Mag-log inCHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:The sunrise painted the sky soft pink and gold as they pulled up to the new house. Lyra’s hands still wouldn’t stop shaking. June and Theo had finally dozed off against her in the back seat, exhausted from terror and tears. Dimitri sat beside her, pale but alive, fresh bandages visible under his torn shirt.Viktor killed the engine. “I’ll take my first watch. Elena’s meeting us with a doctor.”Lyra nodded numbly. “Thank you. For everything.”They carried the kids inside and tucked them into bed. June clutched her stuffed bear like a lifeline. Theo murmured something about pancakes in his sleep. Lyra lingered in the doorway, watching them breathe.Dimitri came up behind her, wrapping his good arm around her waist. “They’re safe. We all are.”“Are we?” she whispered, turning into his chest. “Every time I close my eyes, I hear that knife against Theo’s throat. Konrad’s laugh. How many more brothers does he have?”“None that matter.” Dimitri tilted her chin up, eyes
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:A scream ripped through the quiet house at 3:17 a.m.Lyra bolted upright in bed, heart exploding in her chest. Dimitri was already moving, gun in hand before his feet hit the floor.“Kids,” she gasped, racing down the hall with him right behind.Theo’s door was open. Empty bed. June’s room too.“No,” Lyra whispered, voice cracking. “No, no, no!”Dimitri checked the windows. “Glass broken. Footprints outside. They took them.”Lyra grabbed his arm, nails digging in. “Mace is dead! You said it was over!”“Apparently someone didn’t get the memo.” His voice was ice-cold, but his eyes burned with fury. “Stay here. Call Viktor and Elena.”“Like hell I’m staying!” She snatched her own gun from the nightstand. “Those are my babies out there. I’m not waiting while some ghost from your past takes them.”Dimitri rounded on her in the hallway, face inches from hers. “Lyra, listen to me. This isn’t the warehouse. This is our home. Our new start. If you go running out half-cock
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and fear. Lyra hadn’t left Dimitri’s bedside for twelve hours straight. Machines beeped steadily, each one a small mercy. The bullet had clipped his lung but missed his heart by inches. The doctors called it a miracle. She called it stubbornness.She held his hand, thumb brushing over his knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me,” she whispered. “Don’t you ever do that again.”His eyelids fluttered. Slowly, painfully, they opened. “Lyra?” His voice was rough, barely there.“I’m here.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. She leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. “You’re in the hospital. Safe. Mace is dead. It’s over.”Dimitri tried to sit up and winced. “Kids?”“Safe with Elena at a new place. Viktor’s watching them like a hawk. June keeps asking when you’ll come home for pancakes.”A weak smile touched his lips. “Pancakes sound good.” He squeezed her hand, eyes clearing a little. “You okay? You got hit too.”“Graze. Nothing c
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:Mace’s voice slithered through the speakers hidden in the trees. “Come on in, Voss. I’ve been waiting. Bring your pretty little wife too. I wouldn't want her to miss the show.”Lyra’s grip tightened on her gun, heart slamming so hard she could feel it in her teeth. Dimitri pulled her behind a thick oak, his body tense as coiled wire.“Stay close,” he breathed. “He’s trying to rattle us.”“It’s working,” she whispered back. “If he hurts anyone else because of me—”A gunshot cracked nearby. Viktor dropped with a grunt, clutching his arm. “Go! I’ll slow them down.”Dimitri cursed. “Not leaving you.”“You damn well are,” Viktor snarled. “Get your family. I’ll catch up.”Lyra grabbed Dimitri’s hand. “We have to move. Now.”They ran low through the underbrush, boots slipping on damp leaves. The compound walls rose ahead, razor wire glinting under floodlights. Dimitri shot the lock on a side gate. It swung open with a metallic groan.Inside, the place felt like a tomb—to
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:The van bounced hard over the mountain road, every jolt pulling a groan from Dimitri. Lyra kept pressure on the wound in his side, her hands slick with blood. June and Theo huddled against her, small bodies trembling.“Stay awake,” Lyra said, voice shaking. “You hear me? You don’t get to pass out on us now.”Dimitri’s head lolled against the seat, but his eyes fluttered open. A weak smile tugged at his mouth. “Bossy as always. Kids… okay?”“They’re here,” she answered. “Scared, but okay. Thanks to you.”Theo leaned forward. “You got shot because of us?”“Worth it,” Dimitri muttered. “Family now. All of you.”June sniffled. “I want to go home. The real home. With pancakes.”Lyra’s heart twisted. “Soon, baby. I promise. First we fix Dimitri up.”Viktor drove like a man possessed, knuckles white on the wheel. “Safehold’s compromised but we’ve got a fallback cabin two miles out. Smaller. Defensible. Elena’s already rerouting there with supplies.”The fallback cabin wa
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:The tires screamed as Dimitri slammed the brakes outside the safehold. Smoke hung low in the mountain air, mixing with the smell of gunpowder and pine. Lyra was out of the van before it stopped moving, legs burning as she sprinted toward the shattered front doors.“June! Theo!” Her voice tore raw from her throat. “Where are you?”No answer. Just the wind howling through broken glass.Dimitri caught up, gun drawn, face like stone. “Viktor, sweep the perimeter. Lyra, stay behind me, damn it.”“I’m not staying behind anything,” she snapped, shoving past him into the dark entryway. “My brother and sister are in here somewhere. Elena!”A groan came from the kitchen. Elena lay against the cabinets, blood streaking her face, one eye swelling shut. She clutched a pistol with shaking hands.“They came fast,” Elena rasped as Lyra dropped to her knees beside her. “Ten, maybe twelve guys. I got two before they… before they took the kids. I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.”Dimitr







