Page 50 of Razor
The traffic light ahead turned red.I blew through it, ignoring the squeal of brakes and blaring horns.The safehouse was eight minutes away at normal speeds.I'd make it in four.
My brain continued its brutal calculation as I rode.The Weathers family had money, connections, but not this level of tactical precision.Their Aegis security team were ex-military, but infiltrating encrypted club communications required different skills.Someone had provided them with inside information.Someone who knew our protocols, our fallback positions, our security measures.
A name formed in my mind, along with a face I'd trusted for fifteen years.The only person besides me who had access to all our security codes.The only one who'd opposed my challenge to Mustang's leadership from the beginning.
The rage building inside me threatened to overwhelm my tactical thinking.I forced it down, channeling it into razor-sharp focus.Confirmation could wait.Ophelia and Dante couldn't.
I tried calling Socket one more time as I cut through a gas station parking lot to avoid backed-up traffic.Nothing.Tried Pierce.Dead air.Every instinct screamed that the safehouse had been compromised, that the elaborate security I'd established had been turned against us.
A single text managed to get through—from a number I didn't recognize: "Parents never showed at Bellini's.Decoy reservation."
Of course.They'd never planned to meet at the restaurant.That had been misdirection, getting us to focus our resources on the wrong location while they moved on the safehouse directly.
I was still three minutes out when I caught sight of something that stopped my breath—emergency vehicles, lights flashing, parked half a block from the office building where I'd left my family.Smoke rose from what looked like the second floor—exactly where our safehouse was located.
I gunned the engine one last time, rage and fear fusing into something beyond emotion—a pure, driving force that narrowed the world to a single imperative: reach them.
Reach them, protect them, and then unleash hell on whoever had made the fatal miscalculation of threatening what was mine.
Ophelia
I crouched in the bathtub behind the curtain with Dante pressed against my chest, his small heart fluttering like a trapped bird against my ribs.His body was warm, too warm, from the fear and adrenaline coursing through both of us.Outside the locked door, footsteps moved methodically through the house—careful, deliberate steps of someone who knew exactly what they were doing.Not Razor.Not Socket.Not any of our protectors.I covered Dante's mouth with my hand, feeling his breath warm against my palm as I reached for my phone with my free hand, praying the security app would still work.
The screen illuminated with a blue glow that felt too bright in the darkened bathroom.I angled it away from the door, shielding the light with my body as I tapped the security icon.The app loaded agonizingly slowly, each passing second marked by another deliberate footstep coming closer.Finally, the perimeter cameras appeared on my screen, and my stomach dropped.
A black SUV with the Aegis Security logo partially obscured by mud was parked at the end of the driveway.The sight of it sent ice through my veins.My parents' preferred contractors—the ones they called when they needed problems "handled discreetly."I swiped to the rear entrance camera, catching a glimpse of a man in tactical gear approaching the back door.He moved with military precision, weapon drawn but held low against his thigh—professional, experienced, dangerous.
"Mommy?"Dante whispered against my palm, his voice muffled but his fear palpable.
"Shh, baby," I breathed against his hair."Remember our hiding game?Stay absolutely quiet."
His tiny nod against my chest nearly broke me.Four years old and already trained to hide from danger.With Tyler, it had been rage and fists.Now it was hired professionals with guns.Different threat, same fear.
I scanned the bathroom, mind racing through our options.The window was too small even for Dante, barred as an extra security measure that now felt like a trap.The emergency exit route Razor had shown me required crossing the exposed hallway—impossible with the intruder between us and freedom.We were cornered, and I had maybe minutes before they found us.
A strange calm settled over me as I assessed our resources: toilet tank lid (heavy, potential weapon), shower curtain rod (metal, removable), toiletry bottles (projectiles, distractions), towels (binding, gagging), and most importantly, the element of surprise.They wouldn't expect resistance from a frightened mother—an advantage I intended to use.
"Dante," I whispered, setting him down on the tile floor."I need you to be the bravest boy in the world right now."
His eyes, so much like my own, were wide but dry.No tears.My brave boy.
"We're going to play the very best hiding game," I continued, keeping my voice steady."You're going to keep hiding in the bathtub, behind the shower curtain.No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, you stay hidden until I come get you.Or until Razor comes.Or Socket.Remember what they look like?"
He nodded solemnly."Razor has the special vest.Socket has the computer tattoo on his arm."
"That's right, my smart boy."I kissed his forehead, trying to keep my lips from trembling."If anyone else tries to get you, you scream as loud as you can.Understand?"
Another nod.I helped him into the bathtub, arranging towels to cushion him and minimize noise.As I pulled the shower curtain closed, hiding him from view, I felt something shift inside me—a hardening, a crystallization of purpose.The fear didn't disappear, but it transformed into something useful, something focused.
Working quickly, I removed the longer towel rack and attached it to the door handle, wedging the other end against the counter.Not a permanent barrier, but it would buy precious seconds.The toilet tank lid I placed within easy reach, hefting it once to confirm I could swing it if necessary.
I checked my phone again, sending an emergency signal to Razor's team—my location and a single word: "HELP."I silenced the device and tucked it into my bra, where it pressed uncomfortably against my skin but remained accessible.Then I positioned myself beside the door, back against the wall, where I would be hidden when it opened.
The footsteps stopped outside our door.I held my breath, counting heartbeats that seemed to echo in the small space.One.Two.Three.The doorknob rattled—a testing movement, not yet forceful.
"Ophelia Weathers?"A man's voice, professionally neutral."This is Aegis Security.We've been hired by your parents to escort you and your son to safety.Please open the door."
I remained silent, my fingers tightening around the edge of the toilet tank lid.Safety.As if anything involving my parents had ever meant safety for me or Dante.
