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
Seated at the head of the conference table, her expression as composed as ever, Elena Marchand could feel an underlying tension in the room. Conor and Natalie sat across from her, each of them aware that the situation was reaching a critical point."The media is circling like sharks," Elena said, her tone measured. "They’re looking for a story, and they won’t stop until they find something they can sink their teeth into. We need a new face to give them—someone who can manage the narrative without drawing too much attention to Dragon Corporation."Natalie leaned back in her chair, considering her words. "A lawyer speaking to the press only raises suspicions. It makes it look like we’re hiding something, like there’s legal trouble brewing. We need someone who can handle the media without it feeling like damage control."Elena nodded. "Exactly. We need a spokesperson, someone not directly tied to the corporation, but with enough credibility to handle the pressure. Do either of you have a
The morning sun filtered through the large windows of Kerrigan’s office, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Despite the warmth of the sunlight, the atmosphere in the room felt anything but bright. Kerrigan sat behind her desk, her posture rigid, her fingers gripping a pen with undue force as she stared at the latest report from her public relations team.Across from her, Evelynn and Gabriella stood at attention near the door, ready to respond to any command. But they, too, could sense the storm brewing just beyond the walls of Dragon Corporation.“Countess Lokir.” The words were printed boldly across the top of the latest Friday morning news article, the title glaring up at her like an accusation. For years, Kerrigan had worked to build her identity as a business leader, separate from her noble heritage. But now, with the media’s relentless pursuit of the story, that carefully constructed image was crumbling.“They’re starting to connect the dots,” Kerrigan said, her voic
Kerrigan sat with her head down on her desk, exhausted. The day had been relentless—meeting after meeting, each one more draining than the last. The weight of her responsibilities pressed heavily on her shoulders, and she longed for the day to end. She felt like she had been dodging the media all week, forcing herself to stay focused on running Dragon Corporation amidst the chaos. But as the evening began to close, Kerrigan allowed herself a moment to breathe, a brief respite before the next storm inevitably hit.Just as she began to relax, the crackle of Evelynn’s radio disrupted the silence. Kerrigan looked up, her senses immediately on high alert.Both of her guard’s faces were series, meaning the message had to be urgent.Evelynn pressed the radio’s ear piece with her finger, listening intently. Kerrigan watched her closely, noting the way Evelynn’s expression shifted from curiosity to surprise.“The Duke has sent a helicopter to pick you up,” Evelynn relayed, her tone calm but w
Conor woke early in the morning to soft beams of light filtering through the thin curtains the the sparse room. His sleep had been restless and filled with troubled dreams. The events of the previous evening still weighed heavily on his mind, particularly Kerrigan’s hesitant words: "I… I don’t know about us."He sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the narrow bed. The room was small, much smaller than the others had been shown to the night before. It was plainly furnished, with a simple bed, a single chair, a tiny writing desk and a small dresser. Put simply, a servant's quarters. Whether it was a deliberate slight or a simple oversight by the Duke's staff, Conor couldn't tell, but while the room fit his needs, it stung all the same. It felt like a tangible reminder of his place—or lack thereof—in Kerrigan’s world.He had expected some form of discomfort during this visit, but the reality of it was more unsettling than he’d imagined. Conor had been at Kerrigan’s side