. The coffee between them had gone cold an hour ago."Absolutely not. It's too dangerous and too unpredictable."Damien leaned forward with desperation in his voice. "They are already targeting my family. They photographed my daughter. They threatened my wife's business. Use that.""Use what exactly?""Make me visible. Make me vulnerable. Catch whoever comes."Torres shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He looked exhausted. They all did."You are not trained for this. You are a civilian. My job is to protect you, not use you as bait.""Your job is to stop Volkov's network. I am giving you a way to do that."The argument went in circles for another hour. Damien refused to back down. Torres refused to agree. Finally, the agent said he would bring it to his superiors."But I am telling you right now they will say no."Patricia called at eight AM. Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass."What is this I hear ab