LOGINLogan's POV The order rippled across every radio channel."Charlie Team, maintain visual, no contact, no confrontation,” I ordered."Understood," came the immediate reply."If the man with the backpack is only carrying equipment, then he's expendable,” I said, turning to John."You think he's a courier,” John said, as he frowned."I think he's the lowest person in the chain,” I replied."And the higher-ups?" John asked."They won't expose themselves unless they believe the route is secure,” I muttered."The jammer just went offline,” Kimmie said, looking up from her laptop.Every head snapped toward her immediately."What?" I muttered and she refreshed the screen."The interference stopped six seconds ago,” she said and I stared at the monitor."They're moving,” I muttered."Or they've finished what they came to do," John said.Neither possibility was encouraging. The technician monitoring the ground sensors spoke again."Movement,” the technician said."Where?" I asked."The western
Logan's POVBy noon, every member of the surveillance team was in position.The abandoned psychiatric hospital looked exactly like the photographs had suggested, forgotten by the world.Nature had reclaimed most of it, vines climbed cracked brick walls, broken windows stared back like empty eyes.The iron gates had collapsed years ago, leaving only rusted hinges swaying in the breeze.From a distance, it looked lifeless. That was precisely what bothered me.Places that were truly abandoned didn't consume fuel every night. They didn't receive armored vehicles and they certainly didn't attract Victor Hale."Status,” I said as I lowered the binoculars.The command crackled through my earpiece."Team Alpha in position.""Bravo in position.""Charlie covering the eastern access road."I looked toward the tree line. John stood a few feet away, studying the property through his own binoculars.Neither of us had spoken much during the drive. There wasn't much left to say.The truth was somewh
Logan's POVSleep had become a luxury.Not because I couldn't close my eyes, but because every time I did, another piece of the puzzle shifted.Victor Hale wasn't running anymore, he was retreating. There was a difference.A man who ran wanted to survive, a man who retreated already knew where he was going. That made him far more dangerous.The conference room at Lowill Group headquarters was quiet when I walked in just after six in the morning.John was already there, standing beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Los Angeles. Without turning around, he spoke."Did Audrey sleep?" John asked and I nodded."Eventually,” I said."And you?" he asked and I smiled faintly."I watched her,” I replied.He turned to face me, studying me for a long moment."You love her,” he said.It wasn't a question. Months ago, I would have denied it. The contract, the revenge, that had been the plan.Now… There wasn't a contract in the world strong enough to explain what Audrey had becom
Matteo's POVPeople always assumed power came from money. They were wrong, money bought influence.Power came from information; information ruined reputations; information started wars; information buried men long before they reached a grave.I stared at the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, a glass of whiskey untouched in my hand.Los Angeles glittered beneath the night sky. Ordinarily, I enjoyed this view, but tonight, it looked like a battlefield.My phone buzzed and there was one message. “The Hargroves searched Margaret Doyle's apartment.”That was too late. I just deleted the message immediately. Someone else had already cleaned the apartment before the Hargroves arrived.That wasn't my work, it wasn't Victor's either, which meant someone else was still protecting the truth.That thought unsettled me. I hated unknown players.A knock sounded at my office door."Come in,” I said and Grant, my head of corporate security, stepped inside."They're moving faster
Audrey's POVThe photograph lay on the conference table like a live grenade.Matteo and Victor Halenstanding less than three feet apart.Not by accident, not in passing.They were obviously talking. Logan was the first to break the silence."When was this taken?" Logan asked.Kimmie slid another document across the polished table."Eight days ago,” Kimmie replied and John's expression darkened."Location?" John asked."A private marina in Long Beach,” she replied and I frowned."A marina?" I asked and Kimmie nodded."The meeting lasted eleven minutes,” Kimmie said.Only eleven. Eleven minutes had somehow connected my past and present in ways I never imagined."This one,” Logan said, as he picked up another photograph."Victor arrived first,” Kimmie said, as she leaned closer."And Matteo?" Logan asked."Came six minutes later,” she replied and John folded his arms."They are working on something” John muttered.No one disagreed. The evidence spoke for itself, a meeting like that di
Audrey's POV"They found him alive."For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. The words hung in the air between Logan and me, refusing to make sense.Victor Hale was alive. My knees felt weak as I slowly sat down. Across from me, Logan remained standing, his phone still in his hand."Where?" I finally managed and his jaw tightened."They aren't sure yet,” Logan replied and I stared at him."What do you mean they aren't sure?" I asked."They tracked a recent financial transaction,” he replied and my stomach twisted."A bank account?"I asked and Logan nodded."One that shouldn't exist,” he said.That sounded ominous."Apparently Victor Hale has spent the last fifteen years pretending to be someone else,” I muttered.Of course, he had. Nothing about this situation could ever be simple."So he changed his name?"I asked, as I rubbed my forehead."Several times,” Logan replied.That somehow made everything worse, because innocent people didn't spend decades hiding behind fake identities.Only
Audrey’s POVThe sound echoed through the house again. It was loud, sharp, and violent.Every hair on my body stood instantly. I froze in the middle of the kitchen, gripping the butter knife so tightly my fingers hurt.My heart began pounding hard against my chest.“Hello?” I called shakily.No ans
Audrey’s POVBy the time my final speech ended, the energy inside the hall had changed completely.People were laughing, talking, exchanging business cards, and taking pictures beneath the glowing LovePlus sign while music played softly through the room. The nervousness that had almost destroyed m
Audrey's POV The moment I heard my name, my stomach dropped. Suddenly, I turned around and froze.“Kylie?” I muttered.She stood a few feet away from us, wearing a fitted cream dress that hugged her baby bump.Her makeup was perfect, her smile even more perfect, and in her hands was a ridiculously
Audrey's POV I stared at the printed speech in my hands for what had to be the hundredth time that morning.Then I sighed dramatically and dropped my head against the couch.“You're going to embarrass yourself,” I muttered to myself.Immediately after saying it, I sat upright again and pointed acc







