The days following the initial wave of layoffs at Dragon Corporation passed in a tense, uneasy haze for most of the staff. The chaos that had erupted as employees were cut from the company had gradually given way to a silent simmering anxiety.The restructuring was mostly complete, at least for now, but the uncertainty that lingered in the halls of Dragon Corporation made it clear that the calm was merely the eye of the storm. Everyone was waiting for the next move—whether it would come from Kelan, the board, or Kerrigan herself.Those directors who could see the writing on the wall were waiting for their business partners to cause a ruckus and cut ties with Dragon Corporation when orders started to miss deadlines. It was only a matter of time before the fireworks began.Conor, meanwhile, had grown restless. Despite his nightly debriefs with Kerrigan, where they would discuss the day’s events and strategize about the future, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being sidelined.K
Saturday morning arrived with the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. Kerrigan stirred, feeling the gentle tickle of something warm and wet against her cheek. Groggily, she opened her eyes to find Faolan perched beside her on the bed, her large, shaggy head tilted to the side as she licked her face in greeting.“Faolan,” Kerrigan murmured, half-laughing as she pushed the affectionate dog away. “Alright, alright, I’m awake.”Faolan’s tail wagged happily as she hopped off the bed, circling the room with eager energy. Kerrigan stretched, feeling the tension of the past few days easing slightly as she sat up. Today was different. Today, they didn’t have to rush into meetings or strategize against enemies. Today, they had a rare moment to breathe.She reached for her phone and saw a message from Conor, who was likely up and about already. Smiling to herself, she quickly typed out a reply, suggesting they take advantage of the day off. The
Kerrigan leaned back in her chair, massaging her temples as she tried to process the sheer volume of information laid out before her. The light of her office cast long shadows across the room, highlighting the stacks of papers, receipts, and folders spread out on the desk.Natalie sat across from her, flipping through yet another file, her expression one of focused determination.“Dagdon really went all out this time,” Natalie remarked, her eyes scanning a particularly thick document. “I don’t think he left a single receipt unchecked.”Kerrigan nodded, her mind half on Natalie’s words and half on the growing suspicion gnawing at her. “He’s thorough, that’s for sure. But I’m more interested in what he didn’t find.”Natalie looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t find?”“Yes. Or rather, what’s hidden in plain sight.” Kerrigan reached for a folder marked with a small red tab and opened it. “Look here—dinners, strip clubs, bars, social outings. It’s all here, detailed and accounted for. Bu
The tension in the room was palpable as Kerrigan, Conor, and the Dragoons gathered around the large table in the hotel suite late in the night.Maps, blueprints, and the intelligence Dagdon had gathered were spread out before them. The low hum of city noise outside was the only sound as everyone processed the information Kerrigan had just shared.Parker was the first to break the silence, leaning over the table with a grim expression. “We’re too well-known to go into that area undetected. It’s not just the gangs we’d have to worry about; word would get out fast that we’re there, and it’d get back to Kelan and Zadok before we even set foot inside.”Kerrigan nodded, her face drawn with concern. “Aye, you’re right. Even Dagdon didn’t go in—he knew it would be too risky.”Conor, standing beside her, ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. It was clear Kerrigan was too, as the lilt in her voice become more pronounced. “So what do we do?”Reilynn, who had been quietly studying the
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the city as night fell. The air was thick with anticipation and tension as Kerrigan, Conor, and the Dragoons waited with the SUV tucked away in a darkened alleyway a few blocks from the target location. The slums were eerily quiet, the usual hum of city life replaced by an oppressive stillness.Kerrigan kept her eyes on the horizon just visible out the windshield over the tops of the adjacent building, the silence stretching taut between them as they waited for word from the Duke’s men. The seconds dragged into minutes, each one heavier than the last.Conor sat beside her, his face lit only by the dim glow of the tablet with tracking data on the duke’s men. He glanced at Kerrigan, noting the tension in her posture, the way her hands clenched at her sides.There had been a slight tremor in her voice earlier, a hint of her northern Targu accent that only came when she was deeply stressed. He knew this mission meant more to her
Meanwhile, Conor and Parker moved swiftly through the darkened streets, their senses heightened by the danger surrounding them. They communicated in terse, whispered commands as they made their way toward the extraction point, where Reilynn and the remaining Duke’s men were struggling to pull back from the ambush.When they arrived, the scene was even worse than they had anticipated. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood, and the ground was littered with debris from the firefight. Three of the Duke’s men lay motionless, their blood staining the cracked pavement. The rest of the team was pinned down, barely holding their position against the onslaught of heavily armed guards.Parker motioned for Conor to cover him as he moved toward Reilynn, who was crouched behind a makeshift barricade. “We need to get out of here, now!” Parker hissed.Reilynn nodded, her face grim. “We’ve got wounded, and they’re closing in fast. We can’t hold them off much longer.”Conor grabbed a
Conor and Parker returned to the hotel under the cover of darkness, their footsteps heavy with the burden of what they had witnessed. The lobby was quiet, the usual hum of activity replaced by an oppressive silence that mirrored the weight in their hearts. The elevator ride to the suite felt interminable, and neither man spoke a word. The events of the night clung to them like a shadow.As they entered the suite, they found Kerrigan pacing the floor, her movements frantic, eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she saw them, she rushed forward, her emotions unraveling all at once."Conor!" Her voice cracked with a mixture of relief and fury as she reached him. "What happened? Why did you send me away? I was terrified—ye charged right into danger without me! I should have been there!"Conor looked at her, his face pale and drawn. The horrors he had seen were etched into his mind, and for a moment, he couldn't find the words to respond. The room felt too small, too suffocati
Elena Marchand moved with purpose as she addressed the room, her tone measured and confident. "The plan will work. We have this under control," she assured the team, her sharp eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. "Kerrigan, it’s vital that you stay out of the spotlight. You need to be seen carrying on with business as usual. We can’t afford for you to be drawn into this, not with what’s at stake."Kerrigan’s expression was calm, though a shadow of doubt flickered in her eyes. “I understand. Evelynn, Gabriella, you’ll accompany me to Dragon Corporation. I’ll be in my office, out of sight, and keeping to the day’s agenda.”Evelynn nodded, already mentally preparing for the task. “We’ll make sure you’re safe and out of the media’s reach.”Gabriella added, “We’ll keep things low-key. No one will even know you’re there.”Elena held up a finger. “Almost. We need people to know she is there. Business as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary.”Kerrigan gave a curt nod of approval before turning