Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine
The shriek of tal grinding against tal clawed across the Villa walls, echoing through the early dawn like the wail of a beast in pain.
Asli stilled mid-step, boots scraping to a halt in the gravel.
The armored gate had risen.
Exactly as she expected it would.
Still, she stared at the chanical wall closing her eyes as the beast she’d co to kill ca into her head. She opened her eyes imdiately.
Her n were shifting restlessly behind her, eyes flicking from her to the towering shield of steel. The tension was a living thing now, humming through the barrel of every gun, lacing the shoulders of every man.
Her jaw clenched.
She had told him. Told him they were coming. And now the Villa was locked.
Of course it was.
Why did she say it?
Why the hell had she told him?
She hadn’t ant to. She was angry, furious, burning with betrayal and desperation but still, it had slipped. That single crack in her voice, that fatal mont of hesitation, and he’d known.
’We are already coming,’ she had said.
And now, the gates were closed, not because she was careless, but because she told him.
However, he knew her, just as well as she was beginning to realize she knew him. She had given him ti, and now the Villa had swallowed itself whole in steel. No way in. No way to him.
And yet—
She did not regret saying it.
That was the worst part.
Her throat worked tightly as she stepped toward the intercom. The black box sat embedded beside the gate, the screen bright and sound faint. Her finger touched the button as the red button like a dot on a sniper’s scope projected.
She pressed it. Again. Then again.
Impatiently.
Then his voice.
"Asli."
One word. No anger. No demand. No venom.
Just... calm.
Her hand trembled slightly, Why did he ntion her na as if they were ’friends’? But her voice did not shake. "Hand over Cole."
There was silence, thick and long enough that she almost laughed bitterly. They knew. He and Markus. They knew exactly why she had co and it was not for Cole.
But her people did not know that.
To them, she said it was ti without telling them what ti it was. So if she was telling them to hand over Cole, then this was about ’their own’. About retrieving soone Asli once trusted. It was believable. Not... this.
Not whatever was tangled in her chest.
Aht was right. Markus was right. Hell, maybe even she was right.
She did not co for Cole.
She ca because her entire world had tilted off balance.
And she hated herself for it.
She saw her own reflection faintly in the steel fra of the intercom as it went off; her ssy hair, blood on her cheek, and a haunted look in her eyes she did not recognize.
Love.
God help her, she had fallen for him.
She clenched her fists tight, nails digging crescent moons into her palms. It wasn’t supposed to happen.
She was supposed to use him, burn him, and end him. But instead... she let herself get pulled into that stupid magnetic field of his. That voice. That look. That night. That ’goddamn’ man.
She looked up at the gate again.
Her lips pressed into a line. "Bring Cole," she said again, louder.
If she had to lie to herself to keep going, then fine. Let the world think this was a tactical move. Let her n believe this was about loyalty. Let her father sleep easier thinking his daughter hadn’t failed again.
But the truth? She was going to handle it in a different way.
But for now,
She wanted Cole out of there. Out of his reach.
Because if Cole broke, she broke. And if she broke... Aht would win.
And she didn’t know anymore if she wanted him to win or not.
Her body was not the sa as her Villa.
---
Inside, Aht stood silently by the monitor, his eyes fixed on the figure pacing before the gate like a lioness caged. Her n watching her quietly, just seed to make her more intense.
He looked over to Markus walking towards him and then back to the screen.
Markus stood beside him, arms folded. No words passed between them for a long ti.
"She did not co for Cole," Markus said finally, voice quiet.
Aht nodded, his face still expressionless. That was obvious.
"She warned you," Markus added, side-eyeing him. "You knew she was coming before the gates even rose."
Aht’s throat was dry. He shifted, adjusting his collar, suddenly aware of the sweat clinging to the back of his neck.
Imagine if she had not told him. His dream would have co to pass. He would have lost a lot of n. She would have lost a lot of hers too.
"I told you she would burn this house down one day. Hell, you know she’d burn it down," Markus said. "And yet you... No, yet we—"
"Co on." He knew he gambled his luck. They both did. If only he had not tangled himself with her.
Markus fell silent. Aht exhaled slowly. Then, picked his phone. He spoke into the phone, "Bring out Cole."
He knew why Asli diverted from her purpose, but why would she? The thought wouldn’t stop bugging him.
They waited in silence.
The air tasted like ash.
When the guards returned, Cole walked between them, stiff but not afraid. He scanned the room, his eyes fell on the monitor, and instantly understood.
He was about to be released and it was not because of so negotiation.
Was he being handed back like a peace offering? Why would Asli send him a signal and suddenly co asking for them to release him?
He looked at them both Aht, then Markus. The corners of his mouth twitched, not into a smile, but sothing grim. "She does not want ," he said quietly. "She wants to be seen letting go."
"How did you know that?" Markus asked, a puzzled look forming on his face.
"I know Asli like I know myself." He responded and a smile crossed Markus’ face.
Markus teased. "The two of you know her like... wait... wait a freaking minute."
Aht narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to go back?" He didn’t know what Markus wanted to say but that teasing tone told him it was not anything worth listening to. Would he ever be serious?
Cole did not answer.
Markus stared. "You are not under torture now. Say sothing."
Cole’s jaw worked, but still, nothing ca.
They knew. He knew they knew. Why did they want to hear him say it?
He looked down at the floor. "Because I believe I am needed," he finally said. But none of them believed it. Though they knew Asli needed Cole but they also knew it was not the "reason" he wanted to be by her side.
It was not a need. It wasn’t a mission.
It was her.
Just like it was for Aht.
"Do you perhaps have feelings for Asli?" Markus asked Cole.
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