Page 57 of Dark Prince

I unlock it, expecting a message from Elena or Lily, scolding me, stating that they spotted me in the garden and to get my butt back inside. What greets me instead is a message that chills me to the bone:

Do you think you could live happily ever after with your little family? Not if I have anything to say about it.

I look around the dark garden, half-expecting someone to emerge from the shadows. But there's nothing, just the whisper of the wind and the distant sounds of the city.

The garden, once a sanctuary of peace and solitude, suddenly feels like a trap. The darkness around me is oppressive, and the plants are menacing. I clutch my phone, the screen still displaying the chilling message, a direct threat illuminating the night.

I need to tell Luk, to warn him that Sharon’s ghost is not just a shadow from our past but a present danger. My fingers tremble as I draft a quick message, but before I can hit send, the realization hits me like a cold wave: no service. My phone, usually so reliable, is now useless in my hand.

Panic sets in, a heavy, suffocating cloak. The notion that someone could engineer something as mundane yet as critical as cutting off my phone communication terrifies me. It's then, in the eerie silence of the night, that I feel it again, that prickle at the back of my neck, that undeniable sensation of being watched.

With every fiber of my being telling me to run, to scream, to do anything to escape this nightmare, I instead force myself to stand, refusing to let panic settle in. I begin the painstakingly slow journey back to the safety of the house. Each step feels like a mile, and the night air is thick with my fear.

Then, out of nowhere, a pair of hands, large and unyielding, clamp down on me, a cloth muffling my attempts to scream. Panic—raw and primal—courses through me. I fight, I thrash, but the grip only tightens, dragging me back into the darkness, away from the light of the house, away from Luk, away from safety.

A real-life nightmare is unfolding. The realization that I'm in the hands of an enemy, one who is here not just to threaten but to harm, causes a terror so profound, so all-consuming, that for a moment, the world blanks around me.

As the stranger drags me through the garden, his grip iron-clad and unyielding, I fight against him with everything I have. But it's like trying to move a mountain with sheer will; he's too strong, his body a statue of muscle and malice. I can sense his rage, can almost feel the storm within him.

“You took my brother from me, and for that, you’ll suffer. Maybe I’ll toss you off a roof like your husband did to Rory.”

Confusion sets in for a quick moment as I struggle to see my assailant’s eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. The man detaining me is Connor Murphey, Rory’s younger brother.

“My brother was my hero, and he’s dead because of you,” he continues, his words spoken with a chilling calmness. “So now, it's Luk's turn to suffer. He's going to know exactly what it’s like to lose someone he loves.”

The garden has become a sinister labyrinth, each turn a step further away from hope. As we round the next turn toward the exit, a new wave of panic runs through me—two of Luk’s guards lay motionless on the ground, clearly taken down by Connor’s hand.

He's getting closer to his goal of killing me, and the reality of the situation settles in with gut-wrenching clarity. Luk doesn't even know I'm missing yet. How can he save me when he doesn't know I need saving?

I can’t rely on Luk now; I need to save myself. I twist and turn, trying with all my might to break free from Connor’s iron grip, but my attempts are futile—he's much too strong, his hold unyielding. A cold dread settles over me as I realize the depth of his anger and his pain, a barely contained rage that promises nothing good.

Do you really think Luk will find you in time?” he hisses in my ear, his words dripping with venom. “Trust me, he won’t.”

The cold night air does nothing to ease the suffocating fear as Connor continues to taunt me, each word a twisted promise of pain and retribution. “I’ve decided I’m not going to drop you off a roof after all; that’s too quick, too easy,” he sneers, a cruel, amused smile forming. “I'm going to make sure you suffer first. And then, I'll send Luk a little video, a keepsake of sorts, reminding him of how he failed to save his wife and child.”

My heart races, panic clawing at my throat as we reach a nondescript van parked away from the main road. The back doors are flung open, revealing two more armed men and another at the wheel, their faces masks of indifference to my plight.

Connor shoves me inside, the cold metal floor of the van greeting me sharply. He binds me quickly and efficiently as if he's done this a thousand times before. The doors slam shut with a finality that echoes in the hollow space, sealing my fate.

As the van starts to move, my hope dwindles. I'm at the mercy of a man consumed by vengeance; the horrors that await me are endless. The thought of Luk, of what this will do to him, is the greatest torment of all.

Chapter 33

Luk

“How the hell did this happen?”

I slam my palm against the wall, my voice a harsh growl echoing through the otherwise silent halls of the mansion. Anger and fear churn inside me, a lethal mix that threatens to boil over.

Elena matches my pace stride for stride, her usually calm face now etched with urgency. “We missed the jammer because it was low-key, running on a frequency we didn't expect. But the moment I saw the glitch in our system, I knew something was wrong. Fucker got the motion sensors, too.”

Lev speaks next, his voice a low rumble. “We caught him on the security footage before he scrambled it. We ran facial recognition—it’s Connor Murphy. Luk, that’s Rory’s brother.”

We burst into the garage, a cavern of my achievements, but only one beast catches my eye now—the black Audi R8. It’s more than just a car; it’s a predator on wheels, sleek and powerful, every inch designed for speed and precision. I snatch the keys from the hook, my mind racing faster than any engine.

Elena and Lev are right behind me. “Gear up,” I command. I had already instructed the guards to prepare the vehicle, our arsenal lying inside the trunk, a small army's worth of firepower—silenced pistols, submachine guns, and extra ammo—all for Connor, all for taking back what's mine.

I grab my weapon, and Elena and Lev follow suit. We're not just going to save Maura; we're going to end this nightmare once and for all.

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