A shudder rushed throughout my body. Someone was inside the apartment. Someone was lurking in the darkness, perhaps standing a few feet away from me. I stayed still, listening to every sound, but I couldn't hear anything aside from my hammering heart. Swallowing hard, I took a cautious step toward the door.“I'm afraid I cannot let you leave,” a deep, male voice said.My head snapped to the left corner of the dark room, where the sound came from. Then I saw it—the shape of a man, emerging from the black of the night. He stepped into the part softly illuminated by light sneaking through one of the windows. He was wearing heavy boots, combat pants, and a black military-like jacket. A black cap on his head obscured most of his face from my view, but what I saw was enough to recognize him.“You tried to kidnap me,” I choked out, stumbling back.The man chuckled and stepped forward. “I had a foolish man for a partner then, but I won't fail this time.” He advanced at me and pulled out a gun

This morning certainly deserved to be marked on the calendar. It deserved to be named the best morning I could remember. I woke up with Lilly in my arms, wrapped around her. I felt her breath on my chest as her head rested there, using me as her pillow. Her lips brushed my skin as she shifted slightly, and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. Peace—this was how it felt.I knew I should have moved. It was time for us to leave this bed and reacquaint ourselves with the harsh reality and all the unsolved problems, but I didn't want that for her. I would have sheltered her from the danger. I would have locked her here so I could handle everything alone, but I knew she wouldn't want that, and she would hate me if I even tried to restrict her freedom and the right to choose for herself. Nonetheless, I chose to be selfish and ignorant just a little longer. I wanted to savor this moment between us for just a few more minutes…“What time is it?” she murmured, nuzzling my ch

DARRENI spent a few hours at the shooting range, showing Lilly how to handle her new weapon. She was a fast learner, picking up everything almost too quickly. I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed since I enjoyed correcting her posture by standing inappropriately close to her. Of course, I was proud of her. She had perfect aim, and she was able to leave perfect holes in the center of the shooting board as soon as she found the right grip to pull the trigger. Unfortunately, shooting a living person wasn't the same as shooting a floating piece of paper…Once I drove Lilly home, I went to the club to join Lucien, who had already spent hours watching the footage from the night Fen and Tim had gotten merrily drunk.“Found anything yet?” I asked, entering the security control room.Lucien glanced at me over his shoulder before turning his head back to the monitors. “I found our professor talking to at least four different women, but I doubt that any of them is the one we are looki

LILLYMy frustration rose by the hour. Darren and Lucien had gone to Qatar, chasing after some Naila, while I had to stay locked up in Darren's penthouse. I was never good at doing nothing, and this time was no different. After spending a few hours reading new scientific articles, my brain automatically shifted to thinking about Darren and that woman. Yes, I was fully aware that jealousy was a nasty thing, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want that woman anywhere near Darren.I grabbed my phone and debated whether or not I should call him. My finger almost slid through his name to initiate the call, but then strange thoughts filled my mind. What if he and Lucien were in the middle of some kind of secret mission and my phone would ruin it? I hesitated, even though the rational part of my brain reminded me that neither of them would have let something as trivial as their phones jeopardize whatever they were doing… Then again, not knowing what exactly they were doing triggered more frust

DARRENI found Lilly sitting in the precinct's corridor, staring down at her hands that limply rested on her lap. Dried blood covered the sides of her palms and fingertips. My chest tightened as I saw her in her numb state. I rushed forward, pushing through the policemen standing in the way, until I pulled her up from her seat and wrapped her in my arms. Only then did she start crying, and her tears kept falling long after I brought her back to the penthouse.Rage filled every inch of me. I wanted to kill everyone responsible for Lilly's state. If only I could get to New York sooner. If only I could somehow prevent this, protect her better, spare her from the pain and anguish...I left Lucien in Qatar to deal with our end of the bargain with Naila. He wasn't happy about it, but I gathered enough people and resources for him to plan a flawless rescue mission. Getting Naila's brother out of Almarri's residence wasn't going to be easy, but I knew that Lucien would figure out how to do it