LOGINPain hit me first. Sharp and hot across my side. I tried to move but everything felt heavy. My eyes opened slowly. The room was bright and white. Hospital lights.Damien was sitting right next to the bed. His hand was holding mine tight. When he saw me awake his shoulders dropped a little.“Hey,” he said, voice rough. “You scared the hell out of me.”I tried to speak but my throat was dry. He gave me water and helped me drink.“What happened?” I asked. My voice came out weak.He looked tired. Eyes red like he hadn’t slept.“You jumped in front of Rose. Took the bullet for her. The imposter got a shot off before Victoria and the guys took her down. Your mother is dead. We got the kids out. They’re safe. Both of them.”Tears burned my eyes. Relief mixed with everything else. Liam and Rose were okay. That was all that mattered right now.“Where are they?” I asked.“Outside with one of my men. I didn’t want them seeing you like this yet. They’re asking about you nonstop.”I nodded. My sid
We pulled up a block away from the address. The building looked like an old shipping office, dark windows and rusted metal. My hands were shaking so bad I had to grip my knees to stop them.Damien turned the engine off but didn’t move. He just stared ahead for a second like he was trying to pull himself together.“She’s my sister,” he said quietly. “All these years and she was never my mother. She was just waiting to take everything from me.”I reached over and touched his arm. “We don’t have time for that right now. Our kids are in there.”He nodded and looked at me. His eyes were full of so much anger and pain it hurt to see.“We go in together,” he said. “If anything goes wrong you get the kids out. I’ll handle the rest.”I didn’t argue. I just nodded.We got out of the car and walked toward the building. Every step felt heavier than the last. My heart was beating so loud I was scared they could hear it from inside.The front door was unlocked. Damien pushed it open slowly and we s
We stood in the middle of the burning warehouse as the smoke cleared. My mother was on the ground, bleeding but still breathing. My father wasn’t moving at all. Liam was pressed against my side, shaking.Damien stared at the photo on my phone like it didn’t make sense. The woman we had believed was his mother for years was standing next to mine, both of them smiling.He looked at me. His voice was low.“She’s not my mother.”I didn’t know what to say. I just held his hand tighter.One of his men ran up. “Victoria is awake again. She wants to talk to you. She says it’s important.”We didn’t wait. We got back in the car and drove straight to the hospital. Liam stayed close to me the whole way. Rose was already safe with one of Damien’s people, but I still felt sick knowing both kids had been used like pawns.When we reached Victoria’s room, she was sitting up a little. She looked weak but her eyes were sharp.She looked straight at Damien.“Your real mother died when you were twelve,” s
We sat in the car for a moment. Just staring at that dark building ahead. The docks were quiet except for water slapping against the old wooden posts. My hands felt cold and clammy.Damien turned to me. His face dead serious.“I dont like this” he said. “Theyre expecting us. Its too quiet.”I looked at the message on my phone again. Welcome to the end sweetheart.“I have to go in” I said. My voice shook but I tried to sound sure. “They have Liam. I cant just sit here.”Damien reached over and touched my cheek. Gentle. “Then we go in together. But we stay smart. If anything feels wrong we get out.”I nodded.We got out of the car. Damien had two of his men with us but they stayed back like we agreed. We walked toward the old warehouse slow. The door was already open. Like someone was waiting.Inside it smelled like salt water and old wood. A few lights were on but most of the place stayed dark. At the far end of the big open space I saw them.My mother and father stood near a metal tab
We jumped back into the SUV as quick as we could. Rose was still crying soft in the back seat. I got in next to her and pulled her close. She hid her face in my chest and held on like she never wanted to let go.Damien slid behind the wheel and took off. His hands were locked on that steering wheel so tight his knuckles went white.I kept staring at the photo of Liam on my phone. My dad was right there next to him, grinning like it was all some big joke.My stomach turned.Rose lifted her head a bit. “Where’s Liam?” she asked, voice tiny.I swallowed. “We’re gonna get him, baby. I promise.”She nodded and buried her face back in my shirt.Damien caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “We’re gonna find him,” he said. Voice rough but solid. “My guys are already on it. We’ll have a location soon.”I nodded, but that fear kept crawling up my throat. We just got Rose back. Now Liam was gone again. Felt like we’d never be safe.My phone rang.It was Marcus.I picked up and put it on speaker.
The beeping was everywhere, echoing off the walls like it was drilling straight into my skull. Ten seconds.Mom stood there, completely still, holding that trigger like it was nothing. Her eyes were locked on mine…calm, almost peaceful, like she was just waiting for me to crack and beg. Rose was sobbing harder now, these broken little gasps that tore at me. She kept glancing my way, like I was supposed to magically fix this whole nightmare.My brain was pure static. I couldn’t think straight.Damien’s hand was still wrapped around mine, gripping so tight it almost hurt. Like he was afraid I’d slip away if he let go.Nine seconds.I looked right at her. “I choose them,” I said. My voice came out shaky, but I forced it loud enough. “I choose my family. All of them. Not you.”Something in her face shifted. That fake calm cracked.“You’re making a mistake,” she said, flat and cold.Eight seconds.Damien tugged me backward. “We gotta move now.”Marcus and Victoria were already backing towa







