Page 31 of Ruthless Kings of Obsession

Eva's fingers dig into my shoulder, a silent warning or acknowledgment – I'm not sure which. "Remember what I said about pawns on a chessboard?" she whispers. "Look at their left shoulders. See that tiny pin? Barely noticeable unless you know what to look for."

I squint, focusing on the detail she's pointed out. There, almost invisible against the dark fabric of their uniforms, is a small silver pin in the shape of a chess piece.

A knight.

"Fuck," I breathe, understanding finally dawning. "This is about?—"

"Don't say it," Eva hisses. "Not here. Not now."

The false officers are less than twenty feet away now, their weapons still trained on us with deadly intent. But there's something different in their stance – they know we've figured out who they really are.

"Last chance," the leader calls out. "Surrender now, or we open fire."

Eva leans closer, her breath hot against my ear. "When I say run, you run. Don't look back, don't hesitate. Just run."

"What about you?"

"Worried about me now?" She laughs softly. "A bit late for brotherly concern, don't you think?"

Before I can respond, she steps away from me, raising her hands in an apparent gesture of surrender. But there's something in her stance – a coiled tension, like a snake ready to strike.

"Gentlemen," she addresses the armed men, her voice carrying a dangerous edge. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. You see, this warehouse? It's not just any abandoned building."

The leader's eyes narrow. "On your knees. Now."

"It's mine," Eva continues as if he hadn't spoken. "Every inch of it. Including—" she pauses for dramatic effect, "—the wiring."

That's when I notice it – the faint smell of gasoline that's been present throughout our fight has grown stronger. And under that, there's something else. Something chemical.

"Eva," I start, but she cuts me off.

"Run."

The warehouse plunges into darkness as every light simultaneously dies. In the same instant, I hear the distinctive sound of multiple small explosions – flash grenades, I realize. The false officers shout in confusion as chaos erupts.

I run.

Behind me, I hear Eva's laughter mixing with the sounds of gunfire and chaos. It's the last thing I register before I burst through a side door into the rain-soaked night, my lungs burning and my mind reeling from everything that's just happened.

As I sprint into the darkness, one thought keeps circling in my mind: this is bigger than us. Bigger than our twisted relationship, bigger than Zander's death, bigger than anything I'd imagined.

And somehow, my little stepsister – the girl I'd spent years trying to break – is at the center of it all.

*What the fuck have I gotten myself into?*

Shattered Memories Of Us

~GEMINI~

The darkness becomes my sanctuary as I navigate the warehouse's labyrinthine corridors with practiced precision. Each step is calculated, measured against blueprints I've spent countless nights memorizing until they became as familiar as the scars on my skin. The chaos behind me – gunshots, shouts, the sound of pursuit – feels distant, almost dreamlike against the crystal clarity of my focused mind.

*Three steps forward. Left turn. Count four doors. Sharp right. Duck under the low pipe. Second corridor.*

My fingertips trail along the cool concrete walls, using touch to confirm what my memory already knows. The tactical vest I stripped from the guard earlier feels heavy against my chest, but the weight is grounding, keeping me anchored in the present when memories threaten to drag me under.

Every shadow holds echoes of him. Every corner threatens to unveil another memory I'm not ready to face. But they come anyway, crashing over me like waves against rocks, each one threatening to erode what's left of my sanity.

*Three weeks ago. Our bedroom at the lake house. The moonlight painting everything in shades of silver and shadow.*

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