ADANNA POV (point of veiw)
The moment I stepped away from Darian, the cold hit differently.
Not rain-cold and not night-cold.
This was the kind that settled in your bones when you realized you were alone by choice.
The Syndicate man gestured for me to walk ahead. His voice stayed calm, polite even, like we were discussing business over coffee and not my life.
I didn't look back at Darian because if I did, I would break. My hands shook, but I forced them still as they led me down the concrete path. I could feel Darian behind me, feel the tension rolling off him like heat. I knew that posture, i knew what it meant when his shoulders went tight like that.
He was planning something reckless, which is good but this part was mine.
"You're quieter than I expected," the man beside me said. "Most women scream."
"I'm not most women," I replied.
He smiled. "Your father used to say that."
The words sliced deep.
"You don't get to say his name," I snapped.
"Oh, but I do," he said softly. "Because he's the reason you're here."
They guided me into a black SUV waiting under the bridge. The door opened and inside smelled like leather and gun oil.
Before I climbed in, I finally looked back.
Darian stood exactly where I left him. Still and deadly calm. His eyes locked onto mine, dark and burning.
Then i mouthed one word. "Trust!"
His jaw clenched then the door shut.
The engine roared to life, and the city swallowed him whole, as the car pulled away, fear finally crept in. Not loud, not dramatic.
Quiet!
"What happens now?" I asked.
The man across from me folded his hands. "Now you answer questions. Now we see if you are your father's daughter… or just his weakness."
I leaned back against the seat, heart pounding.
You don't own me, I thought..... and you won't own Eden either.
DARIAN P.O.V(point of view)
The second the car disappeared, something in me snapped clean in half but I didn't chase. That was the mistake they expected.
Instead, I counted. Three men... two vehicles and one secondary tail I'd spotted before they revealed themselves.
Sloppy..... they thought taking her broke me but it didn't. It focused me more
I slipped back to the boat, hands steady even as my chest burned. I ripped open the hidden panel beneath the console and pulled out the emergency kit I hoped I'd never need.
Phone, Burner, Blood-stained map and the Eden chip.
"She walked so you could live," I muttered to myself. "Now you move."
I dialed a number I hadn't used in years.
One ring..... then two.
Then a voice answered.... it was low, familiar and dngerous.
"You're late," Azaan said.
"I need a location," I replied. "They took her."
He pause then, quietly, "They finally crossed that line."
"Yes."
A breath on the other end. "Then Eden wakes."
I ended the call and looked out at the river.
Adanna had trusted me when she stepped away and now it was my turn to earn it.
I would tear through the Syndicate layer by layer if I had to.
They wanted leverage and they just handed me war.
ADANNA P.O.V( point of view)
The car slowed as we pulled into an underground facility, lights buzzing overhead, concrete, cameras and too many exits to memorize at once.
They escorted me inside, past security doors that opened with coded swipes. My skin prickled.
"You're not scared," one of them said, surprised.
"I am," I answered honestly. "But fear doesn't mean obedience."
They brought me into a glass-walled room and sat me down at a table. A laptop waited there, already powered on.
On the screen... was My name, my father's company and a familiar file title.
EDEN LOCK – CORE ACCESS
My throat went dry.
"Open it," the man said.
I placed my hands on the table instead.
"No."
He leaned in. "Your husband thinks he can save you."
I met his eyes. "He will."
The man smiled thinly. "We'll see."
But deep down, beneath the fear, beneath the ache in my chest.....
I believed it because Darian never stopped moving and neither would I.
To be continued....