This chapter contains intense violence, peril involving a child, and graphic descriptions of a kidnapping situation. Please read with discretion. Toodles.
THIRD PERSON.
The warehouse door creaked open, revealing Elijah. He stood alone in a pool of dim light, holding two sleek black briefcases.
He wore a simple black tactical sweater and pants—no visible armor. But every Mendoza soldier in the room knew better. The air went tight, a dozen guns clicking as they aimed at his chest.
At the far end of the warehouse, seated on a crates like a throne, was Esteban Mendoza. An older man with a neatly trimmed grey beard and cold, amused eyes. He smiled, a thin, cruel line.
"Elijah Fernandez," he said, his voice echoing in the vast space. "In the flesh. And you came alone. How noble." He waved a dismissive hand. "Lower your weapons, boys. Let's not be rude to our guest. He's here to pay a debt."
Elijah didn't flinch. His eyes scanned the room, cataloging every man, every shadow, but his voice was ice-cold calm. "Where is my sister?"
Esteban chuckled. "All in good time. First, the money. Show me you're serious."
Elijah tossed one briefcase. It skidded across the concrete floor, stopping at the feet of a Mendoza soldier.
The man popped the latches. Stacks of crisp, banded hundred-dollar bills stared back. It was only a fraction of the demand, a show of good faith.
"Now the girl," Elijah said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Esteban's amused smile widened into a full, predatory grin. He laughed, a dry, hacking sound. "The girl? Oh, I'm not just here for the money, boy. I'm here for you. The great Elijah Fernandez, brought to his knees by a drooling infant. It's almost poetic."
Elijah's jaw tightened, the only sign of the storm raging inside him. "You have what you want. Let her go."
"What I want?" Esteban leaned forward, his eyes glinting with malice. "What I want is what should have been mine years ago. This city. Your father thought he could take it. Your mother..." he sneered, "...she thought she could birth an empire."
He stood up, pacing slowly. "Did you know it was almost too easy? A little pressure on the right doctor. A few threats to his family. Your mother died crying, confused, bleeding out on a table. And your father..." Esteban laughed again, a genuine sound of delight. "The mighty Ricardo Fernandez! I shot him myself. In a dirty parking garage, like the dog he was. He begged for his life when he realized his wife was gone."
Elijah stood perfectly still, but a muscle in his cheek twitched violently. Every word was a dagger.
"Your 'empire'?" Esteban spat on the ground. "It was built on a grave I dug. And now it falls because of a baby. The great Fernandez weakness. You care. You love. It makes you stupid."
He stopped pacing and looked Elijah dead in the eye. "So no, I won't be giving you the baby. I'll be taking the money. And then I'll be taking your life. And then, for a finale, I'll snuff out the last little flicker of your family. And this city will finally be mine."
He smiled. "Any last words for the sister you failed?"
Elijah finally moved. He slowly placed the second briefcase on the ground. Then, he looked up at Esteban, and a cold, terrifying smile of his own touched his lips.
"Just one," Elijah said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Boom."
The sound of the explosion that ripped through the side of the warehouse was the only answer he gave.
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POV Julian
Leo's voice was a razor blade in my ear. "Thermal shows three hostiles in the back office. Juliet's heat signature is with them. Go, now!"
Riven and I moved like ghosts along the catwalk, dropping down behind the three Mendoza goons who were playing cards. They never saw us coming. Two quick, silent takedowns, and Riven had the third in a chokehold.
"Where is she?" Riven growled, his arm tightening.
The goon's eyes bulged. "The... the office! The little room behind the office!"
We shoved him aside and burst through the door. The room was empty except for a single, bare lightbulb and a dirty mattress on the floor.
No Juliet.
A cold, sharp fear, colder than any I'd ever felt, stabbed me in the gut. "She's not here," I whispered, my voice cracking.
Riven cursed, kicking the wall. "They moved her!"
Then Leo's voice was back, shrill with panic. "Abort! The charges are live! The whole building is wired! It's going to blow in less than a minute! Get out! NOW!"
The world narrowed to a single, terrifying point. Juliet was still in here. Somewhere. And this building was about to become her tomb.
I didn't think. I didn't hear Riven yelling my name. I just ran.
I sprinted back into the main warehouse, my eyes scanning the chaos. Gunfire erupted from the side where Viktor's team was making their diversion. Smoke began to fill the air. And then I heard it. A tiny, hiccupping cry, almost swallowed by the noise.
It came from a pile of empty crates near the main support column.
I scrambled over, my heart hammering against my ribs. And there she was. Curled in a ball, her face buried in her knees, sobbing. Alone.
"Jules!" I scooped her up, pulling her tight against my chest. She immediately clung to me, her tiny fingers digging into my jacket. "I've got you, I've got you, I'm so sorry," I choked out, turning to run.
That's when the world ended.
BOOM.
The first explosion wasn't loud. It was a deep, heavy thump that I felt in my bones. Then the roof above us screamed, and a rain of concrete and steel came down.
I dove, curling my body around Juliet as a huge slab of the ceiling crashed down right where we'd been standing. The impact threw us forward. I landed hard, Juliet safe on top of me.
I scrambled to my feet, clutching her, and ran for where I thought the exit was. The air was thick with dust. I couldn't see.
BOOM. BOOM.
Two more explosions, closer this time. The floor buckled.
l stumbled, my boot catching on a twisted piece of rebar. A searing, white-hot pain exploded in my ankle as a massive chunk of concrete slid down, pinning my leg to the floor.
"Help!" I screamed into the choking dust. "RIVEN! ELIJAH!"
Juliet was screaming now, full-blown hysterical cries of terror. I rocked her, trying to shush her, tears of pain and despair streaming down my face. This was it. We were going to die here.
Then I heard it. Footsteps. Crunching over the rubble.
Thank god, I thought, a sob of relief escaping me. They found us.
l cried out in relief. "Riven! Over here!"
But the figures that emerged from the smoke weren't my brothers.
It was three Mendoza men. Their clothes were torn and bloody, one had a nasty gash on his forehead, but they were very much alive. And they were holding crowbars.
The lead one, a big guy with a broken nose, saw me trapped on the ground, clutching the crying baby. A slow, ugly smile spread across his face.
"Well, well," he sneered, tapping the crowbar against his palm. "Look what the explosion coughed up. The f**k-up brother and the little princess."
The other two laughed, a harsh, cruel sound.
"Boss is gonna be real happy we finished the job," Broken Nose said, stepping closer. He raised the crowbar high above his head, the metal glinting in the firelight. "Say goodnight, pretty boy."
I curled my body around Juliet, squeezing my eyes shut, waiting for the blow.
This was how it ended.