not po

ready kn

g from the speak

was

fat

Mor

n't confess

r he was

uried

e. She tried to burn it

for nothing, Raven. You

ile e

een wen

ing inside

av

ce was low.

n't loo

I'd brea

" I whispered.

u s

the chest. I wa

check t

on hit lik

o

idn

ra

uldn't face

at I

fast. My k

caug

ai

becoming

I ha

I ne

me

did

ed to b

to kil

r. But brea

ard enough to m

dn't

even

e I was a match he co

ed her,"

s me to finish w

ants you to

e wants to

le

something that t

t workin

ked. "

A phantom with access to international firewalls,

nd

th a shell corporation registered to the Moret

mach d

ing he has

has your

rd him. "That

led out a small black box,

cked i

si

yri

with

led:

ell did that

g a trade in Berlin. Sold on the black mar

lack

r's old

Hollow. "He's been pl

n no

s ready to m

's beat h

ft – Jaxon

military command center f

alls of

de lines. Faci

the c

ng red

ntevista Privat

drop was traced to a vault inside this bank

d an account i

your mother did

d at th

get to th

u w

he

oked

nig

rground exit black SUV,

ady in the d

thirty. We're cleared u

cur

y. Clean weapons. No

oo

seat, I st

me through t

not sayi

think

rous h

you're th

So I'm still

id softly.

tevista Bank, Gene

ern, elite, empt

the scanner. The cle

down into the s

ent, the heavie

themselves were

3. Namep

d back. "We'll g

l

d a hand on

inked

oor opened

si

th

al box on

he room. "No he

ed to

ened

si

ash

otog

a bu

oto wa

year

n my moth

il

s engraved wi

.

ds tre

threat,"

beside me. "No

r w

r y

sh driv

en l

deo

it

going to

to take you a

sure she ne

urn to decide bl

ut and slammed

mo

ut

es were wild

th you. He's trying

turned

ng fell fro

piece o

ked i

lded

s a p

y mo

g next

s before

in my hand like it didn

I

smiling in it wasn

alive. L

to the man I was

ax

e out like a

tur

t I was

't m

n't

't d

. stoo

n't what it look

tensed.

knew

es

e she

es

ng with her?" M

I would've pulled the tri

didn't

somethin

watchin

sto

lt was suddenly too sma

sent after

es

wh

r fa

a knife thro

aug

use it w

it was

ed. "Of course you wer

n't ki

w she was go

dn't

The man with the sharp suits, c

n I'd

I almost

her... and now yo

a step t

e photo lik

rned. "Don't

n't hu

Let her get close. Used her.

hed at t

o

him to

monitor her," he

ut

hing I saw. Because what I

ch w

leak the vault intel and

nd

pau

you. She wanted to disapp

er couldn't

e ordered

red a

d her die,

N

ia

deny it

slowly and looked down

e with her," h

ammed into m

ha

de that house. I didn't know she was your m

was being sw

loved

rstand it unti

dn't b

cause

se of

e of t

ved him back... w

d out to

d his ha

to touch me.

av

ou tell me the truth now,

N

are you st

oked

cold bil

violen

man.

e I fai

won't f

've walk

m in that vault and

I di

of me still want

could protect me from the

wanted t

next?"

back to New York. We pull ev

e vault

open

I don't

meone el

what th

the weapon my

ther

t the

tside felt

was already bu

Private Jet,

plane, Jaxon

t the file labe

the day after

ed: 10 characte

on my mothe

on

athe

on

roth

on

d whispered the num

et fire to

9.2

ile o

of fo

ume

ot

age at t

ed. But you still have a chance. Use i

M

d up at

ime, I felt somethi

so

nished

nod

ond, I thought we w

ned the nex

aw hi

Vega As

oto. H

eneat

LER TARGET: Rav

he tablet, the words still g

Vega As

er Target: Ra

dn't b

e sent a

g him. The words felt like they had weight, like they could tear

move. He didn

een us, but I knew better than to think he w

etched on, and that

't deny

ow the tablet a

ed to

r beneath the surface, slow and thick, like

when he finally spoke.

hoose this, but you played the game. You were a part of it. You were sent after me, to handle

words came too quickly,

ut

"I didn't come h

o protect me. You came because someone told you to. And don't try

ho was tremblin

igger than you think, Raven. And bi

us? You've been lying to me from the very first moment we met. You kissed me, you touched me, you made me feel

engines filling the space around us, but inside

es betrayed every word he said, every excuse he gave. The

t of everything wasn't en

oice low, raw. "It always has been. And

d my head up, my eyes widening. "What?

factions within it, people with motives, agenda

heir?" I asked,

d into fists at his sides. "Because your

orld

did h

it might explode. "You're lying. You do

hat could bring the entire Moretti empire down. I was supposed to kee

trembling with rage. "Is that what you thought? T

is voice full of regret. "I thought if I kept you close

that what this is? You keep me close, making sure I

t understand. There are people who would use you as a weapon. People who woul

the weight of his wor

for it again. Not when I didn

, even to my own ears. "You think you can protect me? You

idn't choose to feel the way I do. But I swear to you, I won

st. The man I'd been sleeping with. The man I

he been trying to p

eed your protection. I don

ght he might snap. But instead, he turned a

sking you

ow what to

uds. The world outside the window was a dark voi

d to ha

and rage and tear

sit there in silence, the weight

. The message from my m

d. But you still have a chance. Use i

alert system sounded

an incomi

tely, his eyes darkeni