The text from Marcus Vance arrived at midnight with three simple words that sealed our fate.
Abandoned shipping yard. Tonight. Come alone.
Damien showed me the message on the burner phone, his face tight with suspicion but also desperate hope. We were hiding in the back of an old warehouse on the edge of the city, the kind of place no one would look for us. Victor was still in the hospital, recovering from his latest episode, but his security team was everywhere. Bringing me along was insane, but Damien refused to leave me behind.
“I am not risking you staying at the mansion alone,” he said, checking the gun in his waistband. “Not after what Elena did. Not after the camera. You come with me. We stay together.”
I nodded, my hand resting on my stomach. The baby had been active all evenin
