All Chapters of COLLATERAL DESIRE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The quarters were quiet except for the faint hum of the old air conditioner. Lance sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor, every muscle stiff from the day’s training. His hands ached, his body felt heavy, but the worst part wasn’t the pain, it was the knot in his chest, the dread he couldn’t shake.Porto lounged against the doorframe, lazily tossing a baseball in one hand, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Marcus sat at the small table, cleaning a gun, his movements calm but observant.“You look like you’re carrying the world,” Marcus finally said, glancing up.Lance didn’t answer at first, running a hand through his hair. The words tumbled out before he could stop them. “It’s Ylva.”Both men paused. Porto raised a brow, Marcus’s hands still over the gun.“My… girlfriend,” Lance continued, voice tight. “I haven’t talked to her properly in weeks. I’ve been avoiding her calls, ignoring her messages… and now her birthday is tomorrow. I don’t know how to face her. I… I don’t e

The next day came faster than Lance expected, sunlight filtering through the windows and pulling him out of sleep.They all had breakfast together before heading back to the mansion for further preparations.When they arrived, Ragnar was already standing in the main hall speaking to someone in a low voice. Lance barely paid attention to the conversation. Instead, he glanced around the mansion, noticing that even more decorations had been added overnight.The place looked even more extravagant than it had the day before.How old was Ylva turning again? he wondered to himself.After a while everyone resumed work again, this time focusing entirely on the positions they had been assigned and the hidden compartments where the guns and goods would be stored. Ragnar had clearly planned everything carefully. Certain walls concealed storage panels, tables had hidden drawers beneath them, and several decorative cabinets had been modified to hide weapons if necessary.It was impressiveAnd sligh

The party continued to grow louder as more guests filled the mansion.Music drifted through the halls while glasses clinked beneath the glow of crystal chandeliers. Polite laughter echoed through the rooms as waiters moved smoothly between groups of people, carrying trays of drinks and elegant appetizers. Conversations about business, travel, and investments floated through the air, blending together with the music.To anyone walking in, it looked like a perfect celebration.But Lance barely heard any of it.His entire focus remained fixed on the entrance.Because the moment Ragnar’s assistant opened the front doors again, a familiar group stepped inside.Lance’s stomach dropped instantly.Oh no.It was them.More of Ylva’s friends.And unfortunately… his friends too.A group of about six people walked in together, laughing loudly as they stepped into the mansion. They were dressed for a fancy birthday dinner, but compared to the wealthy guests already inside, they looked a little mor

Ylva smiled as the man wrapped his arms around her too.“How are you, my baby girl?” he finally spoke, his voice deep and commanding, the kind of voice that made everyone in the hall instinctively sit up straighter.Ylva chuckled, shaking her head. “Grandpa, I’m no longer a kid. Stop calling me that.”He patted her back in an affectionate manner, a gesture almost gentle compared to his presence. “You’ll always be my little girl.”Ylva simply smiled in response, the warmth in her expression at odds with the icy tension filling the room.Lance stood frozen, barely daring to move an inch. He knew Ylva, he knew exactly what she was capable of and he also knew what this man, her grandfather, represented.Ragnar approached the man, his cold, calculating eyes unchanged, as though he would soften for no one, not even his own father.“Welcome, Father. Glad you could make it,” Ragnar said, formal, polite but with a weight in his voice that made it clear the greeting was obligatory, not warm.H

The party slowly returned to its earlier rhythm after Marcus’s arrival. Music drifted through the grand hall once again, rich violin notes blending with laughter and conversation. Waiters moved gracefully between guests carrying trays of champagne while couples swayed across the polished marble dance floor beneath the glittering chandeliers To anyone walking in, it would have looked like a perfect celebration.But Lance couldn’t shake the tension sitting in his chest.He stood at his assigned position near one of the pillars, his posture straight, eyes constantly scanning the room the way he had been taught. It had become second nature now, watching faces, movements, entrances, exits. Looking for anything that didn’t belong.Across the hall, Marcus and Ragnar were still speaking with a group of men. Their conversation looked calm, controlled, but the occasional glance they sent toward the doors told Lance everything he needed to know.Something important was happening tonight.Sever