Mag-log inEli’s voice exploded through the earpiece like a gunshot of its own.
“Eli” did not shout his name. He screamed a warning. “Cove! Do not shoot! He is rigged with a heart monitor! If you kill him the bombs go off right now!”
Cove’s gun was already aimed at Matteo’s head. The warehouse lights were low, just enough to see the faces of the men holding Matteo. Lena stood behind Cove, still rubbing her
Eli woke up slowly, his body heavy and confused. He was on the big couch in the living room of the penthouse, the soft cushions pressing into his back. Cove’s arm was wrapped tightly around his shoulders, pulling him close. The emergency lights were on low, casting a warm orange glow across the marble floor and the tall windows. The city lights of the night outside the glass walls looked far away, like they belonged to someone else’s world. Eli’s breathing was still fast and shallow, the panic attack still clinging to him like cold sweat on his skin.His legs felt weak when he tried to sit up. He pushed himself a little too hard and they buckled under him. Eli let out a small groan and dropped back onto the couch. “I… I can’t,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and rough. “My legs won’t work.”Cove didn’t let go. He simply shifted, sliding an arm under Eli’s knees and lifting him easily. Eli’s head rested against Cove’s shoulder as he was carried the short distance to the couch. Cove sat
Eli forced himself through the panic, his body shaking in the pitch black of the server room. The darkness pressed against him like a living thing, the kind that had haunted him since he was nine. The closet. The fire. The endless night that had made him scream until his voice gave out. His heart slammed against his ribs so hard he could feel it in his throat. His hands trembled as he gripped the pistol he had taken from the limo earlier. The platinum collar around his neck felt like a chain, heavy and cold. The silver ring on his finger pressed against his knuckle, a reminder of the life he had chosen with Cove.He forced his eyes to open. The emergency lights outside the server room door cast a faint red glow through the small window, but that was not enough. He needed more. He needed to see. His fingers moved on the laptop, the glow from the server monitors spilling into the room. He aimed the pistol carefully, the red dot from the laser sight dancing on the wall where the first sh
Cove’s boots pounded the pavement as he sprinted back toward the armored vehicle. The night air cut through his tactical jacket, but he barely felt it. His mind was a storm of orders and calculations. Eli was inside the penthouse, alone in the server room. Lena was vulnerable. Matteo had already proved he did not play fair. One second too late and everything could collapse.“Move!” Cove shouted into his radio, his voice sharp and commanding. “Lena stays with the men. Secure the lobby. I am sprinting back to the vehicle. Do not wait for me.”One of the men, a tall veteran named Ruiz, answered immediately. “Copy, boss. We got her. Lena is safe in the lobby with two guards. We are escorting her to the penthouse now.”Cove did not slow down. He reached the armored vehicle in under thirty seconds, the engine already running. The driver, a quiet man named Morales, looked
Eli’s voice exploded through the earpiece like a gunshot of its own.“Eli” did not shout his name. He screamed a warning. “Cove! Do not shoot! He is rigged with a heart monitor! If you kill him the bombs go off right now!”Cove’s gun was already aimed at Matteo’s head. The warehouse lights were low, just enough to see the faces of the men holding Matteo. Lena stood behind Cove, still rubbing her wrists, her face pale but steady. The team waited in tense silence, weapons ready. Matteo stood in the center of the room, the detonator switch still in his hand. His smile was thin and dangerous.Cove’s finger tightened on the trigger. “Stand down, Matteo. Lena is free. The ports stay ours. Drop the switch.”Matteo laughed, the sound sharp and ugly. “No. You think you can just walk in and take everything? I killed my father. I wi
Matteo Caruso stood in the center of the old meatpacking hall, the detonator switch held loosely in his right hand. The air inside the warehouse was thick with dust and the faint metallic tang of old blood. Old conveyor belts lay silent like giant snakes across the cracked concrete floor. High above, the hanging meat hooks swayed gently in the draft from the broken roof. The smell of rust and grease filled the space, mixing with the cold night air that seeped in through shattered windows. Red laser grids crisscrossed the floor at different heights, invisible but deadly. One wrong move and the entire building would blow.Lena sat tied to a metal chair in the middle of the room, her wrists bound tight behind her back. Bruises colored her face, but her eyes stayed sharp and defiant. She looked at Cove with quiet relief mixed with worry. “Cove,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the situation. “You came. But this is not the ti
Cove froze mid-step, one foot suspended in the air as the drone feed on Eli’s screen went completely black.The warehouse around him felt alive with danger. Old meat hooks swayed gently from the high ceiling, creaking in the cold draft. The concrete floor was stained dark with years of blood and oil. Invisible lasers crisscrossed the space at ankle, knee, and chest height. One wrong move and the motion sensors would trigger the explosives rigged throughout the entire building. The air smelled of rust, dust, and faint gun oil from the team’s weapons. Cove’s heart beat steady but hard in his chest. His injured shoulder burned under the tactical vest, but he kept his breathing even.Eli’s voice came through the earpiece, urgent but controlled. “Cove, the drone jammed. I lost the visual. Do not move. I am switching to audio. I can hear the frequency hum of the proximity sensors. I will guide you by sou
Cove’s face hardened the moment Lena spoke. He held the phone tight against his ear, his good arm still wrapped around Eli. The bedroom felt suddenly colder, the warm glow from the lamps doing nothing to chase away the new shadow that had fallen over them.“Marco escaped,” Lena repeated on the line
Eli stood in the control tower, rain hammering against the glass windows like it wanted to break in. The small room smelled of blood, wet concrete, and fear. Julian sat slumped in the chair, clutching his bleeding hand, eyes wide with a mix of pain and disbelief. The pistol in Eli’s hand felt hea
Eli stood in front of the dressing table, still wrapped in a soft towel from the bath. His body felt clean but tired, the warm water having washed away layers of dirt, blood, and exhaustion from the long night. The platinum collar around his neck caught the soft bedroom light, gleam
The massive shipping container crashed into the yacht’s upper deck with a deafening roar. Metal screeched against metal. Wood splintered. The entire boat rocked violently in the churning water. Eli watched from the control tower window, rain streaming down the glass, his heart







