2026-02-23 23:43:37
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chapter 168
RYAN.Julian’s smile never faded.He stepped behind Seraphine and locked an arm around her chest dragging her back against him.She gasped, her hands trembling as the cold metal pressed closer to her skin.Tears streamed down her face, I felt it every ounce of her fear, every silent plea like it was happening inside my own body.“Julian,” I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to stay calmHe leaned close to her ear, almost gentle, almost affectionate. “You think you’re going to be free, Ryan?” he said “The Dynasty must get all of you. Every last Cassian. You won’t survive this.”Something in my chest twisted. “This is wrong,” I said. “You know it is. Why are you acting like this? You’re not this man.”Julian chuckled softly. “Don’t insult me by pretending you know me better than I know myself.”“They’re controlling you,” I said. “You know that. The Dynasty owns fear. That’s how they work.”His expression hardened. “I am entirely myself,” he replied. “They aren’t controlling me.
Chapter 167
RYAN“The Chinese Dynasty won’t let us survive this,” I said, my voice low but shaking. “These people are killers Look at the kind of gas they’re using. They didn’t come to scare us they came to finish it.”The green mist thickened around the room, crawling along the floor and climbing the walls like something aliveMy chest burned just watching it.Mr. Miller didn’t flinch.He stepped forward with a steadiness that made me pause. “We’re here now,” he said firmly. “Nothing will happen to them.”I wanted to believe him. I needed to. But in my head, the thoughts kept coming, sharp and relentless.This won’t end here.Even if we save them, they won’t stop. Where do we hide after this? How long can we keep running?Mr. Miller reached into his old military kit and pulled out a small metal canister attached to tubing and a handheld injector “Chemical neutralizer,” he said quickly. “Old tech. Designed for unstable compounds like this. But once I release it, the gas won’t disappear evenly
CHAPTER 166
RYAN.I kept the van steady as it tore through the road, my hands tight on the wheel.The engine growled under my control responding to every small movement like it understood the urgency Beside me, Mr. Miller worked quietly, eyes locked on the old tracking device in his hands Dante sat in the back, restless, constantly checking the rear windows and the side mirrors, watching for Dynasty vehicles.Mr. Miller broke the silence first. “I’ve marked the location,” he said calmly. “But the signal isn’t live anymore.”Dante snapped immediately. “Then bring it back to life, old man.”I didn’t even look at him. “You better shut it, Dante.”He scoffed. “He should do his work.”That was enough.I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “You don’t get to talk,” I said coldly. “You don’t have the right to say anything about anything, Not after this. You and Elizabeth caused all of this.”The air inside the van turned heavy. Mr. Miller finally lifted his head. His voice was low, controlled, but
CHAPTER 165
RYAN.Dante and I were about to leave the safe house,adrenaline coursing through every vein.The plan was simple: move fast, avoid detection, and reach the families before the Dynasty could tighten its gripI had barely taken two steps outside when a sniper’s bullet screamed past us The wind from it rattled my ear, and I felt the pulse of death brush against my skin It didn’t touch us but that near miss was enough.My stomach droppedand instinct kicked in.“Run!” I shouted grabbing Dante’s arm.We bolted back inside, hearts hammering, lungs burning.The moment we slammed the door the weight of what just happened pressed down on me. The sniper had been precise, deliberate someone was watching us, waiting.Mr. Miller appeared alarm etched on his face. “What’s going on?” His tone was calm, but there was a steel edge I couldn’t ignore.“They’re everywhere outside,” I said, my voice tight. My hands clenched into fists. “Too many of them. They’ve blocked every exit. They’re waiting for
CHAPTER 164
RYAN.Elizabeth was pacing when the thought finally spilled out of her mouth “There’s someone feeding them information,” she said her voice tight. “There has to be a mole.”The room went quiet. The idea wasn’t new but hearing it said out loud made it heavier. She stopped pacing and looked at all of us. “From now on, any plan we make we make it in private. No full rooms or loose talk. The Chinese Dynasty already has their hands on our heads. One mistake and they cut deeper.”I felt the pressure of her words sink into my chest Before I could respond, Dante spoke, his tone sharp and deliberate. “They can hear us now” he said.“Assume they always can.”Elizabeth turned toward the cameras, toward the invisible watchers.Her composure cracked. “If you’re hearing us,” she said, her voice trembling but loud,“please… release my child”Dante snapped instantly. “Don’t tease my wife!” he shouted into the air. “We promise to give you your money. Just let them go!”The words echoed, useless a
CHAPTER 163
DANTE.I watched the follow-up broadcast, my hands clenched so tightly my knuckles ached. Julian’s face filled the screen, calm, almost amused, as if he were narrating a play instead of delivering a death sentence. “It’s going to slowly take their lives in forty-eight hours,” he said. “When they are gone, maybe it will teach you all not to ever mess with the Chinese dynasty again.”The words sank in like ice water.My stomach twisted, and I realized instantly this wasn’t a simple execution.This was engineered sufferingJulian didn’t just want them dead; he wanted them to feel every second of their fear, every second of helplessness. It was Military-grade psychological warfare.I felt my chest tighten Sweat ran down my temple, soaking the collar of my shirt, I scanned the screen, and then I saw her.My wife.The one person I had erased from every record, the one weakness I had buried so deep no one could ever find her. I had hidden her so well that she might as well have never exi
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