KANE CREES VILLAThe orange lambogini had barely rolled to a stop before Victoria was out of it, her heels hitting the gravel driveway, with sharp click's. She didn't wait for the driver to circle around and open her door—didn't have the patience for that formality, not today, not with the news burning a hole in her chest like acid eating through fabric.Her heels struck the marble floor of the foyer with rapid, furious clicks, and she muttered something under her breath—a string of German curses that would have made a dockworker blush. One of her maids, a young woman with tired eyes and a nervous smile, stepped forward with her hand outstretched."Willkommen, gnädige Frau." the maid said in careful German, reaching for Victoria's bag.The slap came before the maid could finish the word. Victoria's palm connected with the woman's cheek with a sound like a firecracker, and the maid stumbled backward, one hand pressed to her reddening face, her eyes wide with shock and hurt."Narren," V

Giff stood at the center of the tech room filled with twenty tech skill pro's working endlessly. His fingers tapping a restless rhythm against his thigh, his eyes fixed on the massive monitor that dominated the far wall. It displayed a grainy satellite image of the dense forest on the outskirts of Berlin, blinking markers scattered across the terrain like a game board waiting for its next move.He clicked his fingers. The sound was sharp, satisfied, the kind of sound a man makes when a gamble is paying off beyond his wildest expectations. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he let it spread. He had earned this moment."Beautiful," he murmured to no one in particular.The door at the far end of the room opened, and Eleanor stepped through. Her heels clicked against the floor with the authority of someone who had never needed to ask permission for anything in her life. She carried a tablet in one hand, its screen glowing with data Giff couldn't see from where he stood."G

"Hello there?"Alex spun first, his right hand already behind his back, fingers wrapping around the grip of the pistol tucked into his waistband. Karina turned a half-second later, her uninjured arm steady, the shotgun still cradled against her hip. Years of instinct had shifted her body into a stance that looked relaxed but could become lethal in the space between heartbeats.The man standing thirty feet away looked nothing like a hunter. Early thirties, maybe. A white t-shirt that had seen better days, red shorts faded at the knees, and a fishing rod case slung over one shoulder along with a cheap tackle box that rattled when he shifted his weight. His face was open, sunburned across the nose, and he smiled at them with the easy confidence of someone who had no idea he was standing three seconds away from getting a bullet in his chest."Fishing kits?" Karina muttered, her eyes cutting toward Alex without moving her head.Alex's jaw tightened. His fingers itched on the trigger. The m

“Go on,” Alex urged as Karina leaned forward and knocked on the door three times.“Mr. Jules?” she called out, her voice sweet and harmless, like a fairy who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Alex had to roll his eyes, disgusted by the performance.There were some ruffles from inside the house. They exchanged glances toward each other, waiting. Then the noise stopped.“Do you think he’s there?” Karina asked, her eyes fixed on the door.Alex’s gaze didn’t move. “We’re about to find out.”The footsteps came next, slow and deliberate, approaching the door from the other side. Karina moved back a step toward Alex, her shoulder brushing against his. The handle shifted. The door cracked open, light spilling out across the gravel, and then it swung wider to reveal Jules.He had changed. A comfortable house robe now hung loose on his frame, his feet bare against the wooden floor. His smile was warm, almost relieved, as if he had been expecting them all along.“Hey. You guys made it just in time.” His voic

Karina sprawled across the couch like a queen surveying conquered territory, her injured arm resting on a cushion, her eyes fixed on the man tied to the chair. The living room was dim, lit only by a single lamp in the corner that threw long, wavering shadows against the bare walls. Jules—or whoever the hell he really was—hung forward against the ropes, his chin against his chest, blood still wet on his split lip from where Alex's fist had landed."Do you think he's gonna wake up before dawn?" Karina asked, her voice lazy but her gaze sharp, never leaving the prisoner."I really want to deal with him before i sleep."Alex scoffed from where he stood near the window, arms crossed, the bat resting against the table beside him. "If he doesn't wake up in the next ten minutes, I'm pressing a hot iron to his face." The words came out flat, cold, and he didn't blink when he said them."You hit him really hard," she commented, stretching her shoulders with a wince. "He isn't getting up anytime