CARL
Smoke curled from the server room vents as Carl shoved through the chaos.
Alina was safe—bundled into a security guard's arms and whisked to the lobby. Kathleen was barking orders to evacuate. But Ava—
*Ava was still inside.*
A fire alarm shrieked. Sprinklers rained down. Carl tore off his suit jacket, drenched it in water from a cooler, and pressed it over his mouth.
Then he kicked open the server room door.
Flames licked the walls. Ava crouched under a desk, coughing, her laptop clutched to her chest.
Carl hauled her up. "Move!"
They stumbled into the hallway just as the ceiling collapsed behind them.
Ava gasped for air, her fingers digging into his arm. "Hansen—he left a trail. I saw it before—" She coughed violently. "He's working with *Sandeke's* CEO. They're not just after SafeHaven. They're after *you*."
Carl's blood ran cold.
Because if that was true, then Alina—
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
Kathleen. Soot streaked her face, her eyes wild. "The fire department's here. Is everyone—"
"Alina?" Carl demanded.
"Safe. Downstairs." Kathleen's gaze flicked to Ava. "We need to get her to a hospital."
Ava shook her head, thrusting her laptop at Kathleen. "No time. Look."
The screen showed a wire transfer—$20 million from an offshore account to a private security firm. Dated *today*.
Kathleen paled. "What is this?"
Ava's voice was a rasp. "Hansen's not just leaking emails. He's hired mercenaries."
Carl's phone buzzed. A notification from his penthouse security system.
**INTRUDER ALERT: MAIN FLOOR.**
His stomach dropped.
Alina was there.
---
AVA
The ambulance ride was a blur of oxygen masks and paramedic chatter.
Ava's lungs burned, but she refused to let go of the laptop. She'd seen the mercenary file—recognized one face from her deep dives into Sandeke's underbelly.
*Marek Voss.* Ex-military. No fingerprints on record.
The kind of man who made problems disappear.
Kathleen gripped her hand. "Ava, *breathe*."
Ava wheezed. "Listen to me. Voss doesn't just kidnap people. He—"
Her phone buzzed. A news alert.
**BREAKING: HARRIS CONSOLIDATE COO HANSEN LEROY FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE.**
Ava's blood turned to ice.
*No. No, no, no.*
She grabbed Kathleen's wrist. "This wasn't suicide. They're tying loose ends."
Kathleen's eyes widened. "Then Carl and Alina are—"
The ambulance screeched to a halt at the ER.
Ava yanked off her oxygen mask. "Go. *Now*."
---
CARL
Carl's penthouse was too quiet.
The security system showed no breaches now. No intruders. Just Alina curled on the couch with a security guard, watching cartoons.
But the hair on Carl's neck stood up.
Something was wrong.
He checked the cameras again—and froze.
*There.*
A shadow in the garage. A glint of metal.
Carl quietly handed Alina to the guard. "Take her to the panic room. Lock it."
Then he pulled a pistol from his desk.
Whoever was coming for his family wouldn't live to regret it.