~Rylee~Davide cocked his head, silently commanding me to follow him.Fist clenched tightly, I flanked them. One man led the line. Davide kept a steady two steps behind me and the rest of his men trailed behind him.Ten meters from the creek. That’s the only distance we could cover before the guy leading our pile dropped to the ground, a knife buried in his temple.I dove to the ground, finding cover in the nearest tree trunk. Davide followed me like a magnet to an opposite pole, leaving his men kneeling in the open.“Did you call it in?” Davide growled, voice waving with fear. He cocked his handgun, releasing the safety.“Of course, I called it in.” I rolled my eyes, huffing as I peeked at Davide’s men who were still sitting ducks in the open. ‘Don’t they know the basics of an ambush?’ I thought, looking for any sign of the culprit. “But my husband won’t come with just a knife to save me.”Davide pondered on my statement, huffing as he mimicked my position, peeking into his men.“Tak

~Klaus~Ash was in Huntersville, and Ghost was in New York. Although they were working in different places, they managed to trace Zio Davide’s phone call to Kara and gave me a location. It’s not that far, but it won’t remain in that place for long.Dominguez is smart. I must give him that. He is using a cargo ship as his current hideout. He could easily get in and out of countries and move places with his connections. Even if he’s technically a fugitive now, it still surprises me how he manages to pull these stunts.With the help of the pain meds, Rylee fell asleep instantly. Cinnamon hair spread like fire flames against the white pillows. Her lips slightly parted, her chest heaving calmly. She had bruises again when the once she gained from Spain had just faded.I leaned forward, the couch hissing beneath my weight as I set my elbow above my knees, eyes trained on her closed eyelids, hiding my favorite shade of hazel eyes.She had been called many names by people who didn’t know her

~Klaus~ I am a wicked man. In every situation, my mind works in ways where everything would end in my favor. There were only a handful of people I put before myself. My family, my close friends, and of course, my wife. But this… having a frail woman raped and using her as a trap to kill one or two foes and implanting a bomb inside her body, that’s… I don’t even have the right words to describe how vile this is. After everything she did to Rylee, I still don’t understand why my wife wanted to save her. And it is my duty to get her to safety. “Tell her that yourself,” I growled, pissed off. To whom? I’m not particularly sure. Dominguez for having such an evil mind, at Rylee for caring too much about this woman, at me for even giving a shit about Kara’s life. I stared at Kara’s trembling figure before lifting my gaze to Piu. “Change of plans. We can’t take her back to the estate without knowing what kind of explosives they’ve put inside her.” “Where will we take her?” Piu mirrored m

~Rylee~There was a heavy feeling in my chest when I opened my eyes the next day. I knew in my gut that something was not right.I was alone in our bed, and an eerie sense floated in the air.Getting up from the bed, I pushed aside the throbbing sensation in my head and body. I grabbed the bottle of pain reliever on the bedside table, downing two, hoping to find some relief for this pain. A knock on the door echoed as I reached for my phone, expecting to know where Klaus was.“It’s open,” I announced. Markus opened the door, a somber look on his face.“Dad…” I stood, wincing at the sudden pinch of pain in my left side.Vicente appeared behind him, a tender smile on his face.“You…”“Why does he get ‘Dad’ and I get a stone cold ‘you?’” he asked, skirting past Markus, inviting himself inside our bedroom.“Is something wrong?” I ignored Vicente’s comment or his snooping on pictures of Klaus and me that hang on the wall.Markus was supposed to be in New York, polishing up the family busin

~Rylee~Warm water pelted my skin. I sighed, pressing my palms against the wall as I closed my eyes.A mother who didn’t want me and willingly handed me to a stranger the moment I was born, a self-centered sister, and a drug lord for a father… I huffed, shaking my head. The irony of my life. We truly cannot choose which family we are born to.Lucky for me, that stranger treated me like his own blood, cared for me like I was his own daughter. I met people who loved me like a family and now I have a husband who gave light to my entire world.I took in a sharp breath, reached for the soap, and lathered my body. Negative thinking will do me no good. The need to be on Klaus’ side compelled me to finish my shower and head back to his room. I want to be there when he wakes up.Every second that passes by, this hollow in my chest grows exponentially. He’s within my reach, yet I’m missing him so much. His touch, his smile, his sexy smirk.An army of goosebumps rose on the back of my neck. I di