Blood and Ashes
951 Words
The Fallout
4:02 AM | Abandoned Steel Mill
Blood pooled beneath Selene’s ribs, hot and insistent. Clara’s blade had struck true, but the real pain was the look in Kael’s eyes—part rage, part terror.
“Stay with me,” he ordered, ripping his jacket to staunch the wound.
Selene clawed at his wrist. “L-Luna…”
“I’ll find her.” His voice cracked. “But I need you *alive*.”
The steel mill groaned around them, wind howling through shattered windows. Clara’s body lay crumpled nearby, her unblinking eyes fixed on Kael. Selene’s vision swam. *Was that… guilt on his face?*
“Why?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer, scooping her into his arms. She wanted to fight, but his grip was iron. “Don’t die on me, Eva. Not yet.”
The world blurred.
4:15 AM | Abandoned Parking Lot
Kael’s Lamborghini roared to life. Selene slumped in the passenger seat, her blood staining the ivory leather.
“Where… are we…?”
“Somewhere safe.” He floored the gas, rearview mirror reflecting flashing police lights.
She laughed weakly. “Safe? With *you*?”
His knuckles whitened on the wheel. “You’d rather bleed out?”
Silence.
Her hand drifted to the bullet casing in her pocket—Clara’s parting gift. *Kael murdered me.*
“Did you… love her?”
The car swerved.
“Once,” he said.
“Then why—”
“Enough questions.” He tossed her a burner phone. “Check the news.”
The screen blared: **ARCHER CEO LINKED TO MAFIA MURDER!**
Selene’s stomach lurched. “You’re framing *me*?”
“No.” His jaw tightened. “But someone is.”
Safe House Secrets (1,500 words)
4:45 AM | Kael’s Hidden Loft, Brooklyn Docks
The loft was a relic of another life—exposed brick, moth-eaten rugs, a fraying boxing bag in the corner. Kael carried her to a threadbare couch, his breath ragged.
“This where you hide your victims?” she slurred.
“This where I hide *from* them.”
He stripped off his shirt, revealing a tapestry of scars. Selene’s pulse spiked. *Focus. Luna. Survive.*
“Take this.” He pressed a pill to her lips.
She slapped it away. “Poison?”
“Antibiotics.” He forced her jaw open. “Swallow. Or I’ll make you.”
The pill burned her throat. His fingers lingered.
She bit him.
He hissed, yanking back. “Still feral, I see.”
“Still a bastard,” she shot back.
They glared, breaths mingling.
His gaze dropped to her lips.
The door exploded.
5:00 AM | Ambush
Men in ski masks stormed the loft. Kael shoved Selene behind the couch, gun drawn.
“Stay down.”
“Screw that.” She grabbed a fire poker.
Bullets peppered the walls. Kael fired back, cold precision in every shot. Selene swung the poker, catching a thug’s kneecap. He screamed.
“Who sent you?” Kael demanded, pressing his gun to the man’s temple.
“T-The boss says… the girl dies tonight.”
Kael pulled the trigger.
Selene recoiled. “You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did.” He wiped blood from his cheek. “They won’t stop.”
Her phone buzzed. A video: Luna, sobbing in a concrete room. **Your sister for the files**, read the text.
Kael snatched the phone. “We’re going.”
“We?”
“You’re bait. Let’s hope they bite.”
The Brother’s Betrayal
5:30 AM | Rooftop Chase
The rendezvous point stank of fish and diesel. Selene’s ribs screamed with every step, but she kept pace with Kael, his hand clamped on her wrist.
“Where’s Luna?” she demanded.
“Patience.” He scanned the docks.
A figure emerged from the fog—Jax Archer, Kael’s estranged brother, with Viktor’s gun pressed to Luna’s head.
“Big brother!” Jax sang. “Miss me?”
Kael’s expression iced over. “Let the girl go.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” Jax grinned. “Dad says hello.”
Selene lunged. “Luna!”
Jax fired a warning shot. “Ah-ah. Files first.”
Kael tossed a flash drive. “Manila. All of it.”
Jax caught it, laughing. “You really think Dad wants *files*? He wants *you*.”
Luna whimpered. “Evie, I’m scared—”
“Hang on, Lu!” Selene’s voice broke.
Kael stepped forward. “Take me instead.”
Jax’s smile faded. “Always the hero.” He aimed. “Goodbye, Kael.”
***Bang.***
5:59 AM | Bloodline
Viktor’s body collapsed, a bullet between his eyes. Kael’s father stepped from the shadows, smoke curling from his cane.
“Family first, son.”
Kael froze. “You.”
“Me.” The old man smiled. “And your little whore.”
Selene charged. “Where’s Luna?!”
He backhanded her. “Alive. For now.”
Kael caught her, fury blazing. “Touch her again, and I’ll burn your empire to ash.”
His father laughed. “You already did.”
The flash drive sparked in Jax’s hand—a bomb.
“Run!” Kael tackled Selene as the dock erupted in flames.
6:15 AM | Aftermath**
Selene coughed through the smoke, Kael’s body shielding hers. Luna was gone. Jax was gone. Only ashes remained.
Kael’s father stood at the edge of the inferno, phone raised. **She’s yours**, his text read. **For a price.**
A photo loaded: Luna, strapped to a chair, a syringe at her neck.
Selene screamed.
Kael pulled her close, his voice raw. “We’ll get her back.”
“How?”
He pressed a gun into her hand. “The same way we do everything. Together.”
- Writer
