Chapte‌r 1: Th‍e⁠ Raid

The rain in Chicago hammered the wareho‍use like it had⁠ a personal gru‍dges with the building. That kind of ra⁠in that‌ turned t‍he asphalt into black mirrors and made ev‍ery gunshot‍ sound wet and final‍.⁠ Alex⁠ei Voss crouched behind a r⁠u⁠sted forklift, green eyes‌ narrowed against t‍he downpour. His tactical vest was soake‌d through, the f‍abric clinging to the corded muscle of his ba‍ck, and the chea⁠p col⁠ogne he’d splash‌ed on earlier wa⁠s already mi‍xing⁠ wit‌h t⁠he meta‌llic tang of b⁠lood in t‍he air.‍ At twenty-eight he had stopped giving a fuck about h‍ow he s‍melled be‌cause smell was for civilians who thought they coul‌d run.‌The Voss crew had l‌ost‍ the element of surprise the second they breached the fence‍. Moretti men were everywher‌e black ta‌ctical gear, suppressed r‌ifles, the kind of precision that only money an‌d‌ fear co‌uld buy. But Alexei had be‍en wait‍ing. He’⁠d b⁠e⁠en w⁠a‍iting for th⁠is moment since Luca Moretti’s father put the first bulle‍t in his o

Last Updated : 2026-06-30

Chapter 2: Hostage

The penthouse door shut behind them with a solid, expensive click that sounded louder than any gunshot.Luca didn’t let go of Alexei’s wrist until the driver’s door was sealed and the tires were already rolling toward the city.Even then he just steered with one hand, the other still locked around Alexei’s forearm like he was afraid the ghost enforcer would vanish into thin air. Rain flogged the windshield in thick sheets, turning Chicago skyline into a smeared watercolor of lights and black buildings. Alexei’s thigh burned where the bullet had grazed it, but he didn’t even flinch. He kept his green eyes fixed on the road ahead, jaw tight, the taste of his own blood still thick on his tongue.Luca killed the wipers for a second, just long enough to glance sideways. “You’re bleeding on my leather.”It wasn’t a question. Alexei spat a thick glob of red onto the floor mat and said nothing. The words felt stupid anyway. Three years of being the Voss ghost and he still hadn’t learned t

Last Updated : 2026-06-30

Chapter 3: The First Night

The first time the bedroom door opened again, the light was weak and gray, the kind that came in through the windows after dawn had already given up. Alexei woke with a start, chains rattling against the marble floor like they were trying to wake the dead. His body felt heavy, every muscle locked in place from the long night of nothing. Throat dry as bone. Thigh pulsing with that, hot ache where the bullet had grazed it. The leather cuffs were still tight, biting into his wrists, and the chain had him pinned to the bed like a dog that had finally been caught.He didn’t know how long he’d slept. The clock on the nightstand said 6:17 a.m., but it might have been 7:47. Time had lost its teeth in these rooms. Luca’s penthouse swallowed hours and spat them back out thin.The door creaked. Not much just the soft groan of hinges that hadn’t been oiled in years. Alexei’s green eyes snapped open. He was ready for it. Ready for the voice, the smell of Luca’s cologne, the way those storm-grey ey

Last Updated : 2026-07-01

Chapter 4: Glued to the Glass

The bedroom door creaked open again at exactly 7:42 a.m. by the clock on the nightstand. Alexei’s head had been spinning since Luca left last night, the shallow cut on his neck now a thin red line that burned every time he swallowed. His wrist throbbed where the cuff had bitten in. His thigh felt like it was on fire. But the rage was sharper than the pain. It sat in his gut like bad whiskey and wouldn’t let him sleep.He was still naked, chain loose enough now to let him sit up, when the door opened. Luca stepped in carrying the same black duffel bag from last night, plus a small black toolkit he’d left on the floor outside. Rain streaked the windows behind him, turning the city into a smear of gray and neon. Luca’s face was calm, but there was a fresh bruise blooming along his left temple where Alexei had headbutted him. Good. Means he wasn’t completely healed.“Up,” Luca said. No hello. No good morning. Just the command, the same tone he used when he was loading a gun.Alexei didn’t

Last Updated : 2026-07-01

Chapter 5: Three Days

The first forty-eight hours were a blur of rain and silence.Alexei didn’t eat. He didn’t drink. He didn’t speak. The chain was the only thing that moved soft clinks every time he shifted from his side to his back, every time he rolled onto his stomach to stare at the blood-streaked window. The cuts Luca had made on the glass were still there, faint red lines that the rain had washed clean but not erased. Alexei could see them in the reflection when he turned his head. Six parallel scars. Like a map he hadn’t asked for.His body was a warzone of old and new pain. The graze on his thigh had swollen, the bullet wound pulsing with every heartbeat. His ribs felt cracked again where Luca had bumped him into the glass. His face nose, lips, the cut on his temple from the first night hadn’t healed right. The cuts on his back from the glass were deeper than he liked. Every breath pulled at them. Every swallow tasted like copper.He counted the hours the only way he knew how.One. Two. Three.O

Last Updated : 2026-07-15

Chapter 6: The Knife Is New

The fourth morning was worse.Alexei woke up on his side again, cheek pressed to the cold marble floor, the chain still looped through the bedpost and attached to his left wrist. His left wrist throbbed where the cuff had bitten in overnight. The cuts on his chest and stomach had started to burn like they were on fire new lines crossed with old scars, each one pulling when he breathed. His thigh had gone completely numb under the soaked bandage. The graze from yesterday had reopened, the bullet wound now a raw, angry ring that pulsed with every heartbeat. His face was swollen, the nose crunched flat, the split lip scabbed over but the inside was still raw. The shallow cut on his neck from the first night had healed into a thin pink line, but it itched like fire when he swallowed. And the tattoo on his forearm “Stay” was bleeding again, the ink smudged and dark.He’d spent the last three days mostly on his side, chain clinking softly with every shallow breath, staring at the bloody str