The black helicopter cut through the night sky like a blade. Mason Liu sat in the passenger seat, his face carved from stone as he stared down at the city lights below.
"Sir, we’re approaching the Seaside Grand Hotel," the pilot announced through the headset.
Mason nodded once. Below them, he could see the hotel’s red roof tiles gleaming under the spotlights. Trucks full of his ard n were already surrounding the building like a pack of wolves.
The helicopter landed on the hotel’s rooftop with a thunderous roar. Mason stepped out, his long coat billowing behind him in the wind from the rotors. Derek was already waiting for him, along with twenty masked n carrying assault rifles.
"Status report," Mason commanded, his voice cutting through the noise.
"We’ve secured the building, sir," Derek replied. "No resistance. But..."
Mason’s eyes narrowed. "But what?"
"She’s not here, sir. We searched every room, every floor. Mrs. Liu isn’t in the hotel."
Mason felt sothing cold and deadly settle in his chest. His jaw tightened, but his expression remained perfectly controlled.
"They lied to us," Derek continued. "The penthouse suite was empty. It looks like no one has been there for days."
Mason turned to look out over the seaport. The water was dark, stretching out to the horizon. Sowhere out there, Sarah was waiting for him.
"The containers," Mason said suddenly.
"Sir?"
"They wouldn’t keep her in a hotel where people could see or hear her," Mason explained, his mind working like a computer. "Too many witnesses. Too much risk."
Derek frowned. "You think they took her to the seaport itself?"
"The shipping containers," Mason said, walking back toward the helicopter. "It’s perfect. Isolated, soundproof, easy to guard."
Derek hesitated. "Sir, there are hundreds of containers at the seaport. It could take hours to search them all."
Mason’s smile was colder than winter. "Then we better get started."
The helicopter lifted off again, carrying Mason and his team toward the industrial seaport. Below them, more trucks filled with ard n followed like a dark convoy. Mason had brought an army, and tonight he was their general.
As they flew over the seaport, Mason could see the massive shipping containers stacked like tal boxes across the waterfront. So were loaded onto ships, others sat in organized rows waiting to be moved.
"There," Mason pointed to a section of containers near the water’s edge. "Those containers are isolated from the main operation. That’s where they would keep prisoners."
The helicopter began to descend toward a flat area near the containers. But as soon as they got close to the ground, gunfire erupted from the shadows.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Bullets sparked off the helicopter’s tal hull. The pilot cursed and tried to pull up, but Mason’s voice cut through the chaos.
"Land," Mason ordered calmly.
"Sir, they’re shooting at us!" the pilot shouted.
"I said land," Mason repeated, his voice deadly quiet.
Derek stared at his boss in amazent. Mason sat perfectly still in his seat, completely unbothered by the bullets flying around them. His face was calm, almost bored, as if people shooting at him was just another Tuesday evening.
The helicopter touched down hard, and imdiately Mason was out of his seat. He stepped out of the aircraft and onto the concrete, walking forward with slow, asured steps.
More gunfire erupted from behind the containers. Mason didn’t flinch. He didn’t duck. He didn’t run for cover. He simply walked forward like he was taking a stroll through a park.
Behind him, his army of masked n poured out of the trucks, spreading out in perfect formation. They moved like shadows, silent and deadly.
Mason looked like a God of war walking across the battlefield.
The gunfire stopped suddenly. Mason’s n had flanked the shooters, and now three guards found themselves surrounded.
"Drop your weapons," Derek commanded.
The guards looked around at the dozens of ard n pointing guns at them. They had no choice but to surrender.
Mason walked up to the guards, who were now on their knees with their hands behind their heads. He studied them for a mont, like a scientist examining insects.
"Where is Sarah?" Mason asked in a conversational tone.
The guards looked at each other nervously. One of them, a young man with a shaved head, tried to act tough.
"We don’t know what you’re talking about," he said.
Mason’s expression didn’t change. "I see."
He walked closer to the young man, then casually stepped on his knee with his expensive leather shoe. The guard scread as Mason slowly applied pressure.
"I’ll ask again," Mason said pleasantly, as if they were discussing the weather. "Where is Sarah?"
"I don’t know!" the guard scread. "Please! I don’t know!"
Mason pressed down harder. The sound of the man’s kneecap cracking was loud in the quiet night.
"AHHHHH! OKAY! OKAY!" the guard sobbed. "She’s in the containers! Container section C! Please stop!"
Mason lifted his foot and smoothed down his coat. "Was that so difficult?"
He turned to Derek. "Find Mr. Wang. I want him alive."
"Yes, sir."
Mason walked toward the container section, his n following behind him like loyal soldiers. He moved with the confidence of a man who owned the world, because in many ways, he did.
As he got closer to the containers, he could hear sounds coming from inside one of them. Shouting. Fighting. The sound of sothing heavy hitting tal.
Mason frowned. He walked faster, following the sounds to a container with its door hanging open. He could see light spilling out from inside.
When he reached the container, he kicked the door open wider and stepped inside.
The scene that greeted him was chaos. Several won were fighting with two guards, hitting them with pieces of tal and rope. In the center of the fight, Mason saw a familiar figure with long black hair flying everywhere as she swung what looked like a broken pipe at one of the guards.
Sarah.
His wife was in the middle of a fight, her hair a complete ss, her clothes dirty. She looked nothing like the polished pop star who had left the house that morning. She looked wild and fierce and absolutely beautiful.
Mason felt sothing warm spread through his chest. His little popstar wife had always been ssy, even when she was trying to be perfect. Seeing her now, fighting for her life and the lives of other won, made him feel sohow. A feeling he never felt before.
A small smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Sarah," he said quietly.
Sarah spun around at the sound of his voice, the pipe still raised in her hands. For a mont, she just stared at him like she couldn’t believe he was real.
"Mason?" she whispered.
Her eyes filled with tears, and all the fight went out of her. The pipe clattered to the ground as she ran toward him.
"Mason!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.
Mason caught her easily, his arms wrapping around her small fra. She was shaking and crying, pressing her face against his chest.
"I’m here," he murmured into her hair.
Sarah pulled back to look at his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought... I thought you might not co. I thought you didn’t care enough to—"
Mason silenced her by lifting her completely off her feet. Sarah instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him like he was her lifeline.
"I ca." He muttered.
He held her close, one hand supporting her back, the other tangled in her ssy hair. Sarah buried her face in his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.
"I was so scared," she whispered against his skin.
"You’re safe now. I’ve got you."
Behind them, the other won were staring in amazent. They had heard about Mason Liu, but seeing him in person was sothing else entirely. He looked like a hero from a movie, powerful and dangerous and completely devoted to his wife.
i stepped forward and dropped to her knees. She reached out to touch Mason’s feet.
"Thank you," she said, tears in her eyes. "Thank you for saving us."
Mason took a step back, still holding Sarah in his arms. "You don’t need to thank ," he said quietly. "Just go ho to your families."
His n were already helping the other won out of the container, giving them water. Mason’s attention was completely focused on Sarah.
"Can you walk?" he asked her gently.
Sarah shook her head. "My legs are shaking. I don’t think I can stand." She wasn’t lying.
"Then I’ll carry you," Mason said simply.
He turned and walked toward the helicopter, carrying Sarah like she weighed nothing. She kept her face pressed against his neck, still not quite believing he was real.
"How did you find ?" Sarah asked.
"Your father told where you were," Mason replied.
Sarah pulled back to look at him. "My father? He actually helped?"
Mason’s expression darkened slightly. "He helped after I explained the consequences of not helping."
Sarah didn’t ask what that ant. She had a feeling she didn’t want to know.
As they reached the helicopter, Derek approached them. "Sir, we found Mr. Wang. He was trying to escape in a boat."
Mason nodded. "Send him to the police station. Make sure they have all the evidence they need to put him away forever."
"Yes, sir."
Mason helped Sarah into the helicopter, then got in beside her. She imdiately curled up against his side, still shaking from everything that had happened.
"Mason," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for coming for ."
"You’re my responsibility. I’ll always protect you."
As the helicopter lifted off, Sarah felt the adrenaline finally leaving her body. The fear, the fight, the relief, it all crashed over her at once. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she went limp in Mason’s arms.
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