His voice cracked. Couldn't help it. All the fear. All the panic. All the hours of waiting and not knowing."Poison." Marcus's voice was stronger now. Clearer. "Someone's been poisoning me. Slowly. For months. The doctors don't know yet. Won't know unless they specifically test for it. But I know. I can feel it."Sora's face went ice cold. "Who?""I don't know exactly who. But it's someone close. Someone with access to my food. My drinks. My daily routine." Marcus tried to sit up. Grunted. Pain flashing across his face."Don't move," Jake said. "You need to rest.""No. I need to talk. Now. Before they monitor me again." Marcus grabbed Jake's hand tighter. His grip was weak but desperate. "There are things you need to know. About the Hearts. About Victor. About what's really happening.""Save your strength," Sora moved closer. "We can talk when you're better. When you're out of here.""No." Marcus's voice was firm despite the weakness. "Now. Because if I die tonight, you need to know e

Jake pulled the USB drive from his pocket. Turned it over in his hands. Such a small thing. Barely weighed anything. Could be answers. Could be lies. Could be both. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But we need to find out what's on it. Soon. Before Marcus..." He couldn't finish that sentence. Couldn't say the words out loud. Saying them made it real. Made it possible. Sora's expression softened. Just slightly. Just enough for Jake to see the person underneath the CEO mask. "We'll watch it. Together. In my office. Somewhere secure." She glanced around the parking garage. Concrete. Shadows. Too many places for cameras or listening devices. "Not here. Somewhere we control." They walked back to the elevator. Jake kept the USB drive in his fist. Couldn't let it go. Like holding it tight enough would make the answers inside be good ones. The ride up was silent. Elevator music played. Some generic corporate instrumental that was probably supposed to be calming. It wasn't working. S

Different location. Different life. Same war.Derek Mitchell woke up at 8 AM. Unusual for him. Usually slept until noon. But today was special. Today required preparation.He made instant coffee. Tasted like chemicals but had caffeine. That's all that mattered.His phone sat on the nightstand. Silent since M's message last night. The instructions were clear. Simple. Be at the café. Watch the east exit. Stop Morrison if he runs.Derek opened his laptop. Pulled up the café location. Studied it. Again. For the hundredth time.Rosewood Café. Downtown. Three exits. Front entrance on Main Street. Side door to an alley. Back door leading to the parking lot.M, had said to watch the east exit. That was the alley. Made sense. If things went wrong, if Morrison panicked, he'd run for the closest escape. The alley exit.And Derek would be waiting.He pulled out his supplies. Things he'd bought over the past week. Preparation for whatever M needed.A taser. Legal to own. Barely. Strong enough to d

Jake was moving before his brain caught up. Instinct. Training. The Hearts activating.He grabbed Elena. Pulled her down. Under the table. "Stay here! Don't move!"The café's front window exploded. Glass everywhere. Bullets tearing through the walls. Through furniture. Through the space where Jake had been sitting two seconds ago.People screamed. Dove for cover. Ran for exits. Pure chaos.Jake's ring flared white-hot. All three Hearts engaging at once. Power flooding through him. The world slowing down. His perception sharpening.He could see the attackers outside. Men in tactical gear. Black. Professional. Forty of them. Maybe more. Surrounding the café. Covering every exit.'Trap. It was always a trap.'But not Elena's trap. Her face was pure shock. Pure horror. She hadn't known. Couldn't have faked that reaction.Victor had tracked her. Used her confession. Turned her defection into bait.More gunfire. The café was being shredded. Bullets hitting everything. People hiding behind o

"During the café attack, someone hit the research facility anyway. Different team. Different target. Forty men at the café were a distraction. The real objective was the facility."Jake's stomach dropped. "Did they steal the data? The Hearts research?""No. They didn't steal anything." Harrison's voice got quieter. More grim. "They planted something. Explosives. The entire building is rigged to blow. Professional work. Military grade. Enough to level the block.""Can you disarm it?""We're trying. But sir. We can't find the detonator. It's not wired. Not on a timer. Someone has a remote trigger. Someone who can blow the building anytime they want. And we have no idea who or where."Jake looked at Sora. She'd heard. Was already moving. Already planning. Already ten steps ahead."How much time do we have?" Jake asked."Unknown. Could be hours. Could be minutes. Could be right now." Harrison's voice was steady but Jake heard the fear underneath. "We're evacuating the surrounding building