2025-10-18 19:07:08The room was still for a heartbeat. Then the men blinked, stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.
“What… what the hell just happened?” one finally whispered.
“How… how did he—?” another stammered, pointing at the man sprawled on the floor. He lay unconscious, mouth frozen open.
Zarek had hauled him like he weighed nothing and slammed him down so hard the room rang.
The man hadn’t had a chance to react.
“That… that can’t be real,” one muttered, backing up and gripping his baton.
“Who the hell is this guy? He just—picked him up! Slammed him like he was nothing!” another cursed.
The tallest one glared at Zarek. “This is insane. That guy… he’s supposed to be some kid—how strong is he?”
Zarek didn’t answer. He stood calm, eyes like steel, watching them. The echo of the slam still vibrated on the floorboards. The man on the ground lay still. Their bravado was cracking.
“You think we can take him?” one hissed.
Zarek raised his hand and pointed at the man who’d told the story. “You, come here,” he ordered.
The man froze, then took a step. His eyes widened; his legs shook. Slowly, almost mechanically, he walked toward Zarek.
“Stop!” a deep voice barked.
The tallest man stepped forward, towering over the others. Muscles tensed.
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, yanking the smaller man back. “You think you can just walk up to him?”
Zarek’s gaze swept over him like a blade.
“I’m Korran,” the towering man said. He was the leader of the group, put in charge of watching the house in case the escaped son ever returned. Korran’s eyes narrowed. “You think you can stand there and play hero? I’ll teach you a lesson.”
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small bottle of alcohol.
Without hesitation, he tilted it back and drained it, then slammed the empty bottle to the floor.
It rolled toward Zarek and clattered against the wood.
“I’ll pity you,” Korran said, stepping closer. “I’ll count to ten. If you want to walk out of here alive, kneel. Apologize. To them. All of them.”
He spat on the floor.
Sput!
The others shifted nervously, some chuckling, some glaring, none daring to intervene.
The room went deadly quiet as Korran’s challenge hung in the air.
Zarek picked the picture from the table and slid it into his pocket.
Korran lunged forward, chest heaving. “You ignor—” he barked.
Zarek moved like a coiled spring. A sharp snap of his hip—years of training—and his boot connected with Korran’s belly.
Korran doubled over, dropped to his knees, then hit the floor with a wet sound, gasping.
Huff!
Huff.
Zarek stepped forward and placed his boot on Korran’s head, pressing down lightly.
He dragged his foot across the spit on the floor, wiping it away.
“The house might be dirty,” Zarek said coldly, “but that doesn’t mean you can spit on it.”
He snapped his fingers once. From the street, the front door slammed open and several men in uniforms burst in—fast, precise.
They moved to Zarek and dropped to their knees without a sound.
“Should we start rebuilding, sir?” one asked, eyes fixed on Zarek.
Zarek nodded. “Yes. Rebuild it. Now.”
The uniformed men sprang into action, picking up broken wood and sweeping dust as if the house had always belonged to them.
The group that had been trashing the place whispered among themselves.
“What’s going on?” someone hissed.
“Who are those guys?”
Zarek turned back to the intruders.
He walked toward them. “Who sent you?” he asked.
“Why would we answer that?” one spat.
Zarek lashed out. His boot struck the man’s head.
A sick, sharp crack.
Thud!
The body went limp and slumped to the floor.
The remaining men froze; fear finally broke through. After a tense moment, one stammered,
“W-we… we were sent by Darian Veyron… he works with the Ashborne family. P-please… don’t kill us. We’ll tell you where to find the others. Spare our lives!”
Zarek’s lips curled. “Spare your lives?” he said. “How dare you think you can negotiate with me?e.”
They fell to their knees, hands clasped, begging.
“Please… please… We’ll tell you everything!”
“Don’t hurt us!”
Zarek moved—swift, silent. In an instant, the knife in his hand flashed in the dim light.
SHHICK!
He struck.
Heads rolled with precision.
CRUNCH!
SPLAT!
SNAP!
The sound echoed off the rotting walls as screams were cut short and bodies collapsed in a heap.
‘Ahhhhh!’
Some tried to scramble away, stumbling over debris.
Thump! Thump!
Zarek was faster.
When the last of them fell, Zarek wiped the blood from his hand onto the handkerchief in his hand.
He looked at the uniformed men rebuilding the house, then at the corpses.
“The Ashbourne family, huh?” he murmured, voice low, icy.
His eyes darkened with a storm of hatred that had been building for ten years.
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CHAPTER 557
Zarek’s stone-cold expression subtly shifted, a rare breath of relief unweighting his posture as he heard his youngest brother's voice."Tinny," Zarek rumbled, stepping slightly away from the glowing console. "Good to hear you breathing.""I'm getting out of here," Tinny growled over the static, the sound of squeaking bedsprings echoing alongside a doctor desperately muttering warnings. "Tell me where the rendezvous is. I'll rip this hospital door off its hinges and meet you in twenty minutes.""You will sit your massive ass right back down on that bed," Zarek commanded flatly, his voice carrying the immovable authority of an older brother who had dragged him through a dozen battlefields.On the other end, Tinny let out an annoyed huff."Zarek, I'm fine—""You were poisoned by Vance's neural agent hours ago," Zarek cut him off smoothly. "If you try to sprint across the city right now, your heart will explode before you hit the main lobby. Stay put.""And leave you guys to deal with Va
CHAPTER 556
Outside, the rain had started up again, drumming a relentless beat against the rusted metal structures of the industrial district.High in the wet branches of an old oak tree overlooking a dark intersection, Shaw questioned every choice that had led him to this moment. He clung to the trunk, a deep frown etched on his face as he shifted his weight, causing his cracked ribs to flare with white-hot agony.‘That absolute bastard, ’ Shaw cursed Zarek bitterly in his head, groaning softly as he pressed a hand to his side. 'He’s so good at it,' he says. 'He has eyes everywhere,' he says. I’m literally bleeding under my shirt, and he lets me walk right out into a downpour to climb a tree. If I survive this, I’m charging him double for therapy.He clamped his jaw shut, forcing himself to go completely still as low voices drifted through the rain.Directly below his perch, three men dressed in dark, unbadged tactical gear slipped from the shadows of an alleyway. They weren't wearing Vance's
CHAPTER 555
Zarek paused, his hand dropping from his newly bandaged shoulder. He turned a flat, unamused gaze toward his elder sister."Do not talk nonsense," Zarek rumbled, his voice carrying its usual heavy finality. "I do not care for that kind of stuff. We are in the middle of a war.""Oh, please," Elara teased, stepping closer and poking his uninjured shoulder. "The great, untouchable God of War, completely blind to the fact that the smartest tech genius in the sector just spent ten minutes looking at you like you hung the moon. You might be a genius on the battlefield, little brother, but you're an absolute block of wood when it comes to women."Zarek didn't blink. "She was giving me a warning about our target. Nothing more.""Right, right. Keep telling yourself that," Elara laughed, her expression softening into something more genuine.She wiped a stray smudge of engine grease from her cheek. "Alright, jokes aside. Now that the ledger is ours and Tiny is stable... when are we going to see
CHAPTER 554
Zarek looked at Troll, then back at Elara, his face expressionless. "He's the driver.""I can see he drives, Zarek," Elara said, her tone dropping into a tight whisper. "Who is he really? We didn't plan for a fourth."Troll pocketed the heavy key fob and raised his hands in a peace offering, giving Elara a calm nod. "Captain Troll. Freelance transport and security. As of three hours ago, an ex-employee of Director Vance who decided he didn't want to die for a bad paycheck."Shaw, limping toward the doorway while clutching his ribs, called over his shoulder, "He helped us clear the mountain perimeter and took out the interceptors on the highway, Elara. He's the only reason we aren't wrapped around a pine tree right now."Elara didn't relax her grip on her weapon. "An ex-employee of Vance. That's a dangerous resume to bring to my front door.""It's fine," Zarek rumbled. His deep voice carried a weight that finally made Elara drop her hand from her waist. "He proved his worth on th
CHAPTER 553
The massive armored truck rumbled down the narrow alleys of the industrial district, two blocks from the safe house. Troll slowed, shifting gears for the final right turn into the hidden garage alleyway where Elara and Vivienne were waiting.Zarek’s eyes shot to the side mirror. Far behind them, under the dim amber glow of a broken streetlamp, a pair of headlights turned onto the block. They were keeping their distance, running low and slow."Troll," Zarek said, his voice cutting through the cab. "Drive straight. Do not make the turn."Troll’s foot paused over the brake. He glanced at Zarek. "The safehouse is right there, boss. Shaw’s ribs are barely holding together.""Drive straight," Zarek repeated. "We have tails. Two of them. They aren't trying to ram us—they're tracking us."Shaw pushed himself up against the window, wincing as he looked back. "Damn it. They must have picked us up at the highway exit. If we pull into the garage now, we lead them right to the girls.""Exact
CHAPTER 552
"Yes," Zarek said with a slow nod. "Vance isn't running a fake security business. He’s building a massive illegal drug network to supply underground armies across the country. If the feds get these papers, they won't just lock up his bank accounts. They’ll send SWAT teams to tear down his whole operation."Troll gripped the steering wheel tighter. "That changes everything. If the Director figures out you have those lab blueprints, he won't just send regular guards to get them back. He’ll burn this city down to hide the evidence. He can't let anyone see those files.""Which is why we have to move fast," Zarek said, staring out into the dark night. "As soon as we get to the safe house, we copy the files, send them to our people on the outside, and destroy the papers.”Troll slammed his boot down on the gas. The heavy diesel engine roared, and the huge black truck sped down the empty highway. The rain was finally stopping, leaving the road slick and shiny under the yellow streetlights
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