MARK:
I hate surprises. Especially the aftershocks that come after. Life has always toyed with me—call it luck or fate, but I've never exactly been its favorite. Yet, through the hard lessons, I learned one thing: if they don't give it to you, you take it.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do.
I glanced at the petite figure beside me, sleeping with nothing but my scent on her. For the love of heaven, I'd do anything to keep her safe, to keep her that way. But first, I had something important to take care of.
Slipping out of the sheets, I moved carefully to avoid waking Lara. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and coat, heading toward the door. But something pulled me back. I turned and made my way to the other room, where the little girl lay sleeping peacefully, her small frame rising and falling in the quiet.
As much as I hated to admit it, she was lucky—lucky to have walked straight out of the lion's den. But there were others like her, still trapped in the darkness, and I couldn't do anything for them.
Not yet.
Stepping outside the apartment, I settled into my car and drove through the eerie quiet toward my next stop—the Sullies. It was 1 a.m., and the place was, of course, shut tight. I scanned the dark streets; quiet but not deserted. I wasn't here for coffee, anyway.
The cameras.
I knew asking the Sullies for the footage would only put her under a bigger spotlight, so I took matters into my own hands. Pulling out my device, I connected wirelessly to their cameras. In less than five minutes, I hacked into their Wi-Fi and accessed the system, bypassing every layer of security like it was child's play.
Once I had what I needed, I left without a trace.
Back in my car, I sat in the silence, reviewing the footage from earlier that morning. As I scanned the scene, something caught my attention—something I hadn't noticed before.
One of the men had approached Lara's car. He crouched down... and planted a tracking device.
Shit.
I quickly deleted the footage from their server, knowing they'd come back for it tomorrow, then sped off toward her apartment, my mind spinning. I tried calling her once, twice, three times—no answer, just the endless ringing.
Fuck.
I floored it, sending a message to my contact for backup. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach as I pulled up to her place. Too quiet. Eerily quiet.
There was a thunderstorm outside, but the storm within my heart was far more fierce. The rain soaked me through, but I couldn't care less right now.
I stepped inside, calling her name. "Lara?"
Nothing.
The apartment was dark, her bedroom empty. Panic surged through me as I darted to the room where the little girl had been. Gone.
Fuck me.
"Lara?" I called, frantically searching. My pulse hammered in my ears as worst-case scenarios flooded my mind. Where is she? Where is the girl?
"LARA!"
Shit. Shit. Shit.
This was my fault. I should have been more careful, should have seen this coming. I knew the danger was close, too close. Now they had her. I needed to get to him. He's the only one who can help me now.
Just as I turned to leave, I froze. A scream, faint but unmistakable.
Lara.
I wasn't wrong.
It was her voice.
I turned around, frantically searching for her, but the room was shrouded in darkness. The power was cut. Panic surged through me like a familiar nightmare. I had been here before—when she...
I let a single tear escape, remembering the only woman I had ever truly loved. I couldn't save her. But this time, I vowed, I would save Lara.
I counted my steps, moving silently, listening for any hint she might be trying to give me. I crept through the hall, checked the bathroom, the kitchen, and finally, entered her bedroom.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
But I wasn't alone.
Trusting my instincts, I sharpened my senses and stood still, waiting for her to make a move. Then, a sound—a faint clue—came from the dresser.
That was it.
I approached the dresser slowly, positioning myself outside. I waited for confirmation, my heart racing. Just as I reached for the door, a powerful kick from inside sent me flying to the ground.
Two men burst out, lunging at me.
My instinct kiks in. I dodged them, forcing myself into the corner, eyes scanning the room.
Four of them. There were four.
They lunged at me again, this time with a knife. I was empty-handed, but that didn't stop me. I swung hard, landing a punch square on one's face and a fist to the gut of the other. They grunted, collapsing to the ground, and that's when I saw the other two. They had Lara and the little girl—hostages.
My blood boiled as I saw the dried tears streaked across Lara's face. Her beautiful features twisted in pain, breaking my heart into a thousand pieces.
"Let us go, and I'll let these two live," one of them threatened, pressing a knife to her throat. She whimpered, and something inside me snapped.
As one of them charged at me with the knife again, I grabbed him by the throat, slamming his head against the wall with a sickening thud. He crumpled.
Rage coursed through me as I turned to the next one. I could see the panic in his eyes now, the smug smirk wiped clean by fear. The storm raged outside, lightning flashing as he made a desperate lunge. I dodged, spun, and slammed him in the back, sending him sprawling to the floor. Without hesitation, I kicked his arm, the sickening crack of bone cutting through the rain.
He screamed in agony, but the storm and I were the only witnesses.
I advanced toward the other two, their fear barely hidden behind forced bravado. One lunged, but I caught his hand, delivering a brutal punch to his throat. He collapsed, choking on his own blood.
The last man dropped to his knees, trembling. "P-please... let me go," he whimpered.
A smirk curled on my lips. "I need names."
He hesitated, so I twisted his wrist until a scream tore from his throat. "Name!" I growled.
"Ca-captain Noah!" he stammered, panic etched on his face.
Without hesitation, I grabbed his knife and drove it into his eye. His body hit the ground, lifeless. My pulse began to settle, but the room was still thick with tension.
I turned to find Lara staring at me, wide-eyed, the little girl unconscious in her lap. The terror in her gaze was palpable, but I knew we couldn't stay here any longer.
"You're coming with me," I commanded, grabbing them both and pulling them out of the room, away from the danger.