So… powerless.
His palms pressed flat against the polished wood as he leaned forward, his head bowed—his muscles straining to contain the storm rising inside.
Guilt was a cruel beast—relentless, gnawing, whispering insidious doubts in his head.
This is your fault. She trusted you. You were supposed to protect her.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
The image of Dani’s beautiful, smiling face haunted him. Yet, it was the sound of her voice on the call—quivering, brave, terrified—that echoed in his head.
Theo would bring her back. He had to.
And when he did… Alexandros would do the only thing left he could do to keep her safe.
He would send her away—to protect her from the danger he’d brought to her door.
It would tear him in half.
But he’d survive. Because she would.
He didn’t deserve her. Not if loving him put her in a monster’s crosshairs.
The conference room’s speakers hummed to life, and his head lifted. His eyes fixed on the dots moving across the screen mounted on the wall.
“Team Alpha, in position.”
The voice of Demetrius’s team lead came through, clipped and focused.
“Drone confirms the beacon is coming from Warehouse 14. Two-story structure. Satellite shows partial roof collapse. Minimal exterior lighting. We’ve got one heat signature—possibly two.”
“Understood,” Theo’s voice replied. Calm. Steady. Cold as a scalpel. “Markos, Nikos, north entrance. Luke, Sebastian, take the west. Angel, Cole, do you have eyes up high?”
“Roger that,” Angel said.
“Moving into position now,” Cole said.
Theo’s voice rang through again. “I’m taking the east entrance. Move in.”
“Copy.”
“Demetrius, confirm exit routes are secure.”
“Exits are secure. Three teams have the surrounding area blocked off. We have cooperation from the local authorities. They are on standby if we need them.”
Alexandros’s fingers clenched on the armrest of his chair.
He pictured the building. Dani trapped inside. Her attacker somewhere near her.
God!
He pushed to his feet, pacing to the far end of the room, but the walls closed in. He felt like he was about to go mad. He had never felt so helpless. So… useless. He knew that every second counted.
He stiffened when a beat of silence came across the feed.
Theo spoke again: “Move in on my mark.”
Alexandros stopped breathing.
